• Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.79-90
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• 2021

This paper presents a study to reduce the effect of blast pressure on the blast valves installed in protection tunnels, where the shape of the tunnel entrance and the blast pocket is optimized based on the predetermined basic shape of the protective tunnels. The reliability of the numerical tunnel models was examined by performing analyses of mesh convergence and overpressure stability and with comparison to the data in blast-load design charts in UFC 3-340-02 (DoD, 2008). An optimal mesh size and a stabilized distance of overpressure were proposed, and the numerical results were validated based on the UFC data. A parametric study to reduce the blast overpressures in tunnel was conducted using the validated numerical model. Analysis was performed applying 1) the entrance slope of 90, 75, 60, and 45 degrees, 2) two blast pockets with the depth 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 times the tunnel width, 3) the three types of curved back walls of the blast pockets, and 4) two types of the upper and lower surfaces of the blast pockets to the reference tunnel model. An optimal solution by combining the analysis results of the tunnel entrance shape, the depth of the blast pockets, and the upper and lower parts of the blast pockets was provided in comparison to the reference tunnel model. The blast overpressures using the proposed tunnel shape have been reduced effectively.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.421-438
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• 2016

Explosions inside transportation tunnels might result in failure of tunnel structures. This study investigated the failure mechanisms of circular cast-iron tunnels in saturated soil subjected to medium internal blast loading. This issue is crucial to tunnel safety as many transportation tunnels run through saturated soils. At the same time blast loading on saturated soils may induce residual excess pore pressure, which may result in soil liquefaction. A series of numerical simulations were carried out using Finite Element program LS-DYNA. The effect of soil liquefaction was simulated by the Federal Highway soil model. It was found that the failure modes of tunnel lining were differed with different levels of blast loading. The damage and failure of the tunnel lining was progressive in nature and they occurred mainly during lining vibration when the main event of blast loading was over. Soil liquefaction may lead to more severe failure of tunnel lining. Soil deformation and soil liquefaction were determined by the coupling effects of lining damage, lining vibration, and blast loading. The damage of tunnel lining was a result of internal blast loading as well as dynamic interaction between tunnel lining and saturated soil, and stress concentration induced by a ventilation shaft connected to the tunnel might result in more severe lining damage.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.399-406
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• 2018

The present study focuses on the performance of basalt fiber reinforced concrete (BFRC) lining in tunnel situated in sandstone rock when subjected to internal blast loading. The blast analysis of the lined tunnel is carried out using the three-dimensional (3-D) nonlinear finite element (FE) method. The stress-strain response of the sandstone rock is simulated using a crushable plasticity model which can simulate the brittle behavior of rock and that of BFRC lining is analyzed using a damaged plasticity model for concrete capturing damage response. The strain rate dependent material properties of BFRC are collected from the literature and that of rock are taken from the authors' previous work using split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). The constitutive model performance is validated through the FE simulation of SHPB test and the comparison of simulation results with the experimental data. Further, blast loading in the tunnel is simulated for 10 kg and 50 kg Trinitrotoluene (TNT) charge weights using the equivalent pressure-time curves obtained through hydrocode simulations. The analysis results are studied for the stress and displacement response of rock and tunnel lining. Blast performance of BFRC lining is compared with that of plain concrete (PC) and steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) lining materials. It is observed that the BFRC lining exhibits almost 65% lesser displacement as compared to PC and 30% lesser displacement as compared to SFRC tunnel linings.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1227-1236
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• 2018

From all of the environmental problems, blast-induced vibrations often cause concern to surrounding residents. It is often claimed that damage to building superstructures is due to blasting, and sometimes the building owner files a lawsuit against the company that perform blasting operations. The blast-vibration problem has been thoroughly investigated in the past and continues to be the subject of ongoing research. In this study, a tunnel construction has been performed by a construction company, according to their contract they must have used drilling & blasting method for excavation in tunnel inlet and outlet portal. The population is very condensed with almost tunnel below in the vicinity houses of one or two floors, typically built with stone masonry and concrete. This situation forces the company to take extreme precautions when they are designing blasts so that the blast effects, which are mainly vibration and aerial waves, do not disturb their surrounding neighbors. For this purpose, the vibration measurement and analysis have been carried out and a new methodology in minimizing the blast induced ground vibrations at the target location, was also applied. Peak particle velocity and dominant frequencies were taken into consideration in analyzing the blast-induced ground vibration. The methodology aims to employ the most suitable time delays among blast-hole groupings to render destructive interference of surface waves at the target location.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2023

This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to investiagate the effect of expansion chamber on overpressure reduction in protective tunnels subjected to detonation of high explosives. A commercial CFD code, Viper::Blast, was used to model the blast waves in a protective tunnel with a length of 160 m, width of 8.9 m and height of 7.2 m. Blast scenarios and simulation matrix were establihsed in consideration of the design parameters of expansion chamber, including the chamber lengths of 6.1 m to 12.1 m, widths of 10.7 m to 97 m, length to width ratios of 0.0 to 5.0, heights of 8.0 m and 14.9 m, and ratios of chamber to tunnel width of 1.2 to 10.9 m. A charge weight of TNT of 1000 kg was used. The mesh sizes of the numerical model of the protective tunnel were determined based on a mesh convergence study. A parametric study based on the simulation matrix was performed using the proposed CFD tunnel model and the optimized shape of expansion chamber of the considered tunnel was then proposed based on the numerical results. Design recommendations for the use of expansion chamber in protective tunnel under blast loads to reduce the internal overpressures were finally provided.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.417-443
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• 2020

Tunnels have been an integral part of human civilization. Due to complexity in its design and structure, the stability of underground structures under extreme loading conditions has utmost importance. Increased terrorism and geo-political conflicts have forced the engineers and researchers to study the response of underground structures, especially tunnels under blast loading. The present study has been carried out to seek the response of tunnel structures under blast load using the finite element technique. The tunnel has been considered in quartzite rock of northern India. The Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model has been adopted for the elastoplastic behaviour of rock. The rock model surrounding the tunnel has dimensions of 30 m x 30 m x 35 m. Both unlined and lined (concrete) tunnel has been studied. Concrete Damage Plasticity model has been considered for the concrete lining. Four different parameters (i.e., tunnel diameter, liners thickness, overburden depth and mass of explosive) have been varied to observe the behaviour under different condition. To carry out blast analysis, Coupled-Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) modelling has been adopted for modelling of TNT (Trinitrotoluene) and enclosed air. JWL (Jones-Wilkins-Lee) model has been considered for TNT explosive modelling. The paper concludes that deformations in lined tunnels follow a logarithmic pattern while in unlined tunnels an exponential pattern has been observed. The stability of the tunnel has increased with an increase in overburden depth in both lined and unlined tunnels. Furthermore, the tunnel lining thickness also has a significant effect on the stability of the tunnel, but in smaller diameter tunnel, the increase in tunnel lining thickness has not much significance. The deformations in the rock tunnel have been decreased with an increase in the diameter of the tunnel.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.561-569
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• 2018

Ground vibration is one of the most undesirable effects induced by blast operation in mountain tunnels, which could cause negative impacts on the residents living nearby and adjacent structures. The ground vibration effects can be well represented by peak particle velocity (PPV) and corner frequency ($f_c$) on the ground. In this research, the PPV and the corner frequency of the mountain surface above the large-span tunnel of the new Badaling tunnel are observed by using the microseismic monitoring technique. A total of 53 sets of monitoring results caused by the blast inside tunnel are recorded. It is found that the measured values of PPV are lower than the allowable value. The measured values of corner frequency are greater than the natural frequencies of the Great Wall, which will not produce resonant vibration of the Great Wall. The vibration effects of associated parameters on the PPV and corner frequency which include blast charge, rock mass condition, and distance from the blast point to mountain surface, are studied by regression analysis. Empirical formulas are proposed to predict the PPV and the corner frequency of the Great Wall and surface structures due to blast, which can be used to determine the suitable blast charge inside the tunnel.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.431-449
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• 2022

As many tunnels generally have been constructed, various experiences and techniques have been accumulated for tunnel design as well as tunnel construction. Hence, there are not a few cases that, for some usual tunnel design works, it is sufficient to perform the design by only modifying or supplementing previous similar design cases unless a tunnel has a unique structure or in geological conditions. In particular, for a tunnel blast design, it is reasonable to refer to previous similar design cases because the blast design in the stage of design is a preliminary design, considering that it is general to perform additional blast design through test blasts prior to the start of tunnel excavation. Meanwhile, entering the industry 4.0 era, artificial intelligence (AI) of which availability is surging across whole industry sector is broadly utilized to tunnel and blasting. For a drill and blast tunnel, AI is mainly applied for the estimation of blast vibration and rock mass classification, etc. however, there are few cases where it is applied to blast pattern design. Thus, this study attempts to automate tunnel blast design by means of machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence. For this, the data related to a blast design was collected from 25 tunnel design reports for learning as well as 2 additional reports for the test, and from which 4 design parameters, i.e., rock mass class, road type and cross sectional area of upper section as well as bench section as input data as well as16 design elements, i.e., blast cut type, specific charge, the number of drill holes, and spacing and burden for each blast hole group, etc. as output. Based on this design data, three machine learning models, i.e., XGBoost, ANN, SVM, were tested and XGBoost was chosen as the best model and the results show a generally similar trend to an actual design when assumed design parameters were input. It is not enough yet to perform the whole blast design using the results from this study, however, it is planned that additional studies will be carried out to make it possible to put it to practical use after collecting more sufficient blast design data and supplementing detailed machine learning processes.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.182-189
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• 2001

Rockmass properties have great influence on blasting performance so that it cannot be overemphasized to analyze rockmass properties and to perform blast design based on them. Up to the present, however blast design is performed either considering only uniaxial compressive strength of intact rock or using RMR classification as a blast ability classification scheme. In this paper Ashby's approach is adopted to evaluate blast index. In addition. rockmass classification for the blast design based on joint survey results and pattern design procedure are added to Ashby's original approach. With this extended approach, blastability can be classified considering joint properties and objectiveness of evaluated blast index can be confirmed. This approach is anticipated to enhance the tunnel blast design by considering joint properties and classifying the rockmass for blast design.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.33-45
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• 2007

In this study, the blast-induced vibration effects on the structural stability of the adjacent tunnel were estimated with respect to the allowable peak particle velocity (PPV). The blasting distance from the tunnel satisfying the allowable PPV was estimated based on the analytical solutions, United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) suggestions, and the equations used in the subway in Seoul. The allowable blasting distance was estimated by using finite difference analysis (FDA) and the behavior of the concrete lining and rock bolts was examined and the stability of those was estimated during the blast. Research results show that the blast-induced vibration effects on the structural stability are negligible for the concrete lining but relatively large for the rock bolts.