On the 24th, China Society of Rock Mechanics and Engineering established the Branch of Underwater Tunnel Engineering Technology, which is the first platform for academic exchanges and technological innovation of underwater tunnels in China.

       At the inaugural meeting, Qian Qihu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and honorary director of the Chinese Society of Rock Mechanics and Engineering, said that in recent years, the number and scale of construction of underwater tunnels in China have been continuously increasing, and the demand for cross-river and cross-sea tunnels in railway, highway, municipal, water supply, gas supply, flood control, hydropower and other industries has increased. With the increasing number of underwater tunnels in China, the construction technology of underwater tunnels has reached the advanced level in the world. World-class cross-sea projects such as the Bohai Strait cross-sea channel and Qiongzhou Strait cross-sea channel have also entered the stage of accelerated demonstration. China is about to usher in the golden age of the construction of the channel.

       Since the 21st century, the construction of underwater tunnels in China has developed rapidly, especially the large diameter underwater shield tunnels. Under the leadership of Academician Qian Qihu, the Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel was built in 2010, which opened the way for the construction of large-diameter underwater shield tunnels under complex conditions in China. It has overcome six world-class problems, such as tunnel super-width, complex geological conditions, strong permeability and super-thin soil cover. It has been awarded the Luban Prize for China's construction projects and China's successive awards. Zhan Tianyou Award for Civil Engineering. As of June 2019, about 14 ultra-large diameter underwater shield tunnels with segment diameters over 14.5 meters have been built in China, 19 are under construction and 14 are planned to be built, accounting for half of the world's large diameter underwater shield tunnels.

       It is reported that the branch of underwater tunnel engineering technology will rely on the 14th Bureau of China Railway Construction, focusing on underwater shield tunnel construction, strengthening academic exchanges, technical cooperation and sharing of achievements, and promoting further development in the fields of scientific research and development, design, construction, equipment manufacturing, operation and maintenance of underwater tunnels in China.

       Source: Science and Technology Daily