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Artificial intelligence offers exciting opportunities to
improve the efficiency and safety of many aspects of
tunnelling. Here’s TJ’s peak into a few early ideas.
For a few years now, we’ve been garbage’ out very much applies
complaining about ‘information to machine learning and AI. The
overload’ in tunnelling. All this better the quality of information,
data spewing from machines, the faster the machine will learn
surveying equipment and other and the more accurate the end
sources, that could offer so much result will be.
more insight if it were to be
mined and analysed.
Data management systems with
their summarising dashboards
and the ability to overlay
information from different
sources were the first step.
Now various organisations are
looking at deploying artificial
intelligence (AI) to a wide range
of applications across different
types of tunnel.
Here are a handful of examples,
most of them in the early stages
of development. These range
from using machine learning to
help spot defects in surveys to
grouting control to predicting
the ground ahead of the tunnel
face. These new tools can arm
human operators with more
information ahead of time and,
in some cases, can react quicker
and automatically take over the
controls.
Perhaps the most interesting
idea is Dynamic Infrastructure’s
review of existing photos to spot
defects, because it comes from
outside the immediate tunnelling
industry. It is a reminder that
disruptive innovation could has
the potential to cause the biggest
leaps forward.
One recurring theme from all
the companies we spoke to was
that the old adage of ‘garbage in,
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FROM OVERLOAD TO INSIGHT
Tunnelling Journal 11
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Tunnelling Journal 13
Comparing old photos could revolutionise
tunnel maintenance
Here’s a neat idea: gather up all
the images taken of your tunnel
over the years and use AI to look
for signs of deterioration and map
them.
This is the basis of a new
business called Dynamic
Infrastructure, set up in 2018 by
AI looks through Saar Dickman, an entrepreneur and
historic photos
and flags up
technology specialist, and Amichay
abnormalities for Cohen, who has headed up major
the maintenance toll roads and concessions.
manager’s They realised there was a
attention
technology void when it came
to the maintenance of bridges understand that computers can “The ‘per asset’ subscription allows
and tunnels. “Everything is scan thousands and thousands of flexibility and unlimited use per
concentrated on the construction defects.” asset.”
period, which is very short and The software has been trained to For some clients, Dynamic
expensive, but you don’t see too look for differences that indicate Infrastructure is using the images
many tools supporting the 75-year deterioration or problems, and alert to create a 3D model of the
lifetime,” says Dickman. the user, but not to suggest what structure, which allows virtual
Dickman and Cohen realised that could be done to tackle them. inspections so that consultants
for every tunnel and bridge there “Our job is to look for meaningful or specialist contractors can view
are thousands of photos, taken for abnormalities, but we never decide issues and propose solutions.
various reasons, spread around whether something is a large This isn’t detailed enough to be
different people and reports. They maintenance problem or a minor called a comprehensive digital
created a tool that can look at all one,” says Dickman. “It’s up to the twin, says Dickman. Having talked
the photos, find ones that match owner or maintenance manager to to infrastructure managers, they
up in terms of location and create decide what to do.” realised that an accurate working
a story of what is happening to Dynamic Infrastructure is already 3D model to aid communication
that patch of tunnel wall, or bridge being deployed on structures in and locating the defects was all
girder. the US, Germany, Switzerland, that was needed.
Three years ago, they started Greece and Israel, for both public Maintenance managers start
working on an algorithm that and private sector clients. Mostly to understand the usefulness of
could work with any type of image, these organisations are trialling the the idea as soon as they see all
including photos from phones, system – which can be accessed the images merged and in one
cameras, drones or Lidar surveys anywhere – for one bridge or place, says Dickman. Early users
and somehow align those images tunnel. are already finding ways to benefit
to be ‘looking’ at the same spot “In some places we are moving from the service. For instance,
from the same direction. from an initial pilot project to a one tunnel owner had a problem
“If you can spot defects or bigger adoption,” says Dickman. with bricks falling from the lining.
deterioration ahead of time, “We start with one or two bridges Local contractors proposed an
you can invest now to save a lot or tunnels and then we can fine expensive solution, but by showing
more money in the future,” says tune the rules and alerts and then the photo story of the deterioration
Dickman. expand to a larger project.” to specialists in other parts of the
The level of detail that the Each piece of infrastructure has world, a more cost-effective fix
machine learning can reach does its own ‘medical records’ which was found.
depend on the quality of the can be accessed from the Cloud In the longer term, Dynamic
images, says Dickman: “If you anywhere through a mobile device. Infrastructure’s software will be
provide us with good photos, we The price model involves an annual able to inform the operation and
will provide you with good results.” payment, scaled depending on maintenance managers of future
But the biggest challenge in getting the number of structures involved, tunnels and bridges faults. “To get
their idea up and running have not which allows access to the medical the advantage of AI, you want to
been technical. records for as many users as the train it so that it’s getting smarter
“The key challenge is proving owner requires. and smarter. The aggregated
to a very professional partner that “We have set the pricing to knowledge of the machine will
computers can support them be affordable for any operator, be far higher than that of any
in finding the right details. It’s be it a small Private-Public single researcher or owner,” says
something cultural,” says Dickman. Partnership or a large Department Dickman. “That’s a meaningful
“It takes some mind shifting to of Transportion,” says Dickman. industry disruption.”
14 Tunnelling Journal
Predicting shear zones increases
production and safety
Skava Consulting gives each of engineer from a sister company. lower accuracy. “We took the
its employees two hours a week Merello himself spent more model that we had trained for
to look into new ideas. Project and more time on the project, our Peruvian project and used
manager Juan Pablo Merello working on it full time latterly. it in a tunnel in Chile and got
used his time to investigate how Skava put the idea to the test over 65% accuracy. That meant
AI could make better use of for the first time on a 7.7km river that we needed smaller data
probe hole data. diversion tunnel in Peru. Skava sets to train it for new tunnels,
Four years on, the company was employed on that project to say 50m of tunnel. The patterns
has developed a machine provide face mapping records for the model detects are really
learning tool that can predict every advance. The face mapping similar from one tunnel to
the rock ahead for a drill and and probe hole information was another.”
blast tunnel to an accuracy of used to train the AI model. From a technical perspective,
85 percent. One of the biggest “You train the model with one of the biggest challenges
benefits, says Merello, is that existing data sets,” explains was getting the data into a
overbreaks or collapses can Merello. “The model detects compatible format for the
be avoided because the tool – patterns and then matches machine learning. “We had to
provided through an app on a those patterns against ones move the data sets to a new
tablet PC – flags up when there it has already seen to predict format – software engineers
are shear zones ahead. what is coming up. It learns with like zeros and ones,” says
“The shift manager really every advance and every bit of Merello.
appreciated the forecast because information you provide.” The Otherwise, the challenges
he knew immediately what his model was trained with 1692 data were cultural. The first was
shift would look like in a couple sets, with a further 423 data sets switching the geologists from
of hours’ in terms of rock quality,” used to test its accuracy. paper to tablet records. The
says Merello. “That meant The number of records second was convincing clients
that short term logistics were required for the training depends that there would be any benefit
improved. He knew if he had to on the variation in the data, from using AI.
install lattice girders, for example, says Merello. For homogeneous “This was something really
or if the rock quality was going to rock, you might require fewer new that they didn’t think they
get worse, he needed to call for data sets than if the ground is needed because face mapping
the shotcrete to be ready.” heterogeneous. For a drill-and- with pictures and paper was
Skava’s innovation programme, blast tunnel in rock, you might doing a perfect job,” says
which is supported by funding need 500 to 700m of tunnel or Merello. “But once we started
from the Chilean Government, 200 to 300 data sets, he says. to show them that we could
sees initial ideas for innovations One surprising discovery for predict the shear zones in
assessed by a panel who decide Merello and his colleagues was advance, they began to rely on
whether it is worth devoting that the model, having been this model.”
more resource to. Merello’s idea trained in one type of ground, With this initial success under
got the green light and the panel could predict ground in quite his belt, Merello wants to go
linked him up with a software different ground, although with further with AI. He thinks it
may be possible to predict the
rock mass ahead without using
Q Index Forecast probe holes, just information
from the face mapping and the
behaviour of the tunnel. The
other thing he would like to
develop is a way of predicting
water inflow into the tunnel,
which would be a huge step
forward.
Skava is committed to the
ongoing developments. Merello
now has two colleagues
who are working on the
development projects with him,
and they hope to secure more
funding from the Government.
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