• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.283-293
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• 2019

Evaluating the stability of the excavation face of the cross-river shield tunnel with good accuracy is considered as a nonlinear and multivariable complex issue. Understanding the stability evaluation method of the shield tunnel excavation face is vital to operate and control the shield machine during shield tunneling. Considering the instability mechanism of the excavation face of the cross-river shield and the characteristics of this engineering, seven evaluation indexes of the stability of the excavation face were selected, i.e., the over-span ratio, buried depth of the tunnel, groundwater condition, soil permeability, internal friction angle, soil cohesion and advancing speed. The weight of each evaluation index was obtained by using the analytic hierarchy process and the entropy weight method. The evaluation model of the cross-river shield construction excavation face stability is established based on the idea point method. The feasibility of the evaluation model was verified by the engineering application in a cross-river shield tunnel project in China. Results obtained via the evaluation model are in good agreement with the actual construction situation. The proposed evaluation method is demonstrated as a promising and innovative method for the stability evaluation and safety construction of the cross-river shield tunnel engineerings.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2023

By conducting three-dimensional simulation with consideration of small-strain characteristics of soil stiffness, the effects of excavation geometry and tunnel cover to diameter ratio on deformation mechanisms of an existing tunnel located either at a side of basement or directly underneath the basement were systematically studied. Field measurements were used to verify the numerical model and model parameters. For basement excavated at a side of an existing tunnel, the maximum settlement and horizontal displacement of the tunnel are always observed at the tunnel springline closer to basement and tunnel crown, respectively, regardless of basement geometry. By increasing basement length and width by five times, the maximum movements of tunnel located at the side of basement and directly underneath the basement increase by 450% and 186%, respectively. Obviously, tunnel movements are more sensitive to basement length rather than basement width. For basement excavated at a side of an existing tunnel, tunnel movements at basement centerline become stable when basement length reaches 10 H_e (i.e., final excavation depth). Moreover, tunnel heaves due to overlying basement excavation become stable when the normalized basement length (L/H_e) is larger than 8.0. As tunnel cover to diameter ratio varies from 2.5 to 3.0, the maximum heave and tensile strain of tunnel due to overlying basement excavation decrease by up to 41.0% and 44.5%, respectively. If basement length is less than 8 H_e, the assumption of plane strain condition of basement-tunnel interaction grossly overestimates tunnel movements, and ignores tensile strain of tunnel along its longitudinal direction. Thus, three-dimensional numerical analyses are required to obtain a reasonable estimation of tunnel responses due to adjacent and overlying basement excavations in clay.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.255-264
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• 2023

As the demand for urban underground space increases recently, urban tunnel planning is actively progressing. In the urban area, a underground station is planned in consideration of the living environment of residents, and 2-arch tunnel is applied for the stability of existing structures and reduction of environmental damage. However, since the depth of weak rock mass is deeply distributed in the urban area due to severe weathering, careful planning is required to secure tunnel stability. In addition, if TBM mechanical excavation is applied as the main tunnel excavation method considering the composite ground in urban area, the construction connectivity with the 2-arch tunnel of the NATM concept may be deteriorated. In this study, the design case of applying TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel for the first time in Korea was mainly described. The main considerations for the segment design of TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel were explained for side tunnels. Also, a stability analysis was conducted to verify the effectiveness and adequacy of the TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.59-71
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• 2002

The points of this design case are the planning and excavation method of a new double-tracked railroad tunnel which is approx. 11∼22 meters apart from existing single-tracked railroad tunnel. For the optimum excavation method some needs are required in design stage, such as the reduction of noise and vibration, public resentment, damage of buildings and construction costs. Hence the estimation and application of allowable noise and vibration criterion is important. The ground coefficient (K, n) of this site is determined by field trial blasting. The excavation method is chosen to satisfy the allowable noise and vibration criterion. In addition, in order to ensure the stability of existing single-tracked railroad tunnel, the instrumentation of maintenance level is accompanied during the construction stage. As a result of this design condition, central diaphragm excavation with line drilling and pre-large hole boring blasting is applied to the area within 15 meters apart from existing tunnel. And above 15 meters apart, pre-large hole boring blasting is designed.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1992.04a
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• pp.118-125
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• 1992

The ground deformation due to the tunnel excavation is dependent on various factors such as ground condition, geometry of the tunnel, excavation method, installation of support members, construction condition of each excavation stage, etc. And the distance from the facing effects significantly the stress conditions of the supported and unsupported ground due to the 3-dimensional structural nature of the excavated tunnel. The concept of ground characteristic line has been applied to properly consider the loading condition given by staged tunnel excavation so that the imaginary supporting pressure is applied against the surface of excavated ground. Discussions on the results of the performed finite element analysis were mainly made with respect to the ground settlement, tunnel displacement, earth pressure, stress mobilized in supporting members.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1991.10a
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• pp.123-132
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• 1991

The GEOKST program was used to solve the tunnel example problem. The package can solve such geotechnical problem as excavation, embankment, foundations, etc., in which the soil can be modeled by various elastoplastic geomaterial models. The main objective was to consider the effects of excavation depth to the face of the tunnel on the stability of the ground and support system. Depended on the strength of the ground materials, the limit excavation depth without any support system could be established by analyzing three-dimensional excavation problem. In this given example problem, the strengths of the ground materials were enough for the stability of the tunnel without any support system up to fairly deep excavation and the maximum tunnel section displacement was stabilized as the excavation proceed. The asymptotic value was approximately the same as that of the plane strain analysis. Thus, assuming the plain strain condition and simulation the actual excavation procedure, the maximum tunnel section displacement was caculated after final step. The maximum calculated displacement occured at the top section of the tunnel geometry and was about 8mm.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.57-63
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• 2016

Recently, subways in the city are formed a vast underground network which is interfered with construction when large-scale infrastructure will be planned to nearby existing subway tunnels. Researches have been restricted to estimate stability of existing subway tunnel due to adjacent excavation causued by small construction such as buildings. In this paper, OO underpass is planned on the top of existing subway tunnel, which will be need large-scale excavation, is selected as a subject of study. And the purpose of this study is to analyze the effects on existing subway tunnel due to excavation by stages on construction of underpass. The 3D-numerical analysis was performed by using the MIDAS/GTS program. The stability on existing subway tunnel caused by sequential excavation is analysed using numerical results. Based on the analysis, the excavation orders and reinforcement methods was suggested for stability of exiting subway tunnel.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.321-328
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• 2009

A optimal reinforcement in the joint rock slope excavation adjacent to an existing tunnel would be influenced by excavation distance from the tunnel, slope angel, and joint conditions but has been empirically determined so far. In this study, large scale model tests were conducted to find out the relationship between load translation on the excavation surface and bebavior of the tunnel according to excavation steps of the jointed rock slope. Consequently, two main parameters, joint dip and sloped angle were investigated in those model tests. From the test results, it was found that tunnel deformation was the largest one when the excavation of joints located closer to the tunnel crown or invert. Stability of the slope and the tunnel were varied in a certain excavation stage related to the angle of slope. In the future, based on results of this study the reinforcement method for the tunnel and slope safety in a jointed rock mass will be demonstrated.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.525-538
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• 2023

The development of a city is closely linked to the construction and operation of its subway system. However, constructing a new subway tunnel under an existing station is an extremely complex task, and the deformation characteristics and mechanical behavior of the new subway tunnel during the excavation process can greatly impact the normal operation of the existing station. Although the previous studies about the case of underpass engineering have been carried out, there is limited research on the condition of a newly-built subway tunnel that closely undercrossing an existing station with zero distance between them. Therefore, this study analyzes the deformation law and mechanical behavior characteristics of the preliminary lining of the underpass tunnel during the excavation process based on the real engineering case of Chengdu Metro Line 8. This study also makes an in-depth comparison of the influence of different excavation methods on this issue. Finally, the accuracy of numerical simulation is verified by comparing it with on-site result. The results indicate that the maximum bending moment mainly occurs at the floor slab of the preliminary lining, while that of the ceiling is small. The stress state at the ceiling position is less affected by the construction process of the pilot tunnel. Compared to the all-in-one excavation method, although the process of partial excavation method is more complicated, the deformation of preliminary lining caused by it is basically less than the upper limit value of the standard, while that of the all-in-one excavation method is beyond standard requirements.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.563-573
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• 2024

In this study, various countermeasures used to mitigate tunnel deformations due to nearby multi-propped basement excavation in soft clay are explored by three-dimensional numerical analyses. Field measurements are used to calibrate the numerical model and model parameters. Since concrete slabs can constrain soil and retaining wall movements, tunnel movements reach the maximum value when soils are excavated to the formation level of basement. Deformation shapes of an existing tunnel due to adjacent basement excavation are greatly affected by relative position between tunnel and basement. When the tunnel is located above or far below the formation level of basement, it elongates downward-toward or upward-toward the basement, respectively. It is found that tunnel movements concentrate in a triangular zone with a width of 2 H_e (i.e., final excavation depth) and a depth of 1 D (i.e., tunnel diameter) above or 1 D below the formation level of basement. By increasing retaining wall thickness from 0.4 m to 0.9 m, tunnel movements decrease by up to 56.7%. Moreover, tunnel movements are reduced by up to 80.7% and 61.3%, respectively, when the entire depth and width of soil within basement are reinforced. Installation of isolation wall can greatly reduce tunnel movements due to adjacent basement excavation, especially for tunnel with a shallow burial depth. The effectiveness of isolation wall to reduce tunnel movement is negligible unless the wall reaches the level of tunnel invert.