• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.59-73
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• 2021

There frequently exists inadequacy regarding the number of boreholes installed along tunnel alignment. While geophysical imaging techniques are available for pre-tunnelling geological characterization, they aim to detect specific object (e.g., water body and karst cave). There remains great motivation for the industry to develop a real-time identification technology relating complex geological conditions with the existing tunnelling parameters. This study explores the potential for the use of machine learning-based data driven approaches to identify the change in geology during tunnel excavation. Further, the feasibility for machine learning-based anomaly detection approaches to detect the development of clayey clogging is also assessed. The results of an application of the machine learning-based approaches to Xi'an Metro line 4 are presented in this paper where two tunnels buried in the water-rich sandy soils at depths of 12-14 m are excavated using a 6.288 m diameter EPB shield machine. A reasonable agreement with the measurements verifies their applicability towards widening the application horizon of machine learning-based approaches.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.53-64
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• 2023

Earth fissures with several kilometers will inevitably approach or cross the metro line, significantly threatening the safety of the underground structure in the earth fissure site. However, the influence of the earth fissure site's amplification effect on the metro station's dynamic response is still unclear. A representative earth fissure in Xi'an was taken as an example to establish a numerical model of a metro station in the earth fissure site. The dynamic response characteristics of the metro stations at different distances from the earth fissure under various seismic waves were calculated. The results show that the existence of the earth fissure significantly amplifies the dynamic response of the nearby underground structures. The responses of the axial force, shear force, bending moment, normal stress, horizontal displacement, inter-story drift, and relative slip of the metro station were all amplified within a specific influence range. The amplification effect increases with the seismic wave intensity. The amplification effect caused by the earth fissure has relatively weak impacts on the axial shear, shear force, bending movement, normal stress, and horizontal movement; slightly larger impacts on the inter-story drift and acceleration; and a significant impact on the relative slip. The influence ranges of the axial force and normal stress are approximately 20 m. The influence ranges of the acceleration and inter-story drift can reach 30 m. Therefore, the seismic fortification level of the underground structure in the earth fissure site needs to be improved.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.775-781
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• 2018

Shake table tests were conducted on scaled tunnel model to investigate the mechanism and effect of seismic loadings on horseshoe scaled tunnel model in ground fissure site. Key technical details of the experimental test were set up, including similarity relations, boundary conditions, sensor layout, modelling methods were presented. Synthetic waves and El Centro waves were adopted as the input earthquake waves. Results measured from hanging wall and foot wall were compared and analyzed. It is found that the seismic loadings increased the subsidence of hanging wall and lead to the appearance and propagation of cracks. The values of acceleration, earth pressure and strain were greater in the hanging wall than those in the foot wall. The tunnel exhibited the greatest earth pressure on right and left arches, however, the earth pressure on the crown of arch is the second largest and the inverted arch has the least earth pressure in the same tunnel section. Therefore, the effect of the hanging wall on the seismic performance of metro tunnel in earth fissure ground should be considered in the seismic design.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.647-663
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• 2023

The investigation of the disc cutter wear prediction has an important guiding role in TBM equipment selection, project planning, and cost forecasting, especially when tunneling in a long-distance rock formations with high strength and high abrasivity. In this study, a comprehensive database of disc cutter wear data, geological properties, and tunneling parameters is obtained from a 1326 m excavated metro tunnel project in leptynite in Shenzhen, China. The failure forms and wear consumption of disc cutters on site are analyzed with emphasis. The results showed that 81% of disc cutters fail due to uniform wear, and other cutters are replaced owing to abnormal wear, especially flat wear of the cutter rings. In addition, it is found that there is a reasonable direct proportional relationship between the uniform wear rate (WR) and the installation radius (R), and the coefficient depends on geological characteristics and tunneling parameters. Thus, a preliminary prediction formula of the uniform wear rate, based on the installation radius of the cutterhead, was established. The correlation between some important geological properties (K_V and UCS) along with some tunneling parameters (F_n and p) and wear rate was discussed using regression analysis methods, and several prediction models for uniform wear rate were developed. Compared with a single variable, the multivariable model shows better prediction ability, and 89% of WR can be accurately estimated. The prediction model has reliability and provides a practical tool for wear prediction of disc cutter under similar hard rock projects with similar geological conditions.