30.03.2022
ABB signs Agreement with Savannah Resources as plans Progress for Zero Emission Lithium Project in Europe
ABB and Savannah Resources plc have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore industrial automation and smart electrification solutions for the development of Savannah’s Barroso Lithium Project in northern Portugal.

29.03.2022
Progress at HS2’s Victoria Road Site as Base Slab is completed
HS2’s Main Works Contractor, Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture, SCS JV, have taken a major step forward in their work at the Victoria Road Site in Acton, completing the base slab construction of the Victoria Road ancillary shaft.

28.03.2022
Orica Board Appointment - Gordon Naylor
Orica Chairman Malcolm Broomhead today announced the appointment of Mr Gordon Naylor as independent, non-executive Director, effective 1 April 2022.

![]() | Market-Place-4.0 Fluid Competence GmbH SaarGrundbau GmbH & Co. KG Herrenknecht AG |
25.03.2022
Microtunnel Boring Machine breaks new Ground with mineral oil-free hydraulic Fluids from German Specialists

Microtunnel Boring Machine breaks new Ground with mineral oil-free hydraulic Fluids from German Specialists (Credits: Volker Wiciok, Bochum)
The Saarbrücken civil engineering contractor SaarGrundbau has successfully completed a tunnelling project using a Herrenknecht AVN 1200 C micro boring machine (TBM) running on biodegradable hydraulic fluid from the German-based company Fluid-Competence. This particularly challenging engineering project involved driving a 96 m-long tunnel with simultaneous casing at a gradient angle of 34.60°.
One particular section along the route of the new gas pipeline being laid in NRW had to negotiate a height difference of 31.4 m. The extreme incline meant that pipe brakes had to be used for the tunnelling phase in order to prevent pipeline settlement both during the excavation work and over the subsequent lifetime of the service pipe. The entire pipe structure weighs around 188 t, which gives some idea of the kind of loads involved. During the construction phase the individual casing pipes lowered into place behind the cutter head of the machine were continuously inched forward under thrust from the pipejacking cylinders. The pipes are 1,760 mm in diameter.
The project ended with the cutter head breaking through at the surface reception point. It was then secured in place by a heavy-duty crane before being lifted from the end pit and prepared for transport off-site.
Project manager Michele Rossi of SaarGrundbau was delighted that the project had been successfully delivered incident-free. 'We are confident of our expertise in microtunnelling. When working at construction sites in nature-sensitive areas it is important that we can also count on the performance of the service fluids that we use in our machines. So we value the hydraulic fluids supplied by Fluid Competence (in this case Lubesave) for their biodegradable properties and for the enhanced health and safety standards that they offer both in use and when being handled by our site personnel.'
'This was an ambitious and successful operation with our fluids running in a Herrenknecht microtunnelling machine. It will open the way for further assignments in much larger machines with greater boring diameters', explains Dieter Mantwill, who is managing director of Fluid Competence, speaking at the conclusion of the project.
About Fluid-Competence
The Kamen-based company develops high-performance, mineral oil-free hydraulic fluids that offer a viable alternative to oil based and bio-oil products. They are up to 99% degraded in just 28 days and so can be rated as environment-friendly. These highly flame-retardant products also provide significant health protection benefits and their high water content and long service life make a real contribution to CO2 pollution levels every time out.
About SaarGrundbau
The company is engaged in microtunnelling and specialist civil engineering work.
Source: Fluid-Competence, Kamen, Germany







25.03.2022
Robbins Single Shield completes Canada’s Largest Outfall
TBM bored at record rates below Lake Ontario

03.11.2023
GeoResources Journal 3-2023
Special Topic: Focus on fairness and skilled workforce.
GeoResources Journal 3-2023 is dedicated to the main topic areas of mining, tunnelling, geotechnics and energy, as well as the special topic: Focus on fairness and skilled workforce....
03.11.2023
Long-term Monitoring of backfilled Salt Mines – a new wireless Rock-pressure Measuring System
Wired rock-pressure measuring systems are not rated as suitable for the long-term monitoring of abandoned salt mines as they are expensive, technically complex and lacking in functional reliability....
03.11.2023
Optimisation of Salt Production at Heilbronn Mine using a Combination Approach to conventional Mining and mechanical Cutting
Heilbronn mine has been producing rock salt for many years using both conventional mining and mechanical cutting, the two methods being operated independently of each other. With the rearrangement o...
12.12.2023 - 13.12.2023
2nd International Congress and Exhibition - Mining of Uzbekistan and Central Asia
14.12.2023 - 15.12.2023
MINING WORLD CONGRESS 2023
14.12.2023 - 15.12.2023
GEOTEC HANOI 2023 – The 5th International Conference on Geotechnics for Sustainable Infrastructure Development
18.12.2023 - 19.12.2023
ICGGE 2023: 17. International Conference on Geotechnical and Geological Engineering

World’s longest Railway Tunnel Project – supported by innovative Conveyor Digitalisation and reliable Engineering
17. October 2022 (1979 Clicks)
The consortium BTC Brennero Tunnel Construction and the Hosch Group jointly delivered on a world-class tunnelling project by combining excellent engineering with the innovative remote monitoring system Hoschiris Discover.


RAG-Technikchronik - Buch 5: Technikentwicklung in der Grubensicherheit - Band II
01. November 2020 (13082 Clicks)
Das Buch 5 der Reihe „Dokumentation der technischen Entwicklung bei der RAG“ stellt die Entwicklungen der vergangenen fünf Jahrzehnte aus dem Bereich Grubensicherheit dar. Der zweite Band behandelt die Staubbekämpfung und die technischen Maßnahmen im Arbeitsschutz.


27.11.2023 (469 Clicks)
Akobo Minerals celebrates historic milestone: hitting gold ore body at the Segele Mine
