The Robbins Company

Nepal's first tunnel boring machine, a 5.06 m (16.6 ft) diameter Robbins Double Shield, is living up to the nation's high expectations. The TBM, supplied in summer 2017 for the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP), recently bored over 1,000 m (3,280 feet) in one month and has been averaging an impressive 800 m (2,630 feet) per month. The project is owned by the Government of Nepal's Department of Irrigation (DOI) and operated by contractor China Overseas Engineering Group Co. Ltd. Nepal Branch (COVEC Nepal).

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On the Canadian side of the Niagara River, there are two existing water tunnels under the city of Niagara Falls, both constructed in the 1950s using drill-and-blast techniques. The tunnels take water from the Niagara River 1.6 kilometres above Horseshoe Falls and feed it to the Sir Adam Beck power stations located eight kilometres downstream.
The Niagara Tunnel Project, headed up by Ontario Power Generation (OPG), is the latest venture to capture the river’s energy.
The new tunnel will provide an additional 500 cubic metres/second (17,700 cubic feet/second) of water flow, enhancing this green source of renewable energy.

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Turn-Key Tunneling, Inc. completed a 352-foot (107m) bore length using a Robbins Small Boring Unit (SBU-A), setting a record for trenchless boring in the 54-inch (1.4m) diameter bore-size class. It also proved to be at least five times faster than hand mining in this case. The machine broke through just 0.17-inch (4.3mm) off of line and grade, and well within its contractual ± 3-inch (8cm) requirements.

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The Robbins Small Boring Unit (SBU) allows any Auger Boring Machine from 24 to 72 inches (0.6 to 1.8 m) to cut through hard rock and mixed ground. The SBU is a small diameter rock boring attachment and bearing housing assembly for use on utility installations underneath roads, rivers, or rail lines.

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