Tunnel Projects

The Cern Project was a test carried out by scientists to try and re-create “The Big Bang”. As another product was unable to penetrate into the porous concrete, Xypex was requested. Xypex Patch'n Plug was applied to several cracks in the construction of underground chambers, and Xypex Concentrate, Modified, and Gamma Cure were used to treat the concrete surface.

This tunnel is the second longest tunnel on the Beijing- Yuanyuan Railway. It is an important passage for coal transportation and the overall development of the regional economy in Shanxi Province. The tunnel is 6189.8 meters long, the cave wall 4.3 meters high, and the vault 2.3 meters high. After 38 years of concrete erosion, serious leakage occurred. Xypex waterproofing technology was selected with Xypex Concentrate used to solve the problem at 200 leakage points over an area of 60,000 m².

The concrete of the tunnel is solely waterproofed with Xypex products. The concrete of the walls, ceiling and slab of both the precast and cast in place are waterproofing with Xypex Admix C-1000 NF dosed at approximately 1% of the cementitious content of the mix. The joints of the cast in place section are waterproofed using typical bentonite and steel plane composite waterstops as well as a slurry coat of Xypex Concentrate. The joints in the precast section were waterproofed using both expanding waterstops and a mortar made of a blend of Xypex Patch’n Plug and Xypex Concentrate powders.

The Xypex Admix C-Series waterproofed the concrete and the joints during the hydration period of the concrete. It also provided additional benefits over and above non-active pore blocking admixtures by having the ability of self-heal cracks up to 0.5 mm.

Four subcontractors, one each for the four highway tunnels, applied the Xypex Concentrate where needed. According to Amr Saad, approximately 95 percent or more of the seepage has been stopped using Xypex Concentrate.

Xypex Admix C-1000 NF was dosed into concrete roof elements of the Landbridge, Inner Northern Busway Tunnel and the RNA Tunnel as part of the Brisbane Inner City Bypass project. In excess of 3,000 cubic metres of concrete was dosed with Xypex for waterproofing and durability requirements. Xypex Admix C-1000 NF was dosed into concrete roof elements of the Land bridge, Inner Northern Busway Tunnel and the RNA Tunnel. In excess of 3,000 m³ of concrete was dosed with Xypex Admix C-1000 NF for waterproofing and durability requirements.

Moisture was leaking through the concrete into changing room areas, storage, and office areas. Xypex products were chosen to fix the leaking and the problem areas were successfully waterproofed using Xypex Concentrate, Modified and Patch'n Plug. Prior to use of Xypex, all other attempts to stop the water leaking had failed.

A combination of Xypex products was used to repair and waterproof the main service tunnel connecting Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport with other terminals. Repairs with Xypex Concentrate and Patch’n Plug were so successful that Xypex Admix was specified on all remaining cast-in-place concrete. Over 5 tonnes of Xypex Admix C-1000 NF has been used to date on this project.

In order to get a waterproof structure, Xypex Crystalline Technology was chosen because of its ability to seal all void spaces that could cause dampness or leaks, its resistance to chemical attack and its easy application in a short period of time.