Installation of Three Up to 120 m Deep Diaphragm Wall Shafts, with Diameters Between 8 m and 35 m at Woodsmith Mine in North Yorkshire (England)

Near the port city of Whitby in the north-east of England, Anglo American (AA) is setting up the deepest mine in the UK, which will have a depth of 1,500 m. The purpose of the project is to extract and transport polyhalite, both underground, and to market it globally. As part of the construction works, BAUER Technologies Ltd, the UK subsidiary of BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH, constructed three different shafts using the diaphragm wall technique, with depths of up to 120 m. In order to ensure the specified vertical tolerance of maximum 200 mm, several measurement methods were applied, and the results were documented in a 3D model. Complex de-sanding plant technology and specially developed polymer products were adopted to regenerate the trench supporting bentonite slurry.