RAWLPLUG LTD

Rawlplug’s R-LX concrete screw anchors passed a series of rigorous tests and are now helping to bore miles-long railway tunnels under London. These are not the only Rawlplug products that have been proving their worth during the hard work related to the building of the UK’s second High Speed line.The HS2 low-carbon high-speed railway is currently the largest and most expensive infrastructure project in Europe. The first HS line linked London to the Channel Tunnel, while the second one will connect London, Birmingham, and Manchester.In 2021, the Chilterns on the outskirts of London turned into a construction site. Rawlplug’s products? Present! They have been supporting the operation of two huge tunnel boring machines (TBMs), which the British dubbed Florence and Cecilia (the former in honour of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, the latter of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, astronomer). The R-LX anchors are used as temporary fixings for generators and other equipment the TBMs need to keep moving forward (each of them has a distance of 16 km to cover). Our R-SCC40II concrete and steel nailers have also been performing great underground. Their task is to soundly secure the tubes in the newly-bored tunnels.So far, Rawlplug has delivered over 10,000 anchors to London, as well as a total of 60,000 nails and universal cable/conduit tie holders (R-SC40-HEX). Since Florence and Cecilia will continue to bore their tunnels for two more years, these numbers will soon increase – respectively to 250,000 anchors and 500,000 nails and tie holders.Participation in the first stage of HS2 construction is yet another chapter in the excellent collaboration with VJ Technology, one of our key partners. It will most likely result in an even wider range of Rawlplug's products being used during the boring of other tunnels as part of the project.

Name: Jubilee Line Extension, London UndergroundLocation: London, United KingdomBeginning of realization: 1999The Jubilee Line Extension is the extension of the London Underground Jubilee line from Green Park to Stratford through south and east London. An eastward extension of the line was first proposed in the 1970s and a modified route was constructed during the 1990s. It opened in stages from May to December 1999.The design of the extension is radically different from anything else on the London Underground. Stations are characterised by cavernous, stark interiors lined with polished metal panels and moulded concrete walls and columns. Some of the stations are truly enormous; Canary Wharf has been compared to a cathedral, with it being said that the neighbouring One Canada Square, if laid on its side, could fit in the station with room to spare. Westminster has a dramatic vertical void nearly 40 m (130 ft) deep.The size of the stations was a response to safety concerns—overcrowding and a lack of exits had been significant factors in the 1987 King's Cross disasterr—and an attempt to "future-proof" stations by designing from the start for a high use. One consequence is that most platforms and halls are full only in a busy rush hour.A number of leading architects were employed to design the stations, with the lead being given by Roland Paolettii. It was decided from the outset that although each station would be designed as an individual entity, they would be linked by a common design philosophy and functional elements. Spaciousness was the most noticeable, along with the shared theme of grey and silver polished metal and concrete interiors. More subtly, many stations were designed to admit as much natural light as possible.The platforms saw another innovation: full-height platform screen doors, to improve airflow and prevent people from jumping or falling onto the track.In the The Jubilee Line Extension project was anchored more than 750 000 Rawlplug anchors:R-SPL SafetyPlus - Loose Bolt M12 with zinc coating were used for supporting temporary walkways during construction and temporary fixings for cable support, slurry pipes and fire systems.R-SPL SafetyPlus - Loose Bolt M12 with special sherardized coating were used to fix all permanent cable brackets, fire systems, lighting and everything attached to the concrete segments running along the 18km tunnelsR-RLK Stainless steel Rawloks were used for fixing mechanical and electrical services in plant roomsR-CAS-V Spin-In Capsule with Threaded Rods were used for cladding / curtain walling on all stationsRawlnut M12 for temporary fixings – to support air supply ductwork hanging from tunnel roofR-RBL-E Rawlbolt - Eye Bolts were used for fixing Leaky feeder cable – this is for the train driver to communicate with central control in the event of an emergency. The cable runs the full length of the tunnel and is held 200mm from the concrete surface by studs projecting from the rawlbolt shield with an eye at the end.