• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.1125-1142
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• 2016

Tunneling is one of the challenging tasks in civil engineering because it involves a variety of decision making and engineering judgment based on knowledge and experience. One of the challenges is to construct tunnels in risky areas under shallow overburden. In order to prevent the collapse of ceilings and walls of a large tunnels, in such conditions, either a sequential excavation method (SEM) or ground reinforcing method, or a combination of both, can be utilized. This research deals with the numerical modeling of L-profiles and pipe fore-poling pre-support systems in the adit tunnel in northwestern Iran. The first part of the adit tunnel has been drilled in alluvial material with very weak geotechnical parameters. Despite applying an SEM in constructing this tunnel, analyzing the results of numerical modeling done using FLAC3D, as well as observations during drilling, indicate the tunnel instability. To improve operational safety and to prevent collapse, pre-support systems, including pipe fore-poling and L-profiles were designed and implemented. The results of the numerical modeling coupled with monitoring during operation, as well as the results of instrumentation, indicate the efficacy of both these methods in tunnel collapse prevention. Moreover, the results of modeling using FLAC3D and SECTION BUILDER suggest a double angle with equal legs ($2L100{\times}100{\times}10mm$) in both box profile and tee array as an alternative section to pipe fore-poling system while neither $L80{\times}80{\times}8mm$ nor $2L80{\times}80{\times}8mm$ can sustain the axial and shear stresses exerted on pipe fore-poling system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.133-140
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• 1997

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.543-560
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• 2018

With the increased development in downtown underground space facilities that vertically cross under a railway at a shallow depth, the demand for non-open cut method is increasing. However, most construction sites still adopt the pipe roof method, where medium and large diameter steel pipes are pressed in to form a roof, enabling excavation of the inside space. Among the many factors that influence the loosening region and loads that occur while pressing in steel pipes, the size of the pipe has the largest impact, and this factor may correspond to the magnitude of load applied to the underground structure inside the steel pipe roof. The super equilibrium method (SEM) has been developed to minimize ground disturbance and loosening load, and uses small diameter pipes of approximately 114 mm instead of conventional medium and large diameter pipes. This small diameter steel pipe is called an SEM pile. After SEM piles are pressed in and the grouting reinforcement is constructed, a crossing structure is pressed in by using a hydraulic jack without ground subsidence or heaving. The SEM pile, which plays the role of timbering, is a fore-poling pile of approximately 5 m length that prevents ground collapse and supports surface load during excavation of toe part. The loosening region should be adequately calculated to estimate the spacing and construction length of the piles and stiffness of members. In this paper, we conducted a comparative analysis of calculations of loosening load that occurs during the press-in of SEM pile to obtain an optimal design of SEM. We analyzed the influence of factors in main theoretical and empirical formulas applied for calculating loosening regions, and carried out FEM analysis to see an appropriate loosening load to the SEM pile. In order to estimate the soil loosening caused by actual SEM-pile indentation and excavation, a steel pipe indentation reduction model test was conducted. Soil subsidence and soil loosening were investigated quantitatively according to soil/steel pipe (H/D).