Sika Supports Swissloop Tunneling to Pave the Future of Tunnel Excavation
In today's fast-paced world, we need innovative solutions to tackle some of the most pressing challenges. That's why organizations like Swissloop Tunneling are working hard to create a better world with cutting-edge technology.
Not-A-Boring Competition 2023
Teams, including the Sika-sponsored team, the Swissloop, will soon contend in Elon Musk's second competition for TBM technologies called Not-a-Boring Competition hosted by The Boring Company (TBC). Not-a-Boring Competition challenges engineers to build tunneling machines in an effort to accelerate innovation in tunneling technology. The teams will be competing to win in four (4) different categories:
- Fastest to complete the tunnel
- Innovative design, build, and/or test
- Most accurate tunnel
- Tighest turn
A Ground-Breaking Team
Swissloop Tunneling is a student-led association at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich. Their goal is to create a faster and more efficient way of constructing tunnels that can also help to achieve CO2 savings through optimized planning and technologies.
"Sika supports young students with fresh and innovative ideas, which enable Sika in contributing to infrastructure projects in an innovative and more sustainable way." Christoph Ganz, President, Region Americas
Tapping into Sika Expertise
With the support of Sika, the Swissloop Tunneling team has been able to tap into the expertise of a world leader in construction chemicals and knowledge, helping them to accelerate the development of their technology.
Thanks to this collaboration, Swissloop Tunneling has made significant progress in developing more efficient tunnel construction methods. It also serves as a foundation for current and future innovations in Sika’s tunnel boring machine (TBM) products and solutions.
"At Sika, we are dedicated to being pioneers. We are grateful to contribute to the ideas and people of Swissloop Tunneling, who share the same vision." Alejandro Velez, Corporate Product Engineer for TBM at Sika
Sika’s expert team have supported in various ways so far:
- Testing of TBM foam for soil conditioning
- Analysis of possible granular polymer for the wall lining
- Use of Sika waterproofing membrane to seal off certain sections of the tunnel boring machine
- Use of Sika fast-curing adhesive to glue selected machine parts together
- Further technical support and advice
The team will soon compete in Elon Musk’s second competition for TBM technologies called Not-A-Boring Competition.
