Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 11.31
The pressure-shuttle,
just before linking up
to the divers' habitat
amongst other things, they learnt to intubate, stitch up, insert a catheter and
to fit a thorax drain.The latter is of importance to allow the air, which is trapped
in the body cavities and which swells up when the pressure is reduced, in
the most serious case, to escape.
Besides, an agreement was made with the nearest hospital that, in emer-
gency cases, they would treat the divers in the compression chamber.
On feeling
At the deepest point of the boring route, the boring machines stood still in
the glauconitic sand as a result of the shield deformations, the diving oper-
ations could not take place in compressed air. The risk was too great that a
blow-out would occur. The switching of the teeth for the cutting therefore
had to be carried out by divers in the bentonite fluid entirely on feeling. A
unique performance which had never been done before.
During the construction of the Westerschelde Tunnel, more than 5,000 man-
hours were realised in over pressure. By combining the knowledge from all
those involved in the project, and the co-operation between the builders,
medical staff and the diving company, it was possible to bore a tunnel at a
depth of 60 metres below sea level through these soils. With this the project
has unlocked avenues which previously appeared to be shut.
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