Recently, the Shicheng Endeavor, an extra-large-diameter slurry balance shield machine used for the Hubei Road River-Crossing Tunnel project in Ma’anshan, undertaken by China Railway No.4 Engineering Group’s Urban Rail Transit Branch, completed assembly and joint commissioning. It is now ready to begin tunneling beneath the Yangtze River.

The Hubei Road River-Crossing Tunnel is Ma’anshan’s first river-crossing tunnel and the largest and most geologically complex river-crossing project in the Wanjiang region. The project is about 6.94 kilometers long, including a 5.391-kilometer shield section and an approximately 1.018-kilometer roadbed section. The project team selected the Shicheng Endeavor for the tunneling work. Its cutterhead has a diameter of 15.07 meters, roughly the height of a five-story building. The tunnel segments have an outer diameter of 14.5 meters, an inner diameter of 13.3 meters, and a wall thickness of 60 centimeters. The shield machine is 162 meters long, equivalent to the length of 10 tractor-trailers.

The tunnel passes through complex underwater geological formations beneath the Yangtze, with geological conditions described as a “museum of underwater shield tunneling.” The shield machine must tackle an exceptionally steep gradient of 39.5‰, make a smooth launch under shallow overburden, and pass through typical composite strata with soft soil over hard rock. The project also borders the Yangtze’s first- and second-level water source protection zones, requiring efficient tunneling while strictly protecting the ecological environment.

With its steel body, the Shicheng Endeavor will tunnel beneath the Yangtze and connect its eastern and western banks. It will not only inject strong momentum into Ma’anshan’s integrated development across the river, but also contribute to the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and deeper integration of the Yangtze River Delta.

Source: anhuinews.com

Translated by Shao Hanzhe, intern