Cheers followed as a tunnel boring machine broke through the last millimetre of the pit at the Quan Yun Road Station of Shenyang Metro Line 2 Southern Extension nearby Taoxian Airport, exactly where its location was as planned to be.

"Without affecting any activities on the ground, since early March this year, NHI TBM has started the tunneling work at the Quan Yun Road Station on metro Line 2, it has solved hundreds of difficult problems and completed the double-line underground penetrating task between the whole high area at a dash.” The deputy general manager Mr Xu Chengfa from North Heavy Industry Tunnel Engineering Technology Company proudly told reporters at the scene. It is learned that at present there are 8 tunnel tunneling equipments from NHI is riding in the underground of Shenyang at the same time, drawing a magnificent blueprint for the development of hometown.

Take Long Way, Regardless of Cost, Crack Times Question Mark

Tunneling boring machine is known as the "crown" of engineering equipment, the research & development and manufacturing involve many fields such as machinery, electronic control, hydraulic, material mechanics and so on. In a sense, who masters the R&D and manufacturing technology of TBM means who is qualified to be in the ranks of manufacturing powers. There’s no such thing as free money, advanced industrial manufacturing technology can only be explored by oneself.

In the 1990s, TBM technology was monopolized by a small number of foreign enterprises. The price of a shield machine exceeded $300 million, and all the installation and maintenance work depended on foreign companies. Chinese workers were not even allowed to get close to the cab and control room.

In 1997, in order to open the Qinling Tunnel, the Ministry of Railways to the German Werte company customized the shield machine, but the Germans created all sorts of obstacles in the whole process, so that the Chinese side paid a great price. In 2007, NHI succeeded in acquiring French NFM, a wholly owned subsidiary of German Werth, so as to master the world's advanced shield machine research and development and manufacturing technology. In 2016, the company acquired USA Robbins Company, thus becoming the only enterprise in China that has mastered the tunneling technology under various working conditions such as hard rock, slurry balance and earth pressure balance, which has solved the question mark of the times that has troubled China for many years.

Earthshaker-Dragon Braid City Network

Since the first shield machine was fabricated by NHI for Shenyang Metro in 2006, there were 24 shield machines of different specifications served the urban construction of Shenyang in the past 15 years, making great contribution to the road traffic and pipe corridor project in the hometown.

The southern extension of Shenyang Metro Line 2, with a total length of 14.2 kilometers, is the north-south backbone line of Shenyang Metro Line 2 laid along the city's "golden belt". After the completion of the line, the two first-class transportation hubs of Shenyang North Railway Station and Taoxian International Airport will be closely connected to achieve the goal of "air-rail combined transportation". This is of great significance for improving Shenyang's comprehensive transportation system, promoting industrial upgrading, expanding domestic investment and promoting the harmonious development of Shenyang's economic and social sciences. In addition, NHI is also producing 13 shield machines for the construction of subway line 3, line 6 and line 1 in the east.

Shenyang is one of the first 10 pilot cities for the construction of underground comprehensive pipe gallery in China. At present, 5 projects have been completed, among which the shield machine produced by NHI is applied in the South Canal section.

The South Canal Section, with a total length of 12.6 kilometers, is equipped with 7 shield wells and 6 shield sections. It is the first underground comprehensive pipe gallery in the old quarter of the city constructed by shield construction method in China, passing Nanhu Park, Lu Xun Park, Youth Park, Wanliutang Park and Wanquan Park, containing water supply, recycling water, natural gas, electric power, communication, heating etc six kinds of pipelines, setting natural gas warehouse, thermal & communication warehouse, water warehouse and electricity warehouse. The project was awarded as "2018 China's Top Ten Demonstration Projects of Urban Underground Comprehensive Pipeline Engineering".

With the support of excellent talents, the new products and technologies emerge in endlessly. Such as the shield machine products with the traditional advantages, also derived hard rock coal mine roadheader, which is the new varieties subverting traditional formats. In the interview, the reporter found that with the deepening of the mixed reform, the spirit of the staff in the NHI has changed fundamentally and their work enthusiasm has been significantly improved. At the same time, the employees' deep attachment to the black land of Northeast China has not changed.