The experience and suggestions of a design engineer who is a genuine expert in tunnel construction are essential to those who construct tunnel boring machines (TBMs), as they compete with each other to produce increasingly more flexible and efficient shields and cutters. To achieve this Rocksoil S.p.A. has always co-operated with major producers of machines who have asked for opinions and suggestions.

A new generation of shielded TBMs has been born from the close co-operation between Rocksoil and Herrenknecht. They allow the rock mass to be surveyed continuously in real time and ground improvement to be performed in advance where necessary.

Advanced study and experimentation in the field performed by Rocksoil on prefabricated concrete segment linings are of great importance in this respect for recent developments in mechanised excavation and Rocksoil is the firmly acknowledged world leader in this field with the development of the “Universal Ring” and special concretes and additives.