E!114302 BASABOLT: A lightweight high-performance corrosion resistant basalt composite rock bolt for use in tunnels.

Oldroyd AS is the market-leading manufacturer of membranes for waterproofing tunnels. We experience that tunnels often have to be rehabilitated after a relatively short time. The reason is often that the steel bolts holding the water and frost protection construction rust and lead to weakening of the construction. Stainless steel bolts will extend the service life, but due to high costs, this option is often excluded. In particularly aggressive environments, stainless bolts will also corrode. Rehabilitation of tunnels costs society large sums and creates major challenges for the infrastructure and traffic management. Steel bolts used in tunnel construction today are often imported from Asia and thereby have a negative impact on the environment. Oldroyd AS has therefore had a goal to develop a new improved bolt in composite - BASABOLT. Oldroyd AS has achieved its goal of bringing out a completely new type of mountain bolt. The bolt is not exposed to corrosion, has a 70% lower specific weight than traditional steel bolts and has a dramatically increased designed lifetime of over 120 years. It has in comparison to steel bolts a significantly improved tensile strength. BASABOLT will lead to drastic changes in how water and frost protection vaults are constructed today. With its unique properties, the projected lifespan of the tunnel construction can be doubled and will provide a favorable economic advantage for the state and tunnel owners. With a drastic reduction in dead weight production capacity can be increased, and the workers will have a much easier everyday life. The environmental benefit will be significant. By removing elements in the construction that are exposed to corrosion, in the long term it will potentially be possible to reduce the consumption of concrete, which is the element in the water and frost protection construction with the highest CO2 contribution.

Oldroyd AS er markedsledende produsent av membraner for vanntetting av tunneler. Vi erfarer at tunneler ofte må rehabiliteres etter relativt kort tid. Årsaken er ofte at stålboltene som holder vann- og frostsikringskonstruksjonen ruster og fører til svekkelser i konstruksjonen. Bolter i rustfritt stål vil forlenge levetiden, men på grunn av høye kostnader er denne muligheten ofte utelukket. I spesielt aggressive miljøer vil også rustfrie bolter korrodere. Rehabilitering av tunneler koster samfunnet store summer og skaper store utfordringer for infrastrukturen og trafikkavviklingen. Stålbolter som brukes i tunnelkonstruksjoner i dag importeres ofte fra Asia og har derved en negativ innvirkning på miljøet. Oldroyd AS har derfor hatt et mål om å utvikle en ny forbedret bolt i kompositt – BASABOLT. Oldroyd AS har nådd målet med å få frem en helt ny type fjellbolt. Bolten er ikke utsatt for korrosjon, har 70% lavere egenvekt enn tradisjonelle bolter i stål og har en dramatisk økt dimensjonert levetid på over 120 år. Den har betydelig forbedret strekkstyrke. BASABOLT vil føre til drastiske endringer i hvordan vann- og frostsikringshvelv konstrueres i dag. Med sine unike egenskaper vil den prosjekterte levetiden i tunnelkonstruksjonen kunne dobles og vil gi en gunstig økonomisk fordel for staten og tunneleiere. Med en drastisk reduksjon i egenvekt vil produksjonskapasiteten kunne økes, og arbeiderne får en mye lettere hverdag. Miljøgevinsten vil være betydelig. Ved å fjerne elementer i konstruksjonen som er utsatt for korrosjon, vil man på sikt potensielt kunne redusere forbruket av betong, som er det elementet i vann- og frostsikringskonstruksjonen med høyest CO2-bidrag. Bolten vil ha store miljøfordeler i form av energibehov for fremstilling samt reduksjon av energibruk på frakt. frakt.

The goal of the rock bolt project is to formulate, manufacture and test novel, high performance hybrid rock bolt prototypes. These are to be used in wall lining systems for train and underground tunnels. The lining is a man-made structure used for frost and water protection, secured in place using rock bolts. The bolts will be developed with novel material hybridisation fabrication techniques exclusive to Oldroyd. As tunnel construction projects continue to increase globally, a breakthrough fixing solution such as a new rock bolt has wide appeal: high strength-to-weight ratio, lightweight to provide both ease-of-installation and faster installation, fire and corrosion resistant. The main anticipated commercial results are: • Global IP Protection – patent applications made to secure any foreground related to the hybridised bolt formulations and fabrication technology. • Create production scale-up plans and accurate costings at relevant industrial scale. • Test against international standards.