TUNNEL BLOCKS - DUNNAGE
Reliable and flexible cable ducting
Tunnels are created by positioning rings alongside each other. These rings are formed by assembling prefabricated tunnel liner segments. Transporting and storing these pre-cast concrete segments poses a specific challenge in mechanical tunnel construction. This is because the tunnel segments are stacked on top of each other for transport. The segments are extremely heavy, which means the segments at the bottom of the stack and the dunnage blocks (supports), which are often made of oak, beech, or tropical wood, must bear a heavy load. The issue with wood dunnage blocks is that they tend to warp, which leads to unwanted concentrated line and point loads. When the segments are assembled, precision is required down to the millimeter, so preventing any damage or deformation is of the utmost importance.
hanit recycled plastic tunnel blocks offer a secure and reliable solution for storing and transporting tunnel segments, in fact, they were developed especially for this purpose, meeting and even exceeding the strict requirements of tunnel construction. Our blocks guarantee no corrosion during storage and remain dimensionally stable, even under high loads of up to 435.114 psi. The tunnel blocks are manufactured with a radius tailored to the project, precisely matching the shape of the tunnel segments and offering full-surface support. By comparison, when storing segments on wood blocks, the radius must be milled into the block, which is an expensive process.
RESISTANT TO
UV RAYS
hanit easily withstands UV radiation and all weather conditions and is ideal for year-round outdoor use
RESISTANT TO
MICROORGANISMS
Resistant to mould, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, hanit products deliver long-term performance and reliability
RESISTANT TO
CHEMICALS
Resistant to most oils, alkalis, and acids – hanit can be used in environments with chemical exposure or in industrial settings
BREAK-RESISTANT
Extremely resilient and break-resistant, hanit is perfect for applications with high safety and stability requirements
HYDROPHOBIC
Thanks to their water-repellent properties, hanit products remain reliable in use, even when in constant contact with moisture
MATERIAL DENSITY
Thanks to a density of approx. 0.93 g/cm³, hanit recycled products are easy to handle during transport and installation
HIGH PRESSURE
RESISTANCE
Thanks to its high load-bearing capacity and strength, hanit recycled plastic resists mechanical stress, deformation, and breakage
CONTINUOUS
USE TEMPERATURE
hanit offers reliable performance over a wide temperature range and can withstand temperatures from -20 to 50 °C continuously
FIRE PROTECTION
CLASSIFICATION
hanit recycled plastic belongs to building material class B2 according to DIN 4102 and is assigned fire behaviour class E
TUNNEL BLOCKS - DUNNAGE
Durable and dimensionally stable
Our tunnel blocks come with markings that indicate the installation direction. The hanit blocks are also available with locking knobs on request. These specify exactly where the parts should be placed, resulting in precise vertical load dispersion, preventing eccentricities that the concrete can't withstand in the maturing phase, which can lead to cracks and even failure. The three-point bearing prevents torsional forces and supports the segments without putting them under stress. That's how tunnel blocks made of hanit reliably prevent damage and deformation, helping reduce project costs and keeping tunnel construction on schedule. The shapes and sizes can easily be customized to meet your project requirements. They’re not just useful for tunnel construction but also in other areas where precast concrete parts need to be transported and/or stored.
Our Technical products can be flexibly adapted to customer-specific requirements. Just talk to us – we’ll find the right solution together.
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REFERENCE PROJECT TUNNEL BLOCKS - DUNNAGE
HS2 high-speed railway in United Kingdom
The High Speed 2 (HS2) railway in the UK is one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Europe. The project, which started in 2009, will connect Euston Station in London to Birmingham, where the Y-shaped line forks. With a total length of 531 kilometers (330 miles), the railway will connect Crewe, Wigan, Manchester, and MAN airport on the western leg. The eastern branch will connect a new interchange station between Nottingham and Derby and the city of Leeds. Four-hundred-meter-long trains with 1,100 seats will operate along the new high-speed route. The route will be used up to 18 times per hour at speeds of up to 360 km/h (225 mph). Future upgrades could allow speeds of 400 km/h (248 mph) between London and Birmingham, making these British trains the fastest in Europe. The HS2 trains will be operated with carbon-free energy, offering a clean and eco-friendly alternative to domestic flights and car trips.
Around 105 kilometers (65 miles) of tunnel will be built between London and the West Midlands for the project, for which 130 million tonnes of earth need to be excavated. Ten giant tunnel boring machines in five separate tunnel drives will be used to dig the twin-bore HS2 tunnels. Another six cut and cover tunnels will be built, and trees and shrubs will then be planted on top to improve the landscape. The project is divided into two phases, the planning phase, with a contract value of approx. GBP 79 million (approx. 105 million USD), and the realization phase, with a construction volume of approx. GBP 2 billion (approx. 2.6 billion USD).
STRABAG SE, a European-based technology group, won the contract for the main construction of lots S1 and S2 for the implementation of this enormous infrastructure project. STRABAG is active in all areas of the construction industry with extensive expertise in planning and building high-speed railways. STRABAG is teaming up with Skanska and Costain to build the HS2 under the joint venture SCS. The first construction works will connect London Euston and Old Oak Common railway stations. This stage involves constructing an 8.8 km (5.5 mile) twin-bore tunnel. The second stage will connect Old Oak Common in the west with a 13.7 km (8.45 mile) twin-bore tunnel, as well as a 2.2 km (1.4 mile) above-ground segment.
Over the past few years, STRABAG has used hanit tunnel blocks in many of its tunnel projects to store segments without putting them under stress and to transport them safely. Tunnel sections weighing up to 65 tonnes have been stacked in the massive HS2 project, and our blocks met the challenge because the stable supports made of recycled plastic can easily withstand loads of up to 435.114 psi. A total of 36,000 tunnel blocks were used for the first twin-bore tunnel, with another 36,000 hanit tunnel blocks to be used for the second.
Work on the first stage of the high-speed railway was completed on schedule at the end of 2022. The next 18 to 24 months will focus on planning and delivering the rail systems, signaling equipment, tracks, and electricity supply. The first trains are expected to start using the tracks in 2030. Work on the second stage started in 2023 and is expected to be completed between 2035 and 2040.
TECHNICAL DATA
Project-specific dimensions
Our tunnel blocks are produced specifically for your project and can be customized in shape and size. Radius, locking knobs, recessed grips, or installation markings can be added easily.
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