BORING CO COMPETITION 2025 | MECHANISED TUNNELLING


Above left: Interior view of TUM Boring’s tunnelling system for this year’s competition PHOTO CREDIT: TUM BORING Above right: To take part in the competition with their own tunnelling equipment the teams must tackle the full development cycle from concepts to manufacturing and testing PHOTO CREDIT: TUM BORING


Previously, these were installed in the shipping


container, above ground in the starting pit. They have now been fitted inside the first tunnel segment, the so-called Power Pipe, which also contains the soil conditioning, hydraulics and navigation system. For the five electric cutterhead motors, this allows the team to reduce the number of power cables and connectors from five to one and data cables and connectors from five to two (two for redundancy). This saves resources, frees up critical installation space and reduces downtime during the pipe connection process. The team also found a new solution to anchor the


machine, which pushes forward with a propulsion force of up to 1,000kN. In 2021 they considered earth screws to anchor


the container but decided against them because of the engineering effort required, the need for special installation equipment and the uncertainty of whether the screws would hold in the given ground conditions. Instead, they opted for concrete blocks behind the boom sections that go through the container walls from the jacking frame, so the frame pushes against a wall of concrete. For 2025, the team returned to the idea of ground


screws and were determined to make it work. “We did a lot of testing with the screw manufacturer


to determine how much force one screw could absorb and how many we would need for safety,” said Blanke. The resulting system comprises seven screws on each


side of the container, screwed in at a 45° angle and connected to the jacking frame through a steel frame. To achieve the desired load capacity, the screws can


be extended up to a depth of 5m to reach the desired soil layer.


Blanke said the system worked perfectly although


it requires more effort to install. Using an exacavator to install the screws is a challenge, but the testing in Munich paid off. “During test drillings in Munich, it took a couple of


days but at the competition we did it in less that a day and it went well,” said Blanke. Once the screws are installed, only the steel frame


is visible above ground and the system also has the advantage of being much lighter than concrete blocks. The team also changed their pipe storage system to


design the machine for a new length record. “We didn’t want the tunnel length to be limited by the


capacity of the pipe storage,” said Blanke. The previous revolver system worked well because


everything could be stored in the container and the pipes could be loaded into the revolver before drilling started. The downside, however, was drilling would have to be stopped to reload the revolver. The answer was a “simpler but more effective


solution” for their goal where the pipes were fed into the back of the container. The pipes can be rotated so the connection is made inside the container and the chain of pipes can be extended. The new system has the added bonus of freeing up


space in the container. Another difference between TUM Boring’s approach


and common practice is their jacking frame grabs the pipes from the outside and pushes them forward rather than pushing against the back end of the pipe. Although TUM Boring won the competition in 2025 and


set a new record by a convincing margin, they weren’t entirely satisfied. The team of 19 were so intent on achieving a 30m drive that after the awards ceremony they returned to their machine to continue drilling.


July 2025 | 19


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