EDUCATION | R&D
Above: Graphic of Lining System IMAGE CREDIT: SWISSLOOP TUNNELING
Above: Graphic of Propulsion System IMAGE CREDIT: SWISSLOOP TUNNELING
then implement what is required for further
improvement. There must also be assessment of how the machine might even be adapted or extended to some degree for use in real-world infrastructure projects. These will require further intensive efforts in making more technological progress, and so, it is for sure that, Swissloop Tunneling will maintain the discussions and mutual exchanges as well as collaborations with the industry and institutions, to better understand the needs of potential users in the future. In fact, the innovative approaches that are getting
realised with ‘Groundhog Beta’ offer high potential to achieve more efficient and ecologic tunneling with regards to a significant decrease of resource
consumption. This holds for the high amount of time the challenging tunneling projects still need, but also the corresponding requirements of financial and material resources. The technology Swissloop Tunneling has been
conceptualizing, developing and testing, for almost four years, while continuously has made progress also needs to be analyzed on possibilities for scaling up. The project is investigating the use case in micro
tunneling with its current MTBM ‘Groundhog Beta’, which currently remains a prototype machine with a diameter of 0.606m. This opens an R&D opportunity for the team of students to assess to what extent the machine could be scaled up to construct a larger tunnel diameter. This is only one of various open questions the team
wants to answer during the upcoming seasons of the ongoing student-led R&D project. The process of conducting solution-oriented R&D to contribute to innovative tunneling solutions is what drives the team members. It also gives the engineering students valuable insights and practical experiences with regard to what it means to implement challenging approaches to innovation.
FUTURE AND INDUSTRY CONTACT Swissloop Tunneling is looking forward to the future of the project and staying in touch with the international tunneling industry. Innovation in complex areas, such as tunneling,
Above: Graphic of Steering System IMAGE CREDIT: SWISSLOOP TUNNELING 38 | Summer 2024
asks for a continuous exchange between the industry representatives. All are facing technological as well as economic challenges of tunneling construction. But one thing is for sure – they all together are contributing to delivering the important infrastructural requirements of society in future. This is where Swissloop Tunneling strives to take part by continuously testing profoundly new approaches for tunneling innovation.
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