Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910: The Bergen Hill Tunnels. Paper No. 1154Lavis, F.
History
Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910: The Bergen Hill Tunnels. Paper No. 1154
Lavis, F.
Civil engineering -- Periodicals; Railroad tunnels -- Design and construction
_Water-proofing._--As already pointed out, the original design for the
lining of these tunnels provided for a brick arch. It was intended to
cover this arch with water-proofing, this latter extending over the
whole of the roof and down the sides as far as the bottom of the conduit
lines. The water-proofing was to be placed against the sand-walls on the
sides, up to the top of the side walls, Figs. 10 and 14. Over the arch,
after being placed, it was to be protected by an armor course of brick,
laid flat, the space between the brick and the excavation, which was
required to be not less than 4 in. (and, as a matter of fact, was
actually a great deal more), being filled with rock packing. Besides
filling the space, this latter was designed to allow any water from the
roof of the tunnel to find its way easily to the top of the sand-wall,
from there being carried through the 4-in. cast-iron pipes, shown on
Plate VIII[4] to the side ditches in the floor of the tunnel.
[Footnote 4: Of the paper by Mr. Jacobs.]
All the water-proofing placed in these tunnels was of felt and pitch,
six-ply felt and seven layers of pitch. The felt was required to be
Hydrex, or of equal quality, and the pitch, “Straight run coal-tar pitch
which will soften at 60° Fahr., of a grade in which the distillate oils
will have a specific gravity of 1.05.”
In addition to tests as to the above qualities, the pitch was analyzed
to determine the amount of free carbon it contained, and was not
accepted if this fell below 20 per cent.
It was considered quite important that there should be absolutely free
drainage on the outer side of the lining, so that there would be no
chance for any water to acquire a head. More than three-quarters of the
length of these tunnels is below the level of mean high water, and while
it was hardly expected that there would be any direct connection between
the water in the Hudson River and the groundwater of the section
penetrated, it was thought wise to provide ample drainage.
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