• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.363-372
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• 2022

One of the most frequent issues in tunnel excavation is the collapse of rock blocks and the dropping of rock fragments from the tunnel face. The tunnel face can be reinforced using a number of techniques. One of the most popular and affordable solutions is the use of face longitudinal dowels, which has benefits including high strength, flexibility, and ease of cutting. In order to examine the reinforced face, this work shows the longitudinal deformation profile and ground response curve for a tunnel face. This approach is based on assumptions made during the analysis phase of problem solving. By knowing the tunnel face response and dowel behavior, the interaction of two elements can be solved. The rock element equation derived from the rock bolt method is combined with the dowel differential equation to solve the reinforced ground response curve (GRC). With a straightforward and accurate analytical equation, the new differential equation produces the reinforced displacement of the tunnel face at each stage of excavation. With simple equations and a less involved computational process, this approach offers quick and accurate solutions. The FLAC3D simulation has been compared with the suggested analytical approach. A logical error is apparent from the discrepancies between the two solutions. Each component of the equation's effect has also been described.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.235-245
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• 2019

This paper presents a novel methodology for face stability assessment of rock tunnels under water table by combining the kinematical approach of limit analysis and numerical simulation. The tunnels considered in this paper are excavated in fractured rock masses characterized by the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. In terms of natural rock deposition, a more convincing case of depth-dependent mi, GSI, D and ${\sigma}_c$ is taken into account by proposing the horizontally layered discretization technique, which enables us to generate the failure surface of tunnel face point by point. The vertical distance between any two adjacent points is fixed, which is beneficial to deal with stability problems involving depth-dependent rock parameters. The pore water pressure is numerically computed by means of 3D steady-state flow analyses. Accordingly, the pore water pressure for each discretized point on the failure surface is obtained by interpolation. The parametric analysis is performed to show the influence of depth-dependent parameters of $m_i$, GSI, D, ${\sigma}_c$ and the variation of water table elevation on tunnel face stability. Finally, several design charts for an undisturbed tunnel are presented for quick calculations of critical support pressures against face failure.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.1199-1213
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• 2011

Slurry type shield would be very effective for the tunnelling in a sandy ground, but low slurry pressure could cause a tunnel face failure or a ground settlement in front of the tunnel face. Thus, the stability of tunnel face could be maintained by applying an excess slurry pressure that is larger than the active earth pressure. However, the slurry pressure should increase properly because an excessively high slurry pressure could cause the slurry flow out or the passive failure of the frontal ground. It is possible to apply the high slurry pressure without passive failure if a horizontal impermeable layer is located in the ground in front of the tunnel face, but its location, size, and effects are not clearly known yet. In this research, two-dimensional model tests were carried out in order to find out the effect of a horizontal impermeable layer for the slurry shield tunnelling in a saturated sandy ground. As results, larger slurry pressure could be applied to increase the stability of the tunnel face when the impermeable layer was located in the ground above the crown in front of the tunnel face. The most effective length of the impermeable grouting layer was 1.0~1.5D, and the location was 1.0D above the crown level. The safety factor could be suggested as the ratio of the maximum slurry pressure to the active earth pressure at the tunnel face. It could also be suggested that the slurry pressure in the magnitude of 3.5~4.0 times larger than the active earth pressure at the initial tunnel face could be applied if the impermeable layer was constructed at the optimal location.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.399-406
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• 2021

It is a key issue in the tunnel design to evaluate the stability of the excavation face. Two efficient analytical models in the context of the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and the limit analysis method (LAM) are used to carry out the deterministic calculations of the safety factor. The safety factor obtained by these two models agrees well with that provided by the numerical modelling by FLAC 3D, but consuming less time. A simple probabilistic approach based on the Mote-Carlo Simulation technique which can quickly calculate the probability distribution of the safety factor was used to perform the probabilistic analysis on the tunnel face stability. Both the cumulative probabilistic distribution and the probability density function in terms of the safety factor were obtained. The obtained results show the effectiveness of this probabilistic approach in the tunnel design.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.215-226
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• 2020

The magnitude and distribution of tunnel deformation were widely discussed topics in tunnel engineering. In this paper, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element program was used for the analysis of various horseshoe-shaped opening expressway tunnels under different geologies. Two rock material models - Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown were executed in the process of analyses; and the results show that the magnitude and distribution of tunnel deformation were close by these two models. The tunnel deformation behaviors were relevant to many factors such as cross-sections and geological conditions; but the geology was the major factor to the normalized longitudinal deformation profile (LDP). If the time-dependent factors were neglected, the maximum displacements were located at the distance of 3 to 4 tunnel diameters behind the excavation face. The ratios of displacement at the excavation face to the maximum displacement were around 1/3 to 1/2. In general, the weaker the rock mass, the larger the ratio. The displacements in front of the excavation face were decreased with the increasement of distance. At the distance of 1.0 to 1.5 tunnel diameter, the displacements were reduced to one-tenth of the maximum displacement.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.407-419
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• 2018

In order to investigate flow characteristics after water inrush from the working face in process of karst tunnel construction, numerical calculation for two class case studies of water inrush is carried out by using the FLUENT software on the background of Qiyueshan tunnel. For each class water inrush from the tunnel face, five cases under different water-inrush velocity are simulated and researched. Three probing lines are selected respectively in the left tunnel, cross passage, right tunnel and in the height direction of the tunnel centerline. The variation characteristics of velocity and pressure on each probing line under the five water-inrush velocities are analyzed. As for the selected four groups probing lines in the tunnels, the change rules of velocity and pressure on each group probing lines under the same water-inrush velocity are discussed. Finally, the water flow characteristics after inrush from the tunnel face are summarized by comparing the case studies. The results indicate that: (1) The velocity and pressure change greatly at the intersection area of the cross passage and the tunnels. (2) The velocity nearby the tunnel side wall is the minimum, while it is the maximum in the middle position. (3) The pressure value of every cross section in the tunnels is basically fixed. (4) As water-inrush velocity increases, the flow velocity and pressure in the tunnels also increase. The former is approximately proportional to their respective water-inrush velocity, while the latter is not. The research results provide a theoretical basis for making scientific and rational escape routes.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.508-518
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• 2023

This paper presents a new approach for the automatic mapping of discontinuities in a tunnel face based on its 3D digital model reconstructed by LiDAR scan or photogrammetry techniques. The main idea revolves around the identification of discontinuity areas in the 3D digital model of a tunnel face by segmenting its 2D projected images using a deep-learning semantic segmentation model called U-Net. The proposed deep learning model integrates various features including the projected RGB image, depth map image, and local surface properties-based images i.e., normal vector and curvature images to effectively segment areas of discontinuity in the images. Subsequently, the segmentation results are projected back onto the 3D model using depth maps and projection matrices to obtain an accurate representation of the location and extent of discontinuities within the 3D space. The performance of the segmentation model is evaluated by comparing the segmented results with their corresponding ground truths, which demonstrates the high accuracy of segmentation results with the intersection-over-union metric of approximately 0.8. Despite still being limited in training data, this method exhibits promising potential to address the limitations of conventional approaches, which only rely on normal vectors and unsupervised machine learning algorithms for grouping points in the 3D model into distinct sets of discontinuities.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2006

For application of NATM, the self-supporting until installation of the supporting system must be satisfied. However, the face of a tunnel are always unsupported and therefore it is fairly vulnerable to tunnel collapses. Face blots are well known and widely used to prevent the deformation of the tunnel face and its circumference, which are installed horizontally toward the tunnel axis generally. To maximize the supporting effect of face bolts, this study has analysed the effective design patterns of face bolts by changing their installation angles. As the conclusion, it has been found that the axial displacement of the face increases slightly by installing the outermost bolts upward from the axis but surface settlement at 2.5D behind the face decreases up to 18%.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.1 s.66
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• pp.9-16
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• 2007

The influence of round length on the tunnel stability and construction cost is well acknowledged by many researchers and engineers but the coherent procedure is not available for its determination. In this study, the behaviour modes of the face and unsupported span was investigated for weak rock tunnel by a small scale model test, PFC3D and FDM analyses in consideration of the round length. Total five types of behaviour modes are defined and quantitative estimation of the behaviour modes was established in terms of the safety factor for the face stability and the conditional chart. Although the proposed method has some restrictions, this method can provide useful information for the optimization of the round length and excavation, especially in design stage.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.439-449
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• 2011

The characteristics of rock fractures for engineering rock classification are investigated by analyzing three dimensional point cloud generated from adjusted digital images of a tunnel face during construction and the tunnel is reinforced based on the supporting pattern suggested by the RMR and the Q system using parameters extracted from those images. As results, it is possible saving time required from face mapping to tunnel reinforcing work, enhancing safety during face mapping work in tunnels and reliability of both the mapping information and selecting supporting pattern by storing the files of digital images and related information which can be checked again, if necessary sometime in the future.