• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.36-47
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• 2017

As a typical domestic subsea tunnel construction the Gadeok subsea tunnel applying the method of immersed tunnel has been completed and the Boryeong-Taean subsea tunnel is under construction using NATM. The high-speed railway subsea tunnels between the Honam and Jeju are under consideration, and the feasibility of constructing subsea tunnels with Japan and China is also under consideration. However, it is difficult to provide the process plan information for the construction work such as the analysis of the feasibility of the subsea tunnel and the prediction of the proper construction period because there is no case of domestic construction for it applying the shield TBM method. Due to economic and other reasons, government organizations are reluctant to apply the shield TBM, and there is lack of data on the construction process management field using the shield TBM method. Therefore, a standard construction process management system for the subsea tunnel is needed to analyze the feasibility of the subsea tunnel and to predict the proper construction period. By presenting the standard construction process management system of subsea tunnels such as WBS, Network Diagram, and construction period calculation model, I hope to contribute technically and economically to future subsea tunnel projects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.58-69
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• 2010

Turkey Eurasia Tunnel Project is large scale road construction project of which the total length is 14.6km. The subsea shield TBM tunnel will be constructed under Bosphorus strait and the project site is in poor condition as composite ground, high water pressure and earthquake. The design procedure of subsea tunnel was introduced with tender design materials. That procedure contains tunnel type, TBM type and the principal design items considering geological condition such as high water pressure, composite ground and seismic area. This paper states the progress for geotechnical investigation, seismic analysis and TBM tunnel design. Analysis for geotechnical investigation is in progress, aseismatic design is going on stability study for liquefaction and structure. In addition, the performance of shield TBM to be considered such as advance rate and improvement of TBM was reviewed. The plan of fire safety was also reviewed with respect to fire protection.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.69-86
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• 2022

The railway is widely used to transport passengers and freight due to its punctuality and large transport capacity. The recent remarkable development in construction technology enables various subsea railway tunnels for continent-continent or continent-island connectivity. In Korea, design and construction experience is primarily based on the successful completion of the Boryeong subsea tunnel (2021) and the Gadeok subsea tunnel (2010). However, frequent earthquakes with diverse magnitudes, globally induced and continuously increased the awareness of seismic risks and the frequency of domestic earthquakes. The effect of an earthquake on the subsea tunnel is very complicated. However, ground conditions and seismic waves are considered the main factors. This study simulated four ground types of 3-dimensional numerical models, such as soil, rock, composite, and fractured zone, to analyze the effect of ground type and seismic wave. A virtual subsea railway shield tunnel considering external water pressure was modeled. Further, three different seismic waves with long-term, short-term, and both periods were studied. The dynamic analyses by finite difference method were performed to investigate the displacement and stress characteristics. Consequently, the long-term period wave exhibited a predominant lateral displacement response in soil and the short-term period wave in rock. The artificial wave, which had both periodic characteristics, demonstrated predominant in the fractured zone. The effect of an earthquake is more noticeable in the stress of the tunnel segment than in displacement because of confining effect of ground and structural elements in the shield tunnel. 

• 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.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.321-329
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• 2022

Tunnel site where high water pressure is applied, such as subsea tunnel, generally selects the shield TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) to maintain the tunnel excavation face. The shield TBM has cutters installed, and the cutters wear out during the process of excavation, so it should be checked and replaced regularly. This is called CHI (Cutterhead Intervention). The conventional CHI under high water pressure is very disadvantageous in terms of safety and economics because humans perform work in response to high water pressure and huge water inflow in the chamber. To overcome this disadvantage, this study proposes a new method to dramatically reduce water pressure and water ingress by injecting an appropriate grout solution into the front of the tunnel face through the shield TBM chamber, called New Face Grouting Method (NFGM). The tunnel model tests were performed to determine the characteristics, injection volume, and curing time of grout solution to be applied to the NFGM. Model test apparatus was composed of a pressure soil tank, a model shield TBM, a grout tank, and an air compressor to measure the amount of water inflow into the chamber. The model tests were conducted by changing the injection amount of the grout solution, the curing time after the grout injection, and the water/cement ratio of grout solution. From an economic point of view, the results showed that the injection volume of 1.0 L, curing time of 6 hours, and water/cement ratio of the grout solution between 1.5 and 2.0 are the most economical. It can be concluded that this study has presented a method to economically perform the CHI under the high water pressure.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.599-614
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• 2024

To evaluate the safety status of deteriorated segments in a submarine shield tunnel during its service life, a seepage model was established based on a cross-sea shield tunnel project. This model was used to study the migration patterns of erosive ions within the shield segments. Based on these laws, the degree of deterioration of the segments was determined. Using the derived analytical solution, the internal forces within the segments were calculated. Lastly, by applying the formula for calculating safety factors, the variation trends in the safety factors of segments with different degrees of deterioration were obtained. The findings demonstrate that corrosive seawater presents the evolution characteristics of continuous seepage from the outside to the inside of the tunnel. The nearby seepage field shows locally concentrated characteristics when there is leakage at the joint, which causes the seepage field's depth and scope to significantly increase. The chlorine ion content decreases gradually with the increase of the distance from the outer surface of the tunnel. The penetration of erosion ions in the segment is facilitated by the presence of water pressure. The ion content of the entire ring segment lining structure is related in the following order: vault < haunch < springing. The difference in the segment's rate of increase in chlorine ion content decreases as service time increases. Based on the analytical solution calculation, the segment's safety factor drops more when the joint leaks than when its intact, and the change rate between the two states exhibits a general downward trend. The safety factor shows a similar change rule at different water depths and continuously decreases at the same segment position as the water depth increases. The three phases of "sudden drop-rise-stability" are represented by a "spoon-shaped" change rule on the safety factor's change curve. The issue of the poor applicability of indicators in earlier studies is resolved by the analytical solution, which only requires determining the loss degree of the segment lining's effective bearing thickness to calculate the safety factor of any cross-section of the shield tunnel. The analytical solution's computation results, however, have some safety margins and are cautious. The process of establishing the evaluation model indicates that the secondary lining made of molded concrete can also have its safety status assessed using the analytical solution. It is very important for the safe operation of the tunnel and the safety of people's property and has a wide range of applications.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.161-172
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• 2014

An earth pressure balanced shield TBM with the diameter of 4.4 m was designed and manufactured for a subsea discharge tunnel excavation. Its cutterhead was designed to be optimized for the strongest rock mass condition in the tunnel alignment, and then the applicability of the refurbished shield TBM was validated for its maximum capacity. Especially, the maximum cutter penetration depth for the strongest rock mass condition should be kept to be below 7 mm/rev in order to satisfy the allowable capacities of the shield TBM. From the analysis of TBM advance data, approximately 95% of field data showed the cutter penetration depth below 7 mm/rev. In addition, it was certified that the acting forces of every disc cutter, TBM thrust and torque during TBM driving were within the allowable capacities of the shield TBM and its disc cutters. When real acting forces of the disc cutters in the field were compared with those predicted by the CSM model, they showed the close relationships with each other even though the predictions by the CSM model were approximately 22~25% higher than field data.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.355-364
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• 2016

Recently, a 3,250 meter-long tunnel was constructed beneath the sea bed formed of composite sedimentary soils to transport reusable waste heat gas of industrial complex in the west coast of Korea. Some risks such as machine settlement always exist due to the uncertainties of geological and construction factors during the subsea shield TBM tunnelling. In this construction site, the deviation of tunnel alignment caused by shield TBM settlement was occurred during excavation. It was examined that the lack of bearing capacity of soft clay was a main cause. This paper evaluates the risk of shield TBM tunnelling considering the ground conditions. Correlation between machine settlement and its advance rate was evaluated through the analytical equation in which bearing capacity is considered and a 3-D numerical analysis which can simulate the TBM advance condition (in other words, the dynamic condition). It was found out that a shield TBM could settle due to the insufficient bearing capacity of soft clay layers. In order to prevent such the problem, the best advance rate proper to the ground characteristics is needed to be applied. In the ground conditions of the section of interest, it was turned out that if the shield TBM advance rate was maintained between 35 mm/min and 40 mm/min, the machine settlement could be avoided.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.201-220
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• 2023

Power cable tunnels is one of the underground structures meant for electricity transmission and are constructed using shield TBM method when transitting across urban and subsea regions. With the increasing shaft depth for tunnels excavation when the shield TBM excavated the rock mass, the review of selecting closed-type shield TBM in rocks becomes necessary. A simplified shield TBM design method is also necessary based on conventional geotechnical survey results. In this respect, design method and related design program are developed based on combined results of full-scale tests, considerable amount of accumulated TBM data, and numerical simulation results. In order to validate the program results, excavation data of a completed power cable tunnel project are utilized. Thrust force, torque, and power of shield TBM specification are validated using Kernel density concept which estimates the population data. The robustness of design expertise is established through this research which will help in stable provision of electricity supply.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.449-461
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• 2024

The use of tunnel boring machine (TBM), a mechanized excavation method with low noise and vibration and high safety compared to NATM method, has increased globally. In particular, slurry shield TBMs are used in subsea and submarine sections because they have an advantage in high pressure compared to EPB (earth pressure balanced) methods. As such, the used water of slurry shield TBMs is discharged through wastewater treatment facilities. In the case of large-scale TBMs, the amount of water used is enormous, so it should be recycled to reduce costs and protect the environment. Various types of additives are used to improve the performance of the slurry treatment plant (STP) and filter press. Among them, coagulants improve the productivity of the filter press by neutralizing the charges on particles. In this study, lab tests were conducted to evaluate the reusability of the used water through the filter press after flocculants were added.