• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.1 s.66
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• pp.1-8
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• 2007

In Norway, about 30 subsea tunnels have been constructed over the last 20 years. The minimum depth of 17 subsea tunnels is 56 m and rock cover are between 23 and 49 m. As the project areas for subsea tunnel are covered by water, special investigation techniques need to be applied and the investigation results are more uncertain than that of most conventional tunnel projects. The indefinite potential of water inflow and the salinic character of ingress water represent considerable problems for tunnel equipment and rock support materials. The least stable conditions are represented by major faults or weakness zones containing heavily crushed rock and clay gouge. This paper introduces the Oslofjord subsea tunnel project including minimum rock cover requirement, risk of water inflow, investigation costs, construction costs, and traffic & operation costs.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2008

Most of flooding cases in tunnels are associated with huge inrushes of water due to the fracture zone with very high water head. To find out the causes and countermeasures for flooding cases, a dozen of tunneling cases are studied. Case studies presented here show that if the flooding had been forecasted and pre-drained prior to the tunnel excavation, such accidents could have been prevented. From this observation, we suggest a new horizontal drainage system with pre-investigation and pre-drainage concept. Seepage analyses are performed to analyze the water head reduction effect on the tunnel face by drainage pipes during the construction of subsea tunnels. Drainage system analyses are performed to analyze performance of the drainage system. These analysis results show that the suggested horizontal pre-drainage system provides a clear drainage and water head reducing effect. Finally, the proposed system can be a new alternative to the present water controlling methods applied to subsea tunnels.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.5-19
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• 2017

In this study, the effect of rock mass curtain grouting was investigated by analyzing the correlation between the parameters of the RMR & grout injection volume, Lugeon value & RQD, Lugeon value & cement injection volume. In order to investigate the effect of rock mass curtain grouting, we analyzed the grout injection volume of 315 curtain grouting holes at 9 tunnel face of NATM Subsea tunnels in gneiss area. The total grout injection volume in the Subsea tunnels study was slightly changed in some tunnels face but decreased with increasing the rating of parameters in spacing of discontinuity (R3, Js) and groundwater condition (R5). The geological anomalies of seismic survey (3D, TSP) and the inflow of probe hole were found to be more correlated of relative than the parameters of RMR. The unit injection volume was found to decrease with higher ratings in the parameters of the RMR except the weathering degree of the discontinuity (Jc, R4). The correlation between RQD and Lugeon values is not significant, but it can be confirmed that the Lugeon value tends to decrease as the RQD value increases.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.35-52
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• 2017

In order to evaluate the grouting effects of water-rich fault in tunnels systematically, a feasible and scientific method is introduced based on the extension theory. First, eight main influencing factors are chosen as evaluation indexes by analyzing the changes of permeability, mechanical properties and deformation of surrounding rocks. The model of evaluating grouting effects based on the extension theory is established following this. According to four quality grades of grouting effects, normalization of evaluation indexes is carried out, aiming to meet the requirement of extension theory on data format. The index weight is allocated by adopting the entropy method. Finally, the model is applied to the grouting effects evaluation in water-rich fault F4-4 of Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Subsea Tunnel, China. The evaluation results are in good agreement with the test results on the site, which shows that the evaluation model is feasible in this field, providing a powerful tool for systematically evaluating the grouting effects of water-rich fault in tunnels.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 2020

Submerged floating tunnel (SFT) is a type of tunnel which causes the tunnel segments to float in the water. When the SFTs are connected to the ground, the connection between the SFT and the subsea bored tunnel is fragile due to the difference in behavioral characteristics between the two types of tunnels. Therefore, special design and construction methods are needed to ensure the stability of the area around the connection. However, since previous research on the stability of the connection site has not been undertaken enough, the basic step necessitates the evaluation of ground behavior at the shore connection. In this study, the numerical analysis targeting the shore connection between the subsea bored tunnel and the SFT was simulated. The strain concentration at the shore connection was analyzed by numerical simulation and the effects of several factors were examined. The results showed the instability in the ground close to the shore connection due to the imbalance in the behavior of the two types of tunnels; the location of the strain concentration varies with different environmental and structural conditions. It is expected that the results from this study can be utilized in future studies to determine weak points in the shore connection between the submerged floating tunnel and the subsea bored tunnel, and devise methods to mitigate the risks.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.716-724
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• 2008

In the case of subsea tunnels, hydro-mechanical coupled analysis is necessary for an exact design and construction. The consideration of the overstretched ground condition is also required because they are usually located at the great depth unlike the usual tunnels. Many researches have been performed on the estimation of relaxed rock mass height. However, there have been no researches on the estimation of relaxed rock mass height under overstretched ground conditions. In this study, therefore, hydro-mechanical coupled analyses were performed under the overstressed ground conditions and the relaxed rock mass heights were estimated based on the contour of the local safety factor around a tunnel.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.195-211
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• 2016

This paper concerns a study of a knowledge-based NATM tunnel lining design for subsea tunnels. Concept for tunnel automation designing system, the development of Artificial Neural Network based technology of the tunnel design system, the learning process and verification of the technology forecasting member forces were described. The design system is the series of process which can predict segmental lining member forces by ANN(artificial neural network system), analyze suitable section for the designated ground, construction and tunnel conditions using a FEM(finite element analysis). The lining member forces are predicted based on the ANN quickly and it helps designers determine its segmental lining dimension easily.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.1571-1580
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• 2008

Subsea tunnels that link land to island and among nations for transportation, efficient development of limited surface and pursuit of economic development should be designed to support pore water pressure on the lining. It is generally constructed in the bed rock of the sea bottom. When the tunnel excavation face meets fractured-zones below sea bottom, collapse may occur due to an increase of pore water pressure and large inflow. Such an example can be found in the Norwegian subsea tunnel experiences in 1980's. In this study hydraulic behavior of tunnel heading is investigated using numerical method based on the collapse of Norwegian subsea tunnel. The effect of pore water pressure and inflow rate were mainly concerned. Horse-shoe shaped model tunnel which has 50 m depth from the sea bottom is considered. To evaluate hydraulic performance, parametric study was carried out for varying relative permeability. It is revealed that pore water pressure has increased with an increase of sea depth. Especially, at the fractured-zone, pore water pressure on the lining has increased significantly. Inflow rate into tunnel has also increased correspondingly with an increase in sea depth. S-shaped characteristic relation between relative permeability and normalized pore water pressure was obtained.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.291-304
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• 2011

Recently concern for subsea tunnels is increasing, The effect of high water pressure can not be ignored in the case of a deep subsea tunnel. Reinforcement like grouting is necessary for the stability of such a subsea tunnel. In this study, therefore, it was investigated how the water barrier and shear strength increment resulted from grouting had an effect on the stability of a subsea tunnel. To this end, two-dimensional hydromechanical coupled analyses were performed for a sensitivity analysis in terms of different range, permeability coefficient, and cohesion of grouting reinforcement for the rock classes I, III, and V with respect to RMR system. The mutual relationship between strength increment and water pressure increased by barrier effect due to grouting was investigated by analyzing the numerical results.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.583-603
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• 2023

Recently, the advancement of mechanical tunnel boring machine (TBM) technology and the characteristics of subsea railway tunnels subjected to hydrostatic pressure have led to the widespread application of shield TBM methods in the design and construction of subsea railway tunnels. Subsea railway tunnels are exposed in a constant pore water pressure and are influenced by the amplification of seismic waves during earthquake. In particular, seismic loads acting on subsea railway tunnels under various ground conditions such as soft ground, soft soil-rock composite ground, and fractured zones can cause significant changes in tunnel displacement and stress, thereby affecting tunnel safety. Additionally, the dynamic response of the ground and tunnel varies based on seismic load parameters such as frequency characteristics, seismic waveform, and peak acceleration, adding complexity to the behavior of the ground-tunnel structure system. In this study, a finite difference method is employed to model the entire ground-tunnel structure system, considering hydrostatic pressure, for the investigation of dynamic behavior of subsea railway tunnel during earthquake. Since the key factors influencing the dynamic behavior during seismic events are ground conditions and seismic waves, six analysis cases are established based on virtual ground conditions: Case-1 with weathered soil, Case-2 with hard rock, Case-3 with a composite ground of soil and hard rock in the tunnel longitudinal direction, Case-4 with the tunnel passing through a narrow fault zone, Case-5 with a composite ground of soft soil and hard rock in the tunnel longitudinal direction, and Case-6 with the tunnel passing through a wide fractured zone. As a result, horizontal displacements due to earthquakes tend to increase with an increase in ground stiffness, however, the displacements tend to be restrained due to the confining effects of the ground and the rigid shield segments. On the contrary, peak compressive stress of segment significantly increases with weaker ground stiffness and the effects of displacement restrain contribute the increase of peak compressive stress of segment.