• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.323-336
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• 2003

Recently, the development of tunnel reinforcement method has been required relating to the shallow tunnelling in soft ground. In this study, the improvement method on tunnel stability is proposed by evaluating the efficiency of face reinforcement which enables to control extrusion of advance core, however, it is often neglected in urban tunnelling under the poor ground conditions. Systematic pre-confinement ahead of the face improves the tunnel stability, subsequently, displacement of the crown and surface settlement can be restrained by proper method. 3-dimensional numerical analysis including horizontal reinforcement modelling on a face is applied to estimate the behaviour of a tunnel in relation to the ground and reinforcement conditions. Consequently, extrusion at the face decreases significantly after using the horizontal reinforcement and the effect of reinforcement is much increased in case of applying the supplemental reinforcement ahead of the face together. Especially, confinement effect around the tunnel and the core is proved by means of the core reinforcement in poor ground conditions.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.911-917
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• 2018

This paper concerns a numerical investigation on the effect of construction sequence on three-arch (3-Arch) tunnel behavior. A three-arch tunnel section adopted in a railway tunnel construction site was considered in this study. A calibrated 3D finite element model was used to conduct a parametric study on a variety of construction scenarios. The results of analyses were examined in terms of tunnel and ground surface settlements, shotcrete lining stresses, loads and stresses developed in center column in relation to the tunnel construction sequence. In particular, the effect of the side tunnel construction sequence on the structural performance of the center structure was fully examined. The results indicated that the load, thus stress, in the center structure can be smaller when excavating two side tunnels from opposite direction than excavating in the same direction. Also revealed was that no face lagging distance between the two side tunnels impose less ground load to the center structure. Fundamental governing mechanism of three-arch tunnel behavior is also discussed based on the results.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.471-492
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• 2016

Underground tunnelling is one of the sustainable construction methods which can facilitate the increasing passenger transportation in the urban areas and benefit the community in the long term. Tunnelling in various ground conditions requires careful consideration of the stability factor. This paper investigates three dimensional stability of a shallow circular tunnel in a layered soil. Upper bound theorem of limit analysis was utilised to solve the tunnel face stability problem. A three dimensional kinematic admissible failure mechanism was improved to model a layered soil and limiting assumptions of the previous studies were resolved. The study includes calculation of the minimum support pressure acting on the face of the excavation in closed-face excavations. The effects of the characteristics of the layers on the minimum support pressure were examined. It was found that the ratio of the thickness of cover layers particularly when a weak layer is overlying a stronger layer, has the most significant influence on the minimum tunnel support pressure. Comparisons have been made with the results of the numerical modelling using FLAC3D software. Results of the current study were in a remarkable agreement with those of numerical modelling.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.193-205
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• 2022

The face stability of shield tunnelling is the most important control index for safety risk management. Based on the reliability of the transparent clay (TC) model test, a series of TC model tests under different buried depth were conducted to investigate the progressive failure mechanism of tunnel face. The support pressure was divided into the rapid descent stage, the slow descent stage and the basically stable stage with company of the local failure and integral failure in the internal of the soil during the failure process. The relationship between the support pressure and the soil movement characteristics of each failure stage was defined. The failure occurred from the soil in front of the tunnel face and propagated as the slip zone and the loose zone. The fitted formulas were proposed for the calculation of the failure process. The failure mode in clay was specified as the basin shape with an inverted trapezoid shape for shallow buried and appeared as the basin shape with a teardrop-like shape in deep case. The implications of these findings could help in the safety risk management of the underground construction.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.359-368
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• 2010

Unlike in Korea where steel pipe-reinforced multistep grouting is of commonly used methods for tunnel reinforcement, face bolt method is more widely used due to its better workability and lower construction cost in other countries. In this paper, the effects of both methods after tunnel failure were numerically analyzed and verified based on the oversea construction experiences. As a result it is concluded that the face bolt method may be effective to reinforcement especially when there are some fractured zones developed in the face of tunnel.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2006

For application of NATM, the self-supporting until installation of the supporting system must be satisfied. However, the face of a tunnel are always unsupported and therefore it is fairly vulnerable to tunnel collapses. Face blots are well known and widely used to prevent the deformation of the tunnel face and its circumference, which are installed horizontally toward the tunnel axis generally. To maximize the supporting effect of face bolts, this study has analysed the effective design patterns of face bolts by changing their installation angles. As the conclusion, it has been found that the axial displacement of the face increases slightly by installing the outermost bolts upward from the axis but surface settlement at 2.5D behind the face decreases up to 18%.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.67-77
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• 2013

We conducted a Tunnel Seismic Prediction (TSP) survey in a spillway tunnel at Juam Dam to predict the locations of major discontinuities ahead of the tunnel face. We compared the results of the TSP survey with those from pre-construction inspections (including a surface resistivity survey and borehole investigations) as well as with direct tunnel-face mapping during excavation. The TSP method predicted the locations of major fracture zones that were unnoticed in the pre-construction inspections. The reinforcement patterns planned on the basis of pre-construction inspections were changed on the basis of the TSP results. The results demonstrate that TSP surveys are a cost-effective and reliably accurate method of predicting the locations of fracture zones. Although the TSP method has some limitations, these results suggest that the method is generally useful for predicting geological conditions prior to tunnel face construction.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2013

In this study, we carried out an experimental shield TBM excavation model test using a down-scale device in soft clay, to understand tunnel-face stability properties in relation to changes in slurry pressure. We performed five tests according to tunnel depth (0.5D, 0.75D, 1.0D, 1.25D, 1.5D), and compared theoretical tunnel-face pressure with model test results. The range in theoretical tunnel-face slurry pressure ($P_{min}{\leq}P_{slurry\;pressure}{\leq}P_{max}$), which is determined by earth pressure and water level, was very similar to the model test result. This result was due to the more isotropic condition of the soft clay ground, than of rocky ground.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.127-139
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• 2000

In the study, an expert system was developed to predict the safety of tunnel and select proper tunnel reinforcement system using fuzzy quantification theory and fuzzy inference rule based on tunnel information database, For this development, many tunnelling sites were investigated and the applied countermeasures were studied after building tunnel database. There will be benefit for the deciding tunnel reinforcement method in the case of poor ground condition. The expert system developed in the study has two main parts, pre-module and post-module. Pre-module is used to decide input items of tunnel information based on the tunnel face mapping information which can be easily obtained in in-situ site. Then, using fuzzy quantification theory II, fuzzy membership function is composed and tunnel safety level is inferred through this membership function. Post-module is used to infer the applicability of each reinforcement methods according to the face level. The result of the predicted reinforcement system level was similar to measured ones. In-situ data were obtained in three tunnel sites including subway tunnel under Han River. Therefore, this system will be helpful to make the mose of in-situ data available and suggest proper applicability of tunnel reinforcement system to development more resonable tunnel support method without dependance of some experienced experts opinions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.931-938
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• 2006

Using high resolution stereoscopic imaging system three digital elevation model of tunnel face is acquired. The images oriented within a given tunnel coordinate system are brought into a stereoscopic vision system enabling three dimensional inspection and evaluation. The possibilities for the prediction ahead and outside of tunnel face have been improved by the digital vision system with 3D model. Interpolated image structures of rock mass between subsequent stereo images will enable to model the rock mass surrounding the opening within a short time at site. The models shall be used as input to numerical simulations on site, comparison of expected and encountered geological conditions, and for the interpretation of geotechnical monitoring results.