ABSTRACT
Tunnel Boring Machines have proven, during the last decades, high levels of efficiency as a preferred system in tunnel construction, especially in urban areas where the improvement of transport structures is currently expanding. This efficiency doesn’t necessary mitigate risks, especially for third parties, notwithstanding the own risks towards the machinery that can cause long-term and costly reparation stops. Operation parameters, connected by advanced analysis to settlement information, TBM georeferencing, and estimated ground deformations among others, play a major role when talk about keeping excavation risks under control and out of danger ranges. Therefore, the management, processing and analysis of operation data are key elements for accurately determining the existence of a risk, its possible consequences and the best way of mitigating it. Nowadays, the connection and processing of data, combined with the digitization in tunneling works, allows us to achieve a very efficient use of information, thus allowing a very clear improvement in the management of operational risks, not only during the excavation phase but also during the operation and maintenance phases. These techniques significantly support the tunnel’s life cycle. This paper will present the readers with real cases of application in tunneling works, introducing these techniques of processing and analysis aimed at producing a more comprehensive vision of the operation and enhancing the decision-making process, making it more agile, precise and effective when handling potential risks.
