Railway Tunneling

Tunnel Engineering : Study divided in Part 1 to 5

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
• Tunnels: • Tunneling in • Tunneling in • Lighting and • Drainage and
• Necessity/ Hard Rock Soft ground Ventilation Safety
advantage • Sequence of • Types of and Dust
of a operations soft ground control in • Drainage of
tunnel, for • Factors tunnel tunnels
• Classificati tunneling in affecting • Drainage
on of hard rock choice of • Ventilation system
Tunnels • Faces of method of Tunnel • Safety in
Size and attack • Methods of • Methods of tunnel
shape of a • Methods of tunneling in ventilation construction
tunnel, tunneling in soft ground • Dust control
Alignment hard rock • Method
of a require
Tunnel, timbering
• Portals • Other
and Shafts methods
• Mucking
Tunnels : Part IV

Lighting and Ventilation and Dust control in tunnel

A. Lighting

B. Ventilation of Tunnel

C. Dust control
Lighting in Tunnel
• Why lighting is required?
Answer is
1. Various operations and activities in tunneling work can
not be effectively and satisfactory carried out, if there is
poor light in a tunnel
2. Need for satisfactory efficiency of worker
3. It is a matter of both utility and safety
Amount of light required …..minimum…….Unit?
Need 260 lumens/sq.m
Definitions….For information only

• The lumen (symbol: lm) is the SI derived unit of luminous flux,

a measure of the total quantity of visible light emitted by a
source.
• Lumens are related to lux  one lux is one lumen per square
meter.
• The lumen is defined in relation to the candela as
• 1 lm = 1 cd ⋅ sr.
• A full sphere has a solid angle of 4π steradians, so a light
source that uniformly radiates one candela in all directions has
a total luminous flux of 
• 1 cd × 4π sr = 4π cd⋅sr ≈ 12.57 lumens.[2]
Good lighting is essential on the following place

1. Obstruction in tunnel
2. Drilling and mucking zone
3. Bottom of shaft
4. Storage Points
5. Underground repair shops
6. Pumping stations
7. Switches, turnouts and passing tracks
8. Where work is in progress
Types of Tunnel Lights
Lanterns and Coal gas lighting Acetylene gas Electric lighting
lamp burning oil lighting
Used in survey Use coal gas Used to Highly popular
work Provide more provide
During the use brilliant and lighting Advantage
of instrument steady light Furnish brilliant
Use burning Rarely used and steady light
gasoline Disadvantage Absence of smoke
May explosion if Does not consume
any leakage oxygen
Wires can be
extended and also
removed
Lamps are easily
replace
For information
Spacing of lights
• Need Uniform lighting
• Desirable to have to have more light of small wattage
rather than few lights of large wattage
• SPACING OF LIGHT
Factors considered/ Depends on
1. Tunnel dimension…small/large tunnel
2. Size of light source…wattage
3. Rock condition….color of rock,
Ventilation of tunnel
Ventilation means technique of providing fresh air inside
the tunnel during and after construction.
Need of ventilation
1) To furnish fresh air to worker
2) To remove obnoxious gases and fumes produced by
explosives.
3) To remove the dust caused by drilling, blasting and
mucking operation.
4) To reduce the temperature.
Requirements of ventilation system
1. Fumes and smokes must be clear as early as so that work can be
resumed after blasting.
2. It must prevent accumulation of fumes
3. Workers can do their job safely and comfortably.
4. Dusting shall be within permissible limit

• PM 2.5 =60 µ gram/m3, PM 10=100 µ gram/m3 (for 24 Hr)( as per GPCB)

• VOLUME OF AIR REQUIRED-
• (Depends on size of tunnel, amount of explosive, temp, humidity, gases, CO 2,
Heat of lighting)
• During working, each worker should be supplied with a minimum 4.25 m 3 of
air/min/man
• -Mucking shall be start after 30minutes of exploding ( Blasting)
Methods of Ventilation
Natural ventilation
- Need shaft at suitable
interval
- Suitability
1. Large dia, smaller length
2. Drift is provided
3. Tunnel along the wind
direction
Mechanical ventilation
Provided by electric motor
driven fan/ exhaust dust
Methods
1) Blowing
2) Exhausting
3) Combination of blowing
and exhausting
For understanding
For understanding
• Exhaust fan
Dust control
• Exhaust
Ventilation of tunnel
Mechanical ventilation
Blowing Exhausting Combination of blowing and
exhausting
Fresh air blown Foul air and Recent system
by blower from dust are drawn Use immediately after
shaft into an blasting
exhausting duct
Supply fresh air Exhaust fan
right near the suitable for
working face short tunnel
only
Quick removal
of dust

Department of civil Engineering, Darshan Institute-Rajkot

Equipment's for Ventilation
1. Fans
a) Centrifugal blower
b) Disc blower
c) Turbine blower
2. Piping
i. Riveted
ii. Welded
Dust Control
In drilling ,blasting ,loading and hauling muck operation
Dust accumulates in the air in tunnel
Excessive concentration causes serious health hazard. Ex.
‘silicosis
Methods of Dust Control
1) Wet drilling
2) Use of vacuum hood
3) Use of respirator
Methods of Dust Control
Wet drilling Use of vacuum hood Use of respirators
Respirator used by
Where use of water workmen – Protect
Drilling machine
not possible – A against inhalation
with water
hood is fitted around of dust.
Water- remove the
the drill – which is
cutting from the
connected to a
drilled holes
suction hose –
Quantity of water
Which removes dust
depends on speed
of operation and
As shown in Figure->
class of drill used in
the process
Methods of Dust Control….For information