• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.65-85
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• 2023

The use of TBM (Tunnel boring machine) has increased worldwide due to its performance together with the benefit of being safely and environmentally friendly compared to conventional tunneling. In particular, EPB (Earth Pressure Balanced) TBM is widely used because it can be applied to various grounds compared to Open TBM. Also EPB TBM has a simple mechanical structure and advantages in cost, requires less ground area than Slurry TBM. EPB TBM has advantages in soft ground, and more importantly, can extend its applicability by use of appropriate soil conditioning, which improves mechanical and hydrological properties of excavated soil and increases the excavation performance of EPB TBM. Various studies suggested the proper mixing ratio and injection ratio, but almost they are limited to laboratory test under atmospheric pressure such as slump test. Actual field conditions may differ depending on the ground and mechanical condition. In this study, first the amount of used soil conditioning used in the field with various grounds from hard rock to soft ground was estimated through laboratory tests and compared with the estimate in design stage. And also it was compared with the amount used during actual excavation. In addition, experience of soil conditioning for the problems of cutter head clogging and groundwater inrush that occurred during excavation is discussed. Finally, lesson learned for the use of soil conditioning in difficult ground condition such as mixed ground are reviewed.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.209-222
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• 2024

The Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) shield Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is widely used for underground tunnel construction for its advantages, such as eliminating the need for additional facilities compared to the slurry shield TBM, which requires Slurry Treatment Plant (STP). During EPB shield TBM excavation, a soil conditioning technique is employed to enhance the physical properties of the excavated soil by injecting additives, thus broadening the range of applicable ground conditions to EPB shield TBMs. This study explored the use of xanthan gum, a type of biopolymer, as an alternative to the commonly used polymer additive. Biopolymers, derived from biological sources, are fully biodegradable. In contrast to traditional polymers such as polyacrylic acid, which contain environmentally harmful components, xanthan gum is gaining attention as an eco-friendly material due to its minimal toxicity and environmental impact. Test conditions with similar workability were established through slump tests, and the rheological characteristics were assessed using a laboratory pressurized vane shear test apparatus. The experiments demonstrated that, despite exhibiting similar workability, the peak strength in the flow curve decreased with increasing the content of xanthan gum. Consequently, a correlation between the xanthan gum content and peak strength was established. Replacing the traditional polymers with xanthan gum could enable stable EPB shield TBM operation by reducing equipment load, in addition to offering environmental benefits.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.545-560
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• 2019

During EPB TBM tunnelling, an appropriate application of additives such as foam and polymer is an essential factor to secure the stability of TBM as well as tunnelling performance. From the '90s, there have been many studies on the optimal injection of additives worldwidely contrary to the domestic situation. Therefore, in this paper, the foam, which is widely adopted for soil conditioning, was selected as an additive in order to investigate the effect of foam injection on TBM performance through a series of laboratory excavation tests. The excavation experiments were carried out on artificial sandy soil specimens with consideration of the variance of FIR (Foam Injection Ratio), FER (Foam Expansion Ratio) and $C_f$ (Surfactant Concentration), which indicate the amount and quality of the foam. During the tests, torque values were measured, and the workability of conditioned soil was evaluated by comparing the slump values of muck after each experiment. In addition, a weight loss of the replaceable aluminum cutter bits installed on the blade was measured to estimate the degree of abrasion. Finally, the foam injection ratio for the optimal TBM excavation for the typical soil specimen was determined by comparing the measured torque, slump value and abrasion. Note that the foam injection conditions satisfying the appropriate level of machine load, mechanical wear and workability are essential in the EPB TBM operational design.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.355-374
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• 2022

Soil conditioning improves the performance of EPB (earth pressure balance) shield TBMs (tunnel boring machines) by reducing shear strength, enhancing workability of the excavated soil, and supporting the tunnel face during EPB tunnelling. The mechanical and rheological behavior of the excavated muck mixed with additives should be properly evaluated to determine the optimal additive injection condition corresponding to each ground type. In this study, the laboratory pressurized vane test apparatus equipped with a vane-shaped rheometer was developed to reproduce the pressurized condition in the TBM chamber and quantitively evaluate rheological properties of the soil specimens. A series of the pressurized vane tests were performed for an artificial sand soil by changing foam injection ratio (FIR) and polymer injection ratio (PIR), which are the injection parameters of the foam and the polymer, respectively. In addition, the workability of the conditioned soil was evaluated through the slump test. The peak and yield stresses of the conditioned soil with respect to the injection parameters were evaluated through the rheogram, which was derived from the measured torque data in the pressurized vane test. As FIR increased or PIR decreased, the workability of the conditioned soil increased, and the maximum torque, peak stress, and yield stress decreased. The peak stress and yield stress of the specimen from the laboratory pressurized vane test correspond to the workability evaluated by the slump tests, which implies the applicability of the proposed test for evaluating the rheological properties of excavated soil.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.29-37
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• 2017

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.387-401
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• 2023

The Earth Pressure Balanced (EPB) Shield Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is widely employed for constructing urban underground spaces due to its minimal vibration and low noise levels. The injection of additives offers several advantages, including maintaining shield chamber pressure, reducing shear strength, minimizing cutter wear, and decreasing the permeability of the excavated soil. This technique is known as soil conditioning and involves the application of additives such as foam, polymer, and bentonite slurry. In this study, weathered granite soil commonly encountered at domestic tunnel sites was used as a soil specimen. Foam and polymer were applied as additives to assess the rheological properties of conditioned soils. The workability was evaluated through slump tests, while the rheological properties were assessed through laboratory pressurized vane shear tests conducted under the same conditions. Specially, the polymer was applied under specific conditions with low workability with high slump values, with the aim of evaluating the impact of polymer application. The test results revealed that with an increase in the Foam Injection Ratio (FIR), the slump value also increased, while the torque, peak strength, yield stress, apparent viscosity, and thixotropic area decreased. Conversely, an increase in the Polymer Injection Ratio (PIR) led to results opposite to those of FIR. Additionally, a correlation between the slump value and yield stress was proposed. When comparing conditions with only foam applied to those with both foam and polymer applied, even with similar slump values, the yield stress was found to be lower in the latter conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.65-74
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• 2020

In earth pressure balance (EPB) shield TBM tunnelling, the application of soil conditioning which improves properties of the excavated muck by additives injection, is generally used for enhancing the performance of TBM. Therefore it is important to apply the soil conditioning in the numerical model which simulates excavation performance of TBM equipment, but related studies on a method that simulates soil conditioning are insufficient to date. Accordingly, in this study, an laboratory pressurized vane test apparatus was devised to evaluate the characteristics of conditioned soil. Using the apparatus, the vane shear tests were performed on foam-conditioned soil with different shear rates, and the test was numerically simulated with discrete element method (DEM). Finally, the contact properties of particles in DEM were determined by comparing the results of test and analysis, and it indicates that the applicability of pressurized vane test and DEM model for reproducing soil conditioning in TBM excavation model with DEM.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1049-1060
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• 2018

Soil conditioning is one of the key factors for successfull tunnel excavations utilizing the earth pressure-balanced (EPB) shield tunnel boring machine (TBM) by increasing the tunnel face stability and extraction efficiency of excavated soils. In this study, conditioning agents are mixed with the weathered granite soils which are abundant in the Korean peninsula and the workability of the resulting mixture is evaluated through the slump tests to derive and propose the most suitable conditioning agent as well as the most appropriate agent mix ratios. However, since it is cumbersome to perform the slump tests all the time either in the laboratory or in-situ, a simpler test may be needed instead of the slump test; the fall cone test was proposed as a substitute. In this paper, the correlation between the slump value obtained from the slump test and the cone penetration depth obtained from the proposed fall cone test was obtained. Test results showed that a very good correlation between two was observed; it means that the simpler fall cone test can be used to assess the suitability of the conditioned soils instead of the more cumbersome slump test.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.337-343
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• 2007

The reforming catalyst and the electrodes in fuel cells can be poisoned by the organic sulfur compound which is added as an odorant for checking out the leakage of natural gas, and that makes a big problem of system degradation. In this study, various adsorbents, such as silica, ${\gamma}$-alumina, activated carbon, HZSM-5, Ultra-stable Y zeolite (USY), and beta zeolite (BEA), were utilized to remove tetra-hydrothiophene (THT) and tert-butylmercaptan (TBM), and to confirm the performance in the adsorption of those odorants by using a continuous adsorptive bed. The effects of Si/Al ratio of zeolites, adsorption temperature and the type of balance gas (methane or He) on the adsorption performance in the packed bed have been investigated. In addition, the competitive adsorption between TBM and THT on the adsorbents was also estimated. The result shows that H-type BEA zeolite exhibited the highest adsorption capacity for TBM and THT odorant, and the higher amount of THT was removed adsorptively on the same adsorbent than TBM. The physical and chemical adsorption of those compounds on acid sites of zeolite were confirmed by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and infrared spectrum (IR) analyses.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.245-255
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• 2004

In recent years, an increasing number of studies on pig in vitro maturation(IVM) and in vitro fertilization(IVF) have been separated. the wide range of new technologies, including that in applied molecular genetics, has increased this interest. the production of viable porcine embryos in vitro is a prerequisites for the successful production of transgenic pigs to date. The efficiency of IVM/IVF techniques in the porcine is lower than that obtained in other species such as cattle and mouse. The several problems are generally thought to be the cause of poor results: the low rate of MPN formation derived from inadequate IVM of oocytes, the high incidence of polyspermy after IVF and cell blocking at 4 cell during embryos culture. For there reasons overcoming, many studies have been conducted to improve in vitro embryo-genic competence of oocytes. In the last several years, many maturation culture media have been evaluated and various exogenous factors such as hormones and grows factors have been tested to improve the efficiency of porcine in vitro system. In the study several antioxidants have been examined to improve in vitro fertilization and development of porcine oocytes. In this study, several antioxidants were examined to determine the effects on the development of oocytes to the cleavage, morula and blastocyst stage when added at the maturation(IVM) or in vitro fertilization(IVF) or in vitro culture(IVC) of porcine embryos. Porcine oocytes were matured, fertilized and embryos were cultured in defind conditioned medium in vitro with or without supplementation with the antioxidents of cysteine, catalase and glutathione. 1. Significant improvement of blastocyst rate (27.2％ versus 15.4％, p<0.05) were achieved when catalase(500U/$m\ell$) were added to TCM-199 medium and morula rate(72.0％ versus 53.9％, p<0.05) were significantly higher when glutathione(1.0mM/$m\ell$) were added to TCM-199 medium than those of control. 2. In mTBM medium for oocytes fertilization, the addition of cysteine, catalase and glutathione had no positive effect on embryonic development. glutathione had no positive effect on embryonic development. In conclusion, this study shows that addition of catalase, gluththione during IVM improved the rate of porcine embryo development.