• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.57-66
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• 2016

In this study, to prevent possible collapse caused by hydraulic or mechanical instability, liquid nitrogen injection method is developed and implemented at the tip of drilling auger of steel pipe propulsion tunneling. In this study, 1/5-scale model auger and sand chamber were manufactured. The prototype diameter of steel pile (or casing) is assumed about 1,000 mm. For the frictional sandy soils and plastic weathered soils, liquid nitrogen injection methods were tested varying water contents of the soils. For the induced hydraulic instability, the ground near the drilling auger was frozen within approximately 5 minutes preventing mechanical collapse and water infiltration. Securing stability of steel pile propulsion tunneling using liquid nitrogen was much more effective for which the water content of the soil somewhat exceeds the optimum water content.