• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.479-489
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• 2009

Appropriate investigation of ground condition near excavation face in tunnelling is an inevitable process for safe and economical construction. In this study mechanical parameters from drilling process for blasting were investigated for the purpose of predicting the ground condition, especially rock mass strength, ahead of tunnel face. Rock mass strength is one of the most important factors for classification of rock mass and making a decision of support type in underground construction. Several rock specimens which are considered homogeneous and having different strength values respectively were tested by hydraulic drill machines generally used. As a result, penetration rate is fairly related with rock mass strength among drilling parameters. It is also found that penetration rate increases along with the higher impact pressure even under same rock strength condition. It is finally suggested that new prediction method for rock mass strength using percussive pressure and penetration rate during drilling work can be utilized well in construction site.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.487-497
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• 2016

If a tunnel is excavated, the released stress is redistributed in the ground around the tunnel face, which lead the stress state of the surrounding ground of the tunnel and the load acting on the tunnel support to change. If the tunnel face deforms, the ground ahead of it is relaxed, and the earth pressure acting on it decreases. And if the displacement increases so much that, the ground ahead of the tunnel face reaches in failure state. At this time, load would be transferred longitudinally in the tunnel, depending on the cover and the face deformations. The longitudinal load transfers in the tunnels induced by the tunnelling has been often studied; however, the relation between the deformation of the tunnel face and the longitudinal load transfer was rarely studied. Therefore in this study assesses the characteristics of the longitudinal load transfer as the face was failed by displacement by conducting a model test in a shallow tunnel. In other words, the longitudinal load transfer of the tunnel with the progress of the face deform was measured by conducting a model test, beginning at the state of earth pressure at rest. As results of this study, most of the longitudinal load transfers occurred drastically at the beginning of the displacement of the tunnel face, and as the displacement of the face approached the ultimate displacement, it converged to the ultimate displacement at a gentler slope. In other words, when the ground ahead of the tunnel face was still in an elastic state, the longitudinally transferred load increased sharply at the beginning stage but it tended to increase gradually if it approached to the ultimate limit. Thus, it was noted that the earth pressure in the face and the longitudinal load transfer of the tunnel had the same decreasing tendency.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.187-196
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• 2016

We conducted three-dimensional finite element analysis to predict the presence of upcoming fault zones during tunneling. The analysis considered longitudinal displacements measured at tunnel face, and used 28 numerical models with various fault attitudes. The x-MR (moving range) control chart was used to analyze quantitatively the effects of faults distributed ahead of the tunnel face, given the occurrence of a longitudinal displacement. The numerical models with fault were classified as fault gouge, fault breccia, and fault damage zones. The width of fault cores was set to 1 m (fault gouge 0.5 m and fault breccia 0.5 m) and the width of fault damage zones was set to 2 m. The results, suggest that fault centers could be predicted at 2~26 m ahead of the tunnel face and that faults could be predicted earliest in the 45° dip model. In addition, faults could be predicted earliest when the angle between the direction of tunnel advance and the strike of the fault was smallest.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.855-867
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• 2018

When a weak zone exists ahead of tunnel face, the stress in the adjacent area would increase due to the longitudinal arching effect and the stability of the tunnel is affected. Therefore, it is critical to prepare a countermeasure through the investigation of the frontal weakness zone of the excavated face. Although there are several researches to predict the existence of weak zone ahead of tunnel face, such as geophysical exploration, numerical analysis and tunnel support, lack of studies on the relaxation zone depending on the width or distance from the vulnerable area. In this study, the impact of the weak zone on the formation of the relaxation zone was investigated. For this purpose, a series of laboratory test were carried out varying the width of the weak zone and the separation distance between tunnel face and weak zone. In the model test, sand with a water content of 3.8% was used to form a model ground. The model weak zone was constructed with dry sand curtains. The tunnel face was adjusted to allow a sequential excavation of upper and lower half part. load cells were installed on the bottom of the foundation and the tunnel face and measuring instruments for displacement were installed on the surface of the model ground to measure the vertical stress and surface displacements due to tunnel excavation respectively. The test results show that the width of weak zone did not affect the ground settlement while the ground subsidence drastically increased within 0.25D. The vertical stress and horizontal stress increased from 0.5D or less. In addition, the longitudinal arching effect is likely within the 1.0D zone ahead of the tunnel face, which may reduce the vertical stress in the ground following tunneling direction.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.119-131
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• 2005

The two dimensional behaviors of the existing upper tunnel and the ground at crossed area due to the excavation of a lower tunnel were studied experimentally, The model tests were conducted by changing the relative location of the existing upper tunnel and the lower tunnel. The results of the study show that a vertical earth pressure outside the loosened area was increased due to longitudinal arching effect same as a single tunnel. In case vertical distance between the upper and lower tunnel is 0.7 H and 1.0 H respectively (H is a height of the lower tunnel), vertical earth pressure increased in the loosened area behind the tunnel face. But when a vertical distance is 1, 3 H, ground behaviors appeared similarly to a single tunnel.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.451-468
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• 2021

Predicting hazardous ground conditions ahead of a TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) tunnel face is essential for efficient and stable TBM advance. Although there have been several studies on the electrical resistivity survey method for TBM tunnelling, sufficient experimental data considering TBM advance were not established yet. Therefore, in this study, the laboratory-scale model experiments for simulating TBM excavation were carried out to analyze the applicability of an electrical resistivity survey for predicting hazardous ground conditions ahead of a TBM tunnel face. The trend of electrical resistivity during TBM advance was experimentally evaluated under various hazardous ground conditions (fault zone, seawater intruded zone, soil to rock transition zone, and rock to soil transition zone) ahead of a tunnel face. In the course of the experiments, a scale-down rock ground was provided using granite blocks to simulate the rock TBM tunnelling. Based on the experimental data, the electrical resistivity tends to decrease as the tunnel approaches the fault zone. While the seawater intruded zone follows a similar trend with the fault zone, the resistivity value of the seawater intrude zone decreased significantly compared to that of the fault zone. In case of the soil-to-rock transition zone, the electrical resistivity increases as the TBM approaches the rock with relatively high electrical resistivity. Conversely, in case of the rock-to-soil transition zone, the opposite trend was observed. That is, electrical resistivity decreases as the tunnel face approaches the rock with relatively low electrical resistivity. The experiment results represent that hazardous ground conditions (fault zone, seawater intruded zone, soil-to-rock transition zone, rock-to-soil transition zone) can be efficiently predicted by utilizing an electrical resistivity survey during TBM tunnelling.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.403-411
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• 2016

A three-dimensional finite element analysis was conducted to analyze the predictable distances of a fault zone by using longitudinal displacement on tunnel face, trend line, L/C ratio, and C/C₀ ratio at tunnel crown. The analysis used 28 numerical models with various fault attitudes. As a result, those faults that have drives with dip could be predicted earliest in L/C and C/C₀ ratio analysis. And those faults that have drives against dip could be predicted earliest in L/C ratio and longitudinal displacement analysis. In addition, the fault zone ahead of tunnel was predicted in most models by using longitudinal displacement, trend line, L/C ratio, and C/C₀ ratio. However, the longitudinal displacement among these methods may be most usefully predict a fault zone since it is displacements can be measured immediately after tunnel excavation.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.393-401
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• 2016

In the present study, fault attitudes and the locations of appearance of faults in tunnel faces were predicted by analyzing the trajectory of the maximum longitudinal displacement immediately before the appearance of faults through three-dimensional finite element analysis. A total of 28 fault attitude models were used in the analysis. Those faults that have drives with dip appear first in the upper part of tunnel faces as tunnel excavation progresses and their maximum longitudinal displacement shows a tendency to move from the middle part to the upper part of tunnel faces. Those faults that have drives against dip appear first in the lower part of tunnel faces as tunnel excavation progresses and their maximum longitudinal displacement shows a tendency to move from the middle part or middle upper part to the lower part of tunnel faces. In addition, when the dip of faults is larger the maximum longitudinal displacement moves from the left upper part toward the wall part in the case of drive with dip models and from the left lower part toward the wall part in the case of drives against dip models. Therefore, it was indicated that the attitudes of faults distributed ahead of tunnel faces and the locations where faults appear in tunnel faces can be predicted by analyzing the longitudinal displacement trajectory of tunnel faces following excavation.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.55-72
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• 2018

A method that can predict the mixed-ground condition ahead of a TBM tunnel face during tunnel construction utilizing electrical resistivity and induced polarization (IP) was proposed in this study. Effect of TBM advancement approaching the mixed-ground condition (composed of soil layer overlying rock layer) when currently running through soil zone on the electrical resistivity and IP measuring was assessed with laboratory-scale experiments. The resistivity and IP values were measured using four electrodes, by installing two electrodes on the tunnel face (at the cutterhead), and the other two electrodes on the segment lining. The test results showed that both of the measured resistivity and IP values were kept increasing as the TBM is approaching the soil-rock mixed-ground. Also, to get the more reliable results for predicting the mixed-ground condition, it was recommended that the measurement is made at the tunnel face utilizing 4-electrodes installed at the cutterhead as well as it is made utilizing the 2-electrodes installed at the segment lining along with the 2-electrodes installed on the tunnel face (at the cutterhead) so that two measured results are compared each other.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.67-77
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• 2013

We conducted a Tunnel Seismic Prediction (TSP) survey in a spillway tunnel at Juam Dam to predict the locations of major discontinuities ahead of the tunnel face. We compared the results of the TSP survey with those from pre-construction inspections (including a surface resistivity survey and borehole investigations) as well as with direct tunnel-face mapping during excavation. The TSP method predicted the locations of major fracture zones that were unnoticed in the pre-construction inspections. The reinforcement patterns planned on the basis of pre-construction inspections were changed on the basis of the TSP results. The results demonstrate that TSP surveys are a cost-effective and reliably accurate method of predicting the locations of fracture zones. Although the TSP method has some limitations, these results suggest that the method is generally useful for predicting geological conditions prior to tunnel face construction.