Tunnels and Underground Cities: Engineering and Innovation meet Archaeology,

Architecture and Art – Peila, Viggiani & Celestino (Eds)

© 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-38865-9

Autarkic aggregate supply with recycled tunnel spoil at the Brenner

Base Tunnel

R. Murr, T. Cordes, M. Hofmann & K. Bergmeister

Brenner Base Tunnel BBT-SE, Innsbruck, Austria

ABSTRACT: In the execution of the lot E52 of the Brenner Base Tunnel, environmen-
tal challenges were mastered for reduceing the environmental impact and sparing
resources. According to the geological preliminary investigations, the Bündner Schist
which formerly should be deposited was released for recycling on the basis of intensive
geological and engineering investigations. After beginning the construction phase, the
project partners planned cooperatively to implement the recycling of tunnel spoil not
previously used in Austria. Within a few months, the necessary steps of sampling, trial
production, laboratory tests for decisions and technical development were carried out.
The complexity of this topic is presented and the measures for quality control and adap-
tion of process cycles are displayed. With the implementation of tunnel spoil recycling at
“Erkundungslos Padastertal + Wolf II”, BBT-SE mastered important steps for planning
and concrete execution of further construction lots as well as an innovative path for the
construction industry.

1 INTRODUCTION

The Brenner Base Tunnel is the key structure of the trans-European North-South link
between Helsinki and Valletta (Malta). The construction of the North-South corridor is
part of the TEN Strategic Plan to cope with the increasing movement of goods and
people. The strategic plan gives priority to the development of the rail infrastructure, the
Brenner Base Tunnel is subject to the highest funding from the European Union due to
its importance.
Lot Wolf II is part of the Brenner Base Tunnel and essentially comprises the following con-
struction measures:
• 4 000 m access tunnel, excavation area 120 m², via which the central construction site logis-
tics for the subsequent main construction lot must be ensured
• Connecting cavern, branch cavern, fan cavern, excavation areas 230–350 m²
• 950 m spoil removal tunnel, excavation area approx. 60 m²
• 180 m cross-connection tunnel from access tunnel to exploration tunnel
• 1 140 m diversion tunnel for Padasterbach, excavation area 26 m²
• 360 m diversion tunnel for Padasterbach in open construction method
• 145 m transverse drainage tunnel, excavation area 10 m²
• 700 m inner lining Padastertunnel
• 1 000 m inner lining Saxenertunnel, connection tunnel to motorway A13
• Hydraulic structures (bed load barriers, intake structures, fish ponds etc.) in the Padastertal
• Landfill construction of the landfill Padastertal
All tunnels of this lot were excavated by blasting. The contract value of the construction lot
was approx. 104 million euros, construction began on December 4th 2013.

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Figure 1. Lot Wolf II, E52 (picture: BBT SE).

2 RECYCLING OF TUNNEL SPOIL FOR AGGREGATE PRODUCTION

On the basis of the Waste Management Law (Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz - AWG), with the target of
“recycling of waste” (see AWG §1 and §8 (3)), the Brenner Base Tunnel BBT SE commissioned
studies involving the University BOKU Vienna and external experts to examine the main litholo-
gies of the Austrian project area (Innsbruck Quartzphyllite and Bündner Schist) for the possibil-
ity of processing aggregates for concrete and filter material. Since no mining operator in
Austria used Bündner Schist for concrete at that time, its suitability as aggregate was unclear.
Investigations for Bündner Schist (see e.g. (Voit, K 2013)) have shown that Schist prepared by
crushing, screening and washing is suitable for the aggregate production for shotcrete as well as
for structural concretes. In contrast, the suitability of the Innsbruck Quartzphyllite, which is to
be found in the northern project area, as aggregate for structural concretes could not be proven.
In the course of the construction of the lot Wolf II, innovative steps were taken to optimise
material logistics and valuable experience was gained in the use of prepared tunnel spoil as aggre-
gate for concrete production. Mainly shotcrete (almost 100 000 m³) was produced out of tunnel
spoil.
Processing and recycling of tunnel spoil brought the following positive aspects for the project:
• Use of processed tunnel spoil and thus cost reduction for inert materials to be purchased
externally
• Reduction of landfill volume
• Avoid any transport of inert materials outside of the site
• Compliance with AWG requirement that tunnel spoil is recycled
• Improvement of the life cycle assessment (e.g. CO2, SO2, non-renewable energy and min-
eral resources according to (BBT-intern, 2015)

3 RECYCLING CONCEPT

With regard to processing and production of the fractions, an optimal concept suitable for
construction site had to be found.
The Bündner Schist is characterised above all by its good fissile strength along the shearing sur-
faces and its flat appearance. In order to produce suitable aggregates for concrete production, the
individual crushing stages were therefore selected primarily to achieve the required grain shape.
For this purpose and to obtain fractions for working out mix designs two processing trials
were carried out in December 2013 and March 2014 with the following plant constellation (see
(Voit, K 2013)):

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• Test series 1: Jaw crusher - impact mill
• Test series 2: Jaw crusher - Impact mill - Vertical mill
Test series 1 showed that the production of aggregates from Bündner Schist is basically pos-
sible, but that it is difficult to achieve the required grain shape. It was therefore decided to
additionally use a third crushing stage in the form of a vertical mill. Vertical mills are mainly
used to achieve as cubic a grain shape as possible and subsequently as low an LA value as
possible.
Based on findings from the tests, the planning of the plant in Wolf was started in March
2014 and should meet the following requirements (see also (Bergmeister, K., Kogler, H.,
Murr, R., Cordes, T. & Arnold R., 2016)):
• low space requirement
• rapid availability
• flexible system constellation
• low treatment losses
• acceptable investment costs

3.1 Low Space Requirement

The complete planning and implementation took place parallel to the ongoing excavation.
The available space in the Padastertal was too small to install all three crushing stages on the
BE Padastertal site (see Figure 2). The pre-screening system was therefore installed in the fan
cavern. A further aspect was the all-season availability and the largely independent operation
of the pre-separation situated under the surface.

3.2 Rapid Availability

The period from the decision to implement to full commissioning was only four and a half
months. By comparison, mining operations usually have a period of two years.

3.3 Flexible System Constellation

The plant constellation was chosen in such a way that it would also have been possible to
relocate the plant locally, if necessary during construction operations. The choice of a mobile
intermediate screen after the second crushing stage was made in order to enable the produc-
tion of building materials for landfill construction (e.g. filter gravel) during downtimes of wet
processing (e.g. in high winter) and thus loss of production of aggregates for concrete.
A decisive factor for the planning of the processing of the tunnel excavation was the conver-
sion of the processing plant. Depending on the construction phases, large quantities of sand
had to be produced for shotcrete, coarse grains for inner shell concrete and larger quantities
for filter layers of the landfill. The processing concept therefore took into account a rapid

Figure 2. Overview of material recycling plant in Padastertal.

497
changeover of the crushing stages in order to be able to react to changes in demand with a
short-term back-crushing of surplus granulations.

3.4 Low Treatment Losses

The choice of the separation cut of the pre-screening is a compromise between the highest pos-
sible percentage of material recycling on the one hand and the elimination of the less suitable
or unsuitable proportions such as layers rich in mica and graphite on the other. The separ-
ation cut at 32 mm proved to be advantageous. A similar behavior was found when the suit-
able grain shape was achieved, since the grain shape was improved by repeated crushing, but
higher processing losses were generated. The achievement of a sufficient grain shape with as
low a proportion of blowdown materials as possible was achieved during operation by regular
adjustment of the speed of the impact mill and vertical mill.

3.5 Acceptable Investment Costs

The planned short service life required low investment costs. Both used equipment was pur-
chased to ensure faster availability and, in the case of wet processing, new equipment to guar-
antee high quality. By producing in advance, a shutdown of the wet processing in high winter
could be planned. Otherwise, considerably higher investments in the form of a winter-proof
housing would have been necessary.
The following plant scheme has been provided for:
• Jaw crusher
• Pre-screening at 32 mm
• Impact mill
• Intermediate screening (for a possible production of filter gravel 16/32)
• Vertical mill
• Wet sieving 0/4, 4/8, 8/22 mm
• Rinsing sand 0/4 mm in bucket wheel

3.6 Construction Sequence

From the working face, the tunnel excavated material was transported to the fan cavern for
coarse processing, crushed by jaw crushers and pre-screened at 32 mm. The further crushing pro-
cess took place in the Padastertal processing area using impact mills and vertical mills to produce
the coarse and fine fractions combined with an improvement in grain shape and LA value.
For shotcrete production with a sand content of approx. 70%, the surplus granulations
were broken back both in the impact mill and in the vertical mill.

4 PREPARATION OF THE MIX DESIGN

For manufacturing the shotcrete lining, a shotcrete of the grade SpC25/30(120)/II/J2/XC4/

GK8 was used in the Wolf, which was mixed at the Wolf construction site mixing plant. The
concrete strength class was determined on the basis of optimisations based on the geology
encountered and the deformations measured. With regard to durability, great importance was
attached to a high structural density, which was intensified by testing the water penetration
depth of drill cores from grouting boxes and the structure.
The formulation was developed in two parallel steps:
• Binder paste and mortar tests with different setting accelerators (EB) without reference to
Bündner Schist
• Mix design of concrete, fresh concrete and gunning tests with prepared Bündner Schist and
the binder combinations of the binder paste and mortar tests

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4.1 Binderpaste- and Mortar Tests
In order to optimise the choice of setting accelerator and to improve the coordination between
setting accelerator and binder combination, tests were carried out in the laboratory to deter-
mine the setting times, compressive strength development at a young age (3h to 24h) and the
loss of strength at the age of 7 days compared to the unaccelerated mortar. The tests were
carried out in accordance with the guideline on shotcrete (Austrian Society for Construction
Technology öbv, 2009), the results of which are shown in Figures 3 to 5.
When determining the setting acceleration, it was found that the required setting acceleration
was achieved with significantly different dosing heights for the various products. During the test,
the mixing in of some combinations of accelerator and binder very quickly led to clumping and
inhomogeneities in the accelerated binder paste due to the high reactivity. It was also shown that
accelerator products which allowed high early strengths within the young age (tested up to 24h)
showed a higher loss of strength compared to the non-accelerated zero mortar.
Based on this, a binder combination of a CEM I 52.5 N and a CEM II/A-M 42.5 N in a
ratio of 50% to 50% and the addition of a hydraulically reactive additive type II (AHWZ) was
selected in the application, which significantly reduced lump formation and the occurrence of

Figure 3. Determination of the setting acceleration of binder paste with different setting accelerators
Products.

Figure 4. Determination of the compressive strength development of accelerated binder paste in cylin-
drical test specimens with different setting accelerators Products.

Figure 5. Determination of the loss of strength of accelerated mortar prisms with different accelerated
setting products at the age of 7 days.

499
inhomogeneities. The drop in strength determined on the mortar prism at the age of 7 days
was between 8% and 22%, depending on the product, compared with the unaccelerated zero
mortar, see Figure 5.

4.2 Concrete Mix Design, Fresh Concrete and Shotcrete Tests

Based on a “standard” shotcrete formulation with 420 kg/m³ binder, the binder content was
increased due to the higher water requirement and the influence of the phyllosilicates. At the
same time, new admixtures had to be used to introduce fine air into the fresh concrete and to
improve consistency. The graphite content in the Bündner Schist was very low in absolute
terms - examinations of the crushed raw material revealed graphite contents of between 0.4%
and 0.5% - but reduced the effectiveness of the air entraining agent to generate fine air in the
fresh concrete. The fine air was used specifically to improve workability, reduce tackiness and
increase concrete stability.
In shotcrete tests, the phenomenon known from earlier times clearly showed that at EB doses
which ensured that the J2 curve was reached at a very young age (approx. 3 to 6 hours), a
strength deficit compared to products with a low early strength performance was caused in the
further course. This phenomenon could be controlled to some extent with different products
and different dosages, but could not be completely eliminated. It was also shown that different
EB products reacted differently sensitively to EB dosage changes with the binder combination
used; i.e. for some products a small change in dosage showed a clear effect - mainly for EB
products with strong strength development at an early age - some products behaved rather well.
These observations and the results of the binder paste and mortar tests led to an optimised
concrete formulation and the use of the EB-C solidification accelerator, which largely met the
requirements of driving and the construction site:

Table 1. The mix designs.

Binder kg/m³ Batch kg/m³ Aggregat kg/m³ Batch Water batch Additive
CEM I 52.5 R 210 Sand 0/4 1119 220 Superplasticizer
CEM II/A-M 210 Coarse 4/8 488 Consistency holder
(S-L) 42.5 N
AHWZ1) 50 Air-entraining agent

1 Admixture Type II, Chargeable Hydraulically Active Admixture (AHWZ)

5 EXCAVATION ACCOMPAINING TESTS

The shotcrete SpC25/30(120)/II/J2/XC4/GK8 was used in the period from December 2014 to
April 2016 with a compacted monitoring to ensure the uniformity of the paving quality. The
formulation of the sprayed concrete is listed in Table 1 (see also (BBT, 2016)). The evaluation
of the installed shotcrete quality was carried out using the available test documents:
• Recipe check from 18th December 2014
• Conformity tests in the period between December 2014 and April 2016
• Identity tests between December 2014 and April 2016
• Component testing (drill core removal)
• Additional tests (Youngs-modulus test, frost resistance test XF3)

5.1 Conformity Tests

The formulation showed an increased water demand due to the processed sand fraction of 0/4
mm. The evaluation of almost 200 conformity testing showed a satisfactory, very homoge-
neous result for the shotcrete quality with slight fluctuations in air content and a clear drop in
compressive strength to 76% on average from shotcrete to zero concrete. The early strength

500
curve J2 showed a slight underrun in individual samples at an age of approx. 3–9 hours. A
higher EB dosage leads to a reduction of the strength development at an age of >28 d.
The evaluation of the shotcrete test according to ÖVBB guideline shotcrete (öbv, 2009) and
ÖNORM EN 13791 according to Table 2 led to a confirmation of the required compressive
strength:

Table 2. Evaluation of the tests according to (öbv, 2009) and ÖNORM EN 13791 (BBT, 2016)).
SpC25/30
Minimum Characteristic Demanded Attained
Compressive strength fck,is (MPa) Conformity testing
Identity testing including
Drill Core (L/D=1/1) (MPa) (MPa) Structural testing
26
From the mean value criterion
Estimated characteristic
Compressive strength fck,is 26.8 26.2
From the single value criterion
Estimated characteristic
compressive strength fck,is 29.5 30.0

5.2 Identity Testing Including Structural Testing

The evaluation of the ID tests also confirmed the requirements with a slightly higher compres-
sive strength. Based on these results, a total of 35 drilled cores out of the construction were
taken and additionally tested. Of these, 4 drill cores that were not intact had to be excluded
from the tests. The measurement of the microstructure density on a total of 22 drill cores from
the component confirmed compliance with the highest requirement XC4, the evaluation of the
compressive strength as an average and the required shotcrete quality according to ÖNORM
EN 13791, see Tables 2 and 3.
In addition, the development of compressive strength and Young´s modulus was deter-
mined during the ID tests. The result in Figure 6 shows the development of a relatively low
Young´s modulus after 28 days. For comparison purposes, the temporal curves according to
Model Code 2010 are shown. However, this property can basically be classified as advanta-
geous for use in tunnel construction due to the resulting more flexible shell. The reduction of
the modulus of elasticity results from the use of the prepared aggregates.

Table 3. Test results of structural density and compressive strength.

Parameter Structural density Compressive strength on drill cores
(mm) (MPa)
Number of testing results 22 31
Mean 29.0 29.7
Standard deviation 6.9 2.4

Figure 6. Development of Young´s modulus and compressive strength.

501
6 STUDIES TO OPTIMICE MIX DESIGN

Based on the experience gained, investigations were carried out for further recipe optimisa-
tion. Since it had to be established during the execution that the water demand of the pro-
cessed aggregates was very high despite adjustment of the grading curve and optimised
concrete admixture, the possibility of reducing the water demand by partial to complete
replacement of the processed aggregate fraction 0/4 was investigated. In the investigations, the
percentages of the tunnel excavation sand 0/4 were gradually replaced by a calcitic sand 0/4. If
the sand is replaced, it is increasingly necessary to adjust the additive dosages or products for
the individual mixtures (e.g. also the air-entraining agents). The following mixtures were com-
pared, whereby the binder remained unchanged:

Table 4. The mix design.

Mix Design Binder 11) Batch kg/m³
Cement 1 CEM II/A-S 42.5R 210
Cement 2 CEM I 52.5 R 210
AHWZ1) AHWZ 50
Additive Superplasticizer
Additive Consistency holder
Additive Air-entraining agent

1) Admixture Type II, Chargeable Hydraulically Active

Admixture (AHWZ)

The proportion of aggregates remained uniform in the investigations, but with different
compositions of the individual fractions:

Table 5. Division of the fractions into the overall sieve line.

Fraction (mm) NM (%) M20 (%) M35 (%) M50 (%)
Calcitic sand 0/4 0 20 35 50
Tunnel excavationsand 0/4 70 50 35 20
Gravel 4/8 30 30 30 30

6.1 Fresh Concrete Testing Results

The following table shows the results of the fresh concrete tests of the different mixtures.

6.2 Compressive Strength

It is known that the compressive strength increases with decreasing air content or decreasing
porosity (see e.g. (Wesche, K., 1993)). Since the investigated compounds had a very different
air content, the test results were converted to a uniform fictitious air content of 5.0% in order
to compare the individual compressive strengths. As a simple approximation, the empirical
approach was chosen in this paper that with an increase in the air content of 1%, the

Table 6. Fresh Concrete Results.

Parameter NM M20 M35 M50
Watercontent (kg/m³) 224 214 210 189
W/B-ratio (-) 0.49 0.45 0.44 0.40
Density (kg/m³) 2110 2234 2288 2132
Slump after 10 min (mm) 613 565 580 555
Slump after 60 mini (mm) 495 440 420 475
Air content (%) 9.5 6.4 4.6 10.9

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compressive strength decreases by 5%. Under this assumption, the following table shows the
compressive strength for the existing air content of the test specimens and the compressive
strength related to the calculated air content of 5.0%.
It can be seen that with the increasing replacement of tunnel spoil 0/4 by calcitic sand 0/4,
the compressive strength of the concrete also increases and that this is mainly expressed in the
possibility of water saving. The following figure illustrates this relationship:

Figure 7. Concrete Strength Curve for NM, M20, M35 and M50 Mixes.

7 EFFECT OF MATERIAL PREPARATION ON LANDFILL VOLUME

7.1 Share of shotcrete in landfill volume

A reliable forecast of the required landfill volume is of decisive importance for a project such
as the Brenner Base Tunnel, because the planning and approval of landfills takes a long time
due to requirements and procedures. In total, the required landfill volume in the Austrian pro-
ject area amounts to approx. 12 million m³. Changes in the percentage range lead to large
absolute increases or decreases in quantities.
At first glance, the calculation of the landfill volume as the product of the excavation cross-
section with the tunnel length appears to be trivial. However, a closer look at the mass bal-
ances reveals a different picture. The deposited material does not only consist of the excavated
rock but also of shotcrete (from rebound and temporary securing e.g. at the working face). In
addition, the water content generally changes. These effects are relevant and must therefore be
taken into account in the mass balance.
The mass ratio of shotcrete to rock in the landfill can be estimated on the basis of a fictive
circular tunnel assuming a density of rock of 2.7 to/m³ and shotcrete of 2.2 to/m³ as follows:

Table 7. Estimation of the proportion of shotcrete in the landfill.

Radius Excavated area Thickness of Rebound Pitch length
Soffit Orbastrally shotcrete
(m) (m²) (m) (m) (%) (m)
4.0 50.3 0.15 0.05 10 1.4
Volume per pitch Mass per pitch

Rock Reveal Orbastrally Rock Sprayed concrete Ratio

(m³) (m³) (m³) (to) (to) (%)
70.4 5.4 2.5 190.0 7.0 4

This simple estimation results in a mass ratio of shotcrete to rock in the landfill of approx.
4%. A similar value resulted from a back-calculation of the actual masses for the lot H33
Tulfes-Pfons. The proportion of rebound is relatively low (approx. 1%), the more important
part is the shotcrete used to secure the face of the village.

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 Table 8. Ratio of excavated to recycled rock volume for lot Wolf II.
Year Quantity excavated Quantity recycled Mass percentage
(-) (to) (to) (%)
2013 20.500 0 0
2014 764.000 0 0
2015 600.000 140.000 23
2016 341.250 100.000 29
2017 20.500 0 0
Total 1.746.250 240.000 14

7.2 Reduction of landfill volume through material preparation

It is assumed that the reduction of the landfill volume is equal to the mass ratio of the pro-
cessed rock to the excavated rock (a closer look reveals a slightly non-linear correlation).
The quantities excavated and processed in lot Wolf II are summarized in the following
table.
It follows from this that without material processing, the landfill volume would have been
approx. 30% higher in 2016 and approximately 15% higher in the total lot.

8 CONCLUSION

This article gives an overview of the developed processing concept and a description of the
current shotcrete technology with the experience of the material processing of Bündner Schist
as aggregates for concrete production in the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel. In the
successful pilot project lot Wolf II, it was shown that the processed Bündner Schist is well
suited as aggregate for shotcrete and structural concrete. The processed tunnel spoil was used
to successfully supply aggregates for 144 000 m³ of concrete. Furthermore, in concrete tests it
was determined that the concrete strength can be increased by replacing tunnel spoil 0/4 with
calcitic sand 0/4. The recylcling of tunnel spoil improve the sustainability of the project by
reducing the environmental impact and sparing resources.

REFERENCES

BBT-internal report, 2015, E52 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Ökobilanzstudie Variantenuntersuchung
Spritzbeton.
BBT-internal report, 2016, quality evaluation sprayed concrete, Wolf E52 intern
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tionen zur Aufbereitung des Tunnelausbruchmaterials und Optimierung der Betonzusammensetzung.
Zement+Beton 1, Page 48–57
Bundesministerium Nachhaltigkeit und Tourismus, 2002, Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz AWG
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