Abstract
This study involves dust measurements conducted at various construction sites, focusing on distinguishing between inhalable and respirable dust fractions, as well as determining the quartz content in respirable dust. A key objective was to assess compliance with the workplace exposure limits. The first part of the thesis defines the various dust fractions and explains their interrelations. Additionally, regulations and legal frameworks governing workplace concentration limits were analyzed and presented. The second part examines ventilation concepts in tunnel construction, supplemented by case studies highlighting strategies for reducing dust and respirable quartz dust, along with evaluations of their effectiveness. The study also introduces the measurement devices used, explains their operating principles and describes laboratory procedures for determining the quartz content and concentrations in dust samples collected on-site. The findings include dust concentrations measured during individual work cycles, particle size distributions, calculations of respirable dust masses from blasting activities, and the assessment of quartz content in the respirable fraction. Furthermore, the handling of respirable quartz dust in tender documents was analyzed. Additional measurements from a tunnel renovation project were presented and compared with results from tunneling construction. The results were summarized and discussed to identify remaining research questions and to propose improvements for dust measurements and the management of quartz dust issues in tender documents. Lastly, specific recommendations and necessary steps for mitigating respirable quartz dust in conventional tunnel construction were outlined.
| Translated title of the contribution | Measurement of inhalable and respirable dusts and the Quartz dust fraction in conventional tunnelling and renovation construction sites |
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| Original language | German |
| Qualification | Dipl.-Ing. |
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| Award date | 11 Apr 2025 |
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| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
Bibliographical note
embargoed until 18-02-2030Keywords
- A-dust
- E-dust
- quartz dust
- new limit value regulation
- coventional tunnelling
- ventilation
- Good Practice