• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.399-406
• /
• 2021

It is a key issue in the tunnel design to evaluate the stability of the excavation face. Two efficient analytical models in the context of the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and the limit analysis method (LAM) are used to carry out the deterministic calculations of the safety factor. The safety factor obtained by these two models agrees well with that provided by the numerical modelling by FLAC 3D, but consuming less time. A simple probabilistic approach based on the Mote-Carlo Simulation technique which can quickly calculate the probability distribution of the safety factor was used to perform the probabilistic analysis on the tunnel face stability. Both the cumulative probabilistic distribution and the probability density function in terms of the safety factor were obtained. The obtained results show the effectiveness of this probabilistic approach in the tunnel design.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.401-413
• /
• 2013

Slurry shield tunnelling ensures stability by pressurizing the tunnel face with the slurry contained in the chamber. It resists water and earth pressure in order to prevent the failure in the tunnel face during tunnel excavation. If the ground is relatively coarse, slurry can not clog the tunnel face and excessive slurry infiltration will occur. In this case chemical compounds or additives should be added to the slurry in order to improve the clogging phenomena at the tunnel face. In this study, the effect of the carbon dioxide gas as an additive to the slurry instead of chemical compounds on the capability of enhancing the clogging in the tunnel face is investigated. Bubbles arising from the carbonate-added slurry are trapped in the soil voids enhancing the clogging capability. This effect is studied in this paper by performing laboratory model tests simulating in-situ conditions, and by adopting the fine particle clogging theory. Tunnel face stability analysis was also performed and it was found that the effective size ($D_{10}$) of soils which can guarantee tunnel stability utilizing the carbonate-added slurry increased from 1.0 mm up to 2.6 mm. Moreover, Stability analysis showed that the tunnel face is stable if the ${\lambda}$(deposition coefficient) value is greater than $0.007sec^{-1}$.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.407-419
• /
• 2018

In order to investigate flow characteristics after water inrush from the working face in process of karst tunnel construction, numerical calculation for two class case studies of water inrush is carried out by using the FLUENT software on the background of Qiyueshan tunnel. For each class water inrush from the tunnel face, five cases under different water-inrush velocity are simulated and researched. Three probing lines are selected respectively in the left tunnel, cross passage, right tunnel and in the height direction of the tunnel centerline. The variation characteristics of velocity and pressure on each probing line under the five water-inrush velocities are analyzed. As for the selected four groups probing lines in the tunnels, the change rules of velocity and pressure on each group probing lines under the same water-inrush velocity are discussed. Finally, the water flow characteristics after inrush from the tunnel face are summarized by comparing the case studies. The results indicate that: (1) The velocity and pressure change greatly at the intersection area of the cross passage and the tunnels. (2) The velocity nearby the tunnel side wall is the minimum, while it is the maximum in the middle position. (3) The pressure value of every cross section in the tunnels is basically fixed. (4) As water-inrush velocity increases, the flow velocity and pressure in the tunnels also increase. The former is approximately proportional to their respective water-inrush velocity, while the latter is not. The research results provide a theoretical basis for making scientific and rational escape routes.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.214-222
• /
• 1995

Geological events which are undetected by the surface geophysical or geological survey phase can cause many problems, especially when the tunnel is excavated by TBM. To detect the geological events ahead of tunnel face, a seismic method applied from VSP method is used. Generally uniaxial geophone has been used in surface seismic survey. But this time, triaxial geophone is used to reduce the noise of tunnel wave. DME(Dip moveout Enhancement) filter and diffraction stack method are used. Applying these techniques to the road tunnel in construction, it is proved that the geological events ahead of tunnel face is fairly well predicted. From the seismic trace, Vp and Vs which are related to the rock property can be also obtained. Rock property and proper support design can be dedced from these parameters.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.343-351
• /
• 2014

Tunnel face mapping plays an important role in risk analysis and infrastructure support decisions during tunnel construction. In this study, a digital mapping system using a mobile device is employed instead of existing face-mapping methods that rely upon face mapping sheets. The mobile device is then connected to the main server in the field, where a tunnel-specific database is compiled automatically. This information provides real-time feedback on the tunnel face to construction personnel and engineers, thus allowing for rapid assessment of tunnel face stability and infrastructure needs. The Douglas-Peucker algorithm, among others, is employed to resolve problems arising from the detailed mapping and speed problem by data accumulation. This system is expected to raise program optimization through field verification and additional functional improvements.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.417-426
• /
• 2024

Shield tunneling method is widely used to build tunnels in complex geological environment. Stability control of tunnel face is the key to the safety of projects. To improve the excavation efficiency or perform equipment maintenance, the excavation chamber sometimes is not fully filled with support medium, which can reduce the load and increase tunneling speed while easily lead to ground collapse. Due to the high risk of the face failure under non-fully support mode, the tunnel face stability should be carefully evaluated. Whether compressive air is required for compensation and how much air pressure should be provided need to be determined accurately. Based on the upper bound theorem of limit analysis, a non-fully support rotational failure model is developed in this study. The failure mechanism of the model is verified by numerical simulation. It shows that increasing the density of supporting medium could significantly improve the stability of tunnel face while the increase of tunnel diameter would be unfavorable for the face stability. The critical support ratio is used to evaluate the face failure under the nonfully support mode, which could be an important index to determine whether the specific unsupported height could be allowed during shield tunneling. To avoid of face failure under the non-fully support mode, several charts are provided for the assessment of compressed air pressure, which could help engineers to determine the required air pressure for face stability.

• Explosives and Blasting
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.40-49
• /
• 2013

To predict ground conditions ahead of the tunnel face, seismic refraction survey has been widely used. But due to the development in seismic equipment and techniques, tomography using borehole and others are actively applied in recent years. This study has a purpose to prevent stability problems during excavation and construction of tunnels by predicting unfavorable ground conditions such as fault, fractured zone and rock quality variation zone ahead of the tunnel face using TSP survey equipment. In this study, the validity of predicting ground conditions ahead of tunnel face by TSP survey has been evaluated through the case study in the road construction site.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
• /
• 2011.10a
• /
• pp.1199-1213
• /
• 2011

Slurry type shield would be very effective for the tunnelling in a sandy ground, but low slurry pressure could cause a tunnel face failure or a ground settlement in front of the tunnel face. Thus, the stability of tunnel face could be maintained by applying an excess slurry pressure that is larger than the active earth pressure. However, the slurry pressure should increase properly because an excessively high slurry pressure could cause the slurry flow out or the passive failure of the frontal ground. It is possible to apply the high slurry pressure without passive failure if a horizontal impermeable layer is located in the ground in front of the tunnel face, but its location, size, and effects are not clearly known yet. In this research, two-dimensional model tests were carried out in order to find out the effect of a horizontal impermeable layer for the slurry shield tunnelling in a saturated sandy ground. As results, larger slurry pressure could be applied to increase the stability of the tunnel face when the impermeable layer was located in the ground above the crown in front of the tunnel face. The most effective length of the impermeable grouting layer was 1.0~1.5D, and the location was 1.0D above the crown level. The safety factor could be suggested as the ratio of the maximum slurry pressure to the active earth pressure at the tunnel face. It could also be suggested that the slurry pressure in the magnitude of 3.5~4.0 times larger than the active earth pressure at the initial tunnel face could be applied if the impermeable layer was constructed at the optimal location.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.327-343
• /
• 2004

During tunnel construction, ground failures often occur due to existence of weak zones, such as faults, joints, and cavities, ahead of tunnel face. It is hard to detect effectively weak zones, which can lead underground structure to fail after excavation and before supporting, by using conventional characterization methods. In this study, an enhanced analytical method of predicting weak zones ahead of tunnel face is developed to overcome some problems in the conventional geophysical exploration methods. The analytical method is based on Coulomb's and Gauss' laws with considering the characteristics of electric fields subjected to rock mass. Using the developed method, closed form solutions are obtained to detect a spherical shaped zone and an oriented fault ahead of tunnel face respectively. The analytical results suggest that the presence of weak zones and their sizes, location, and states can be accurately predicted by combining a proper inversion process with resistance measured from several electrodes on the tunnel face. It appears that the skin depth or resistivity in rock mass is affected by the diameter of tunnel face, natural electric potential and noises induced by experimental measurement and spatial distribution of uncertain properties. The developed analytical solution is verified through experimental tests. About 1800 concrete blocks of 5cm by 5cm by 5cm in size are prepared and used to model a joint rock mass around tunnel face. Weak zones are simulated ahead of tunnel face with a material which has relatively higher conductivity than concrete blocks. Experimental results on the model test show a good agreement with analytical results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.145-157
• /
• 2023

This paper aims at investigating the face stability of large-diameter underwater shield tunnels considering seepage in soft-hard uneven strata. Using the kinematic approach of limit upper-bound analysis, the analytical solution of limit supporting pressure on the tunnel face considering seepage was obtained based on a logarithmic spiral collapsed body in uneven strata. The stability analysis method of the excavation face with different soft- and hard-stratum ratios was explored and validated. Moreover, the effects of water level and burial depth on tunnel face stability were discussed. The results show the effect of seepage on the excavation face stability can be accounted as the seepage force on the excavation face and the seepage force of pore water in instability body. When the thickness ratio of hard soil layer within the excavation face exceeds 1/6D, the interface of the soft and hard soil layer can be placed at tunnel axis during stability analysis. The reliability of the analytical solution of the limit supporting pressure is validated by numerical method and literature methods. The increase of water level causes the instability of upper soft soil layer firstly due to the higher seepage force. With the rise of burial depth, the horizontal displacement of the upper soft soil decreases and the limit supporting pressure changes little because of soil arching effect.