Supply of thrust system for TBM launch; auxiliary design for mechanized excavation & jobsite assistance
2019 | ONGOING
TunnelPro has been actively involved in the COLMETO project since its early stages. As early as 2021, the engineering department supported Ghella in defining the technical specifications of the TBM — a 4.08 m diameter Slurry machine — as well as in the preliminary design of the slurry treatment plant serving the TBM. During the same period, TunnelPro also contributed to the preliminary construction planning study, the definition of the TBM assembly and start-up procedures, and the analysis of the excavation methodology. At the end of 2022, the COLMETO Scarl Consortium awarded TunnelPro a contract for the preparation of the design documents required to define all temporary works related to mechanized tunnelling. The contract, completed in 2024, covered the design of the assembly, start-up and dismantling methodologies for the TBM, the definition of excavation operating procedures, the preparation of site layout drawings, the study of electrical and hydraulic systems, and the supply of general arrangement drawings for the main equipment required for TBM excavation. At the beginning of 2025, the COLMETO Scarl Consortium further commissioned TunnelPro to design and supply the Thrust Frame, Thrust Ring and Seal Ring — a specialized TBM launch structure, complete with thrust ring, installed within the launch shaft to enable excavation start-up under restricted space conditions — as well as a sealing ring positioned at the tunnel portal, essential for allowing pressurized excavation. At the end of 2025, TunnelPro was also appointed to design and supply the break-out / break-in system, a specialized steel structure enabling the TBM to pass through shafts constructed along the alignment prior to the machine’s arrival.