Trelleborg’s engineered products operation has been awarded the contract by Penta Ocean and China State JV, to seal an immersed tube tunnel for the Shatin to Central Link project by MTR Corporation of Hong Kong, spanning 1.3 kilometers of the Victoria Harbour. The tunnel will carry twin rail tracks to connect Kowloon to Hong Kong Island.
The Shatin to Central link project will consist of eleven concrete elements of approximately 160 meters each, which will be towed to the construction site by sea. The elements will be connected using Trelleborg’s Gina gaskets, which are supplied as closed rectangular frames to seal each sectional element, along with Omega seals to connect each segment together. Both have the ability to withstand seismic activity and absorb movement.
The combination of the two seals enables the transfer of hydrostatic loads and movements between the tunnel ends, caused by soil settlement, creep of concrete, temperature effects and earthquakes.
Andre de Graaf, Sales Manager Infrastructure for Trelleborg’s engineered products operation, says: “Our tunnel seals enable installers to deploy a lighter force jack to seal the deeper joints, as the Gina gasket is softer and able to close more easily upon initial compression. Therefore, these solutions help to reduce costs and the time it takes to close the seals.”
de Graaf continues: “Trelleborg produces, delivers, installs, repairs and supervises the entire tunnel sealing solution from end-to-end. Our unrivalled expertise in tunnel seals means we can advise on all areas of deployment, as well as having the knowledge to handle any installation challenge.”
Site works have been initiated on the Victoria Harbour and Trelleborg has started production of gaskets for the project.