Local use of rock materials – production and utilization State-of-the-art

Abstract

During excavation of tunnels, large amounts of rock material are produced. This excavated rock material is utilized to a varying extent for road-, railway- and concrete purposes, but significant amounts are used as deposits on land, in fjords or lakes. For both economic and environmental reasons there is a great potential in increasing the utilization of excavated rock material locally in the same project or in neighboring projects. Initially, this report presents a brief introduction to the geology in Norway and some comparable European countries. This may give an indication which main rock type to expect in different areas during tunnelling. Further, the development within the main directions of tunnelling is discussed. Also, an overview of equipment and crushing technology is given. The boundaries of this report are excavated material used in asphalt, concrete, road construction and railway construction. For each area of utilization, a presentation of the currenttechnical requirements for various uses of the material in Norway is given. Examples of projects where excavated material is utilized are presented. Finally, possibilities and obstacles when it comes to utilizing excavated rock material are discussed, and further work is proposed.