• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 2013

It is important to measure the displacement behind and ahead of a tunnel face during construction for evaluating mechanical stability by comparing it to a displacement criteria set by tunnel designers. The 30 m long horizontal inclinometer was installed frontward from the tunnel face and the displacement occurred ahead of a tunnel face during excavation was measured by using it. Tunnel arch settlements behind tunnel face were surveyed using a settlement pins on the arch. So total settlement and longitudinal displacement curve were obtained combining settlement measured by both the horizontal inclinometer ahead of tunnel face and the settlement pins behind the tunnel face.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.599-614
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• 2014

When tunnelling with TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine), accessibility to tunnel face is very limited because tunnel face is mostly occupied by a bunch of machines. Existing techniques that can predict ground condition ahead of TBM tunnel are extremely limited. In this study, the TBM Resistivity Prediction (TRP) system has been developed for predicting anomalous zone ahead of tunnel face utilizing electrical resistivity. The applicability and prediction accuracy of the developed system has been verified by performing field tests at subway tunnel construction site in which an EPB (Earth Pressure Balanced) shield TBM was used for tunnelling work. The TRP system is able to predicts the location, thickness and electrical properties of anomalous zone by performing inverse analysis using measured resistivity of the ground. To make field tests possible, an apparatus was devised to attach electrode to tunnel face through the chamber. The electrode can be advanced from the chamber to the tunnel face to fully touch the ground in front of the tunnel face. In the 1st field test, none of the anomalous zone was predicted, because the rock around the tunnel face has the same resistivity and permittivity with the rock ahead of tunnel face. In the 2nd field test, 5 m thick anomalous zone was predicted with lower permittivity than that of the rock around the tunnel face. The test results match well with the ground condition predicted, respectively, from geophysical exploration, or directly obtained either from drilling boreholes or from daily observed muck condition.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.40-49
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• 2013

To predict ground conditions ahead of the tunnel face, seismic refraction survey has been widely used. But due to the development in seismic equipment and techniques, tomography using borehole and others are actively applied in recent years. This study has a purpose to prevent stability problems during excavation and construction of tunnels by predicting unfavorable ground conditions such as fault, fractured zone and rock quality variation zone ahead of the tunnel face using TSP survey equipment. In this study, the validity of predicting ground conditions ahead of tunnel face by TSP survey has been evaluated through the case study in the road construction site.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.412-417
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• 2005

To ensure the safety of the tunnelling without the loss of economy, the tunnel seismic profiling(TSP) method for the prediction ahead of tunnel face, begins to be used routinely in these days. TSP method does not interfere the tunnelling works while the horizontal drilling does, and its prediction length is longer than that of the drilling. Yet the most frequently adopted technique of TSP in Korea is the multi-shot and 2 receiver array using in-hole receivers, even though this array requires as many as 26 drill-holes for receiver installation and ballasting, which results in 3-6 hours of suspension in excavation work. In this paper, multi-receiver and lesser shot array using side-wall attached 3 component geophones is to be described to prove the efficiency in terms of the survey time as well as the reliability of the method by comparison of the predicted weak points and the face mapping results. The predictions mostly agreed with the real fractures or joint developed zones which have been confirmed during the excavation. It also has been found that TSP method can be effectively applied to perform draining ground water ahead of tunnel face by imaging the geologic discontinuities.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.214-222
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• 1995

Geological events which are undetected by the surface geophysical or geological survey phase can cause many problems, especially when the tunnel is excavated by TBM. To detect the geological events ahead of tunnel face, a seismic method applied from VSP method is used. Generally uniaxial geophone has been used in surface seismic survey. But this time, triaxial geophone is used to reduce the noise of tunnel wave. DME(Dip moveout Enhancement) filter and diffraction stack method are used. Applying these techniques to the road tunnel in construction, it is proved that the geological events ahead of tunnel face is fairly well predicted. From the seismic trace, Vp and Vs which are related to the rock property can be also obtained. Rock property and proper support design can be dedced from these parameters.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.475-484
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• 2020

The prediction of the ground conditions ahead of a tunnel face is very important, especially for tunnel boring machine (TBM) tunneling, because encountering unexpected anomalies during tunnel excavation can cause a considerable loss of time and money. Several prediction techniques, such as BEAM, TSP, and GPR, have been suggested. However, these methods have various shortcomings, such as low accuracy and low resolution. Most studies on electrical resistivity tomography surveys have been conducted using numerical simulation programs, but laboratory experiments were just a few. Furthermore, most studies of scaled model tests on electrical resistivity tomography were conducted only on the ground surface, which is a different environment as compared to that of mechanized tunneling. This study performed a laboratory experimental test to extend and verify a prediction method proposed by Lee et al., which used electrical resistivity tomography to predict the ground conditions ahead of a tunnel face in TBM tunneling environments. The results showed that the modified dipole-dipole array is better than the other arrays in terms of predicting the location and shape of the anomalies ahead of the tunnel face. Having longer upper and lower borehole lengths led to better accuracy of the survey. However, the number and length of boreholes should be properly controlled according to the field environments in practice. Finally, a modified and verified technique to predict the ground conditions ahead of a tunnel face during TBM tunneling is proposed.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.93-104
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• 2019

Anomalies and/or fractured grounds not detected by the surface geophysical and geological survey performed during design stage may cause significant problems during tunnel excavation. Many studies on prediction methods of the ground condition ahead of the tunnel face have been conducted and applied in tunneling construction sites, such as tunnel seismic profiling and probe drilling. However, most such applications have focused on the drill and blast tunneling method. Few studies have been conducted for mechanized tunneling because of the limitation in the available space to perform prediction tests. This study aims to predict the ground condition ahead of the tunnel face in TBM tunneling by using an electrical resistivity tomography survey. It compared the characteristics of each electrode array and performed an investigation on in-situ tunnel boring machine TBM construction site environments. Numerical simulations for each electrode array were performed, to determine the proper electrode array to predict anomalies ahead of the tunnel face. The results showed that the modified dipole-dipole array is, compared to other arrays, the best for predicting the location and condition of an anomaly. As the borehole becomes longer, the measured data increase accordingly. Therefore, longer boreholes allow a more accurate prediction of the location and status of anomalies and complex grounds.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.327-343
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• 2004

During tunnel construction, ground failures often occur due to existence of weak zones, such as faults, joints, and cavities, ahead of tunnel face. It is hard to detect effectively weak zones, which can lead underground structure to fail after excavation and before supporting, by using conventional characterization methods. In this study, an enhanced analytical method of predicting weak zones ahead of tunnel face is developed to overcome some problems in the conventional geophysical exploration methods. The analytical method is based on Coulomb's and Gauss' laws with considering the characteristics of electric fields subjected to rock mass. Using the developed method, closed form solutions are obtained to detect a spherical shaped zone and an oriented fault ahead of tunnel face respectively. The analytical results suggest that the presence of weak zones and their sizes, location, and states can be accurately predicted by combining a proper inversion process with resistance measured from several electrodes on the tunnel face. It appears that the skin depth or resistivity in rock mass is affected by the diameter of tunnel face, natural electric potential and noises induced by experimental measurement and spatial distribution of uncertain properties. The developed analytical solution is verified through experimental tests. About 1800 concrete blocks of 5cm by 5cm by 5cm in size are prepared and used to model a joint rock mass around tunnel face. Weak zones are simulated ahead of tunnel face with a material which has relatively higher conductivity than concrete blocks. Experimental results on the model test show a good agreement with analytical results.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.189-206
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• 2003

During tunnel excavation in urban area a systematic monitoring is important for the purpose of determination of support type and quantity, as well as for the control of stability of both surface structures and the tunnel itself due to the frequently, and in many cases, abruptly changing ground condition. In Austria absolute displacement monitoring methods have replaced relative displacement measurements by geodetic methods to a large extent. Prompt detection of weak ground ahead of the tunnel face as well as better adjustment of excavation and support to the geotechnical conditions is possible with the help of the improved methods of data evaluation on sites. Deformation response of the ground to excavation starts ahead of the tunnel face, therefore, the deformation and state of the tunnel advance core is the key factor of the whole deformation process after excavation. In other words, the rigidity and state of the advance core play a determining role in the stability of both surface structures and the tunnel itself. This paper presents the results from detailed three-dimensional numerical studies, exploring vertical displacements, vector orientations and extrusions on tunnel face during the progressive advancement for the shallow tunnel in various geotechnical conditions.

• 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.