• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.211-220
• /
• 2021

Tunnel collapse often occurs during deep underground tunneling (> 40 m depth) in South Korea. Natural cavities as well as water supply pipes, sewer pipes, electric power cables, artificial cavities created by subway construction are complexly distributed in the artificial ground in the shallow depths of the urban area. For deep tunnel excavation, it is necessary to understand the properties of the ground which is characterized by porous elements and various geological structures, and their influence on the stability of the ground. This study analyzed geological factors for risk assessment in deep excavation in South Korea based on domestic and overseas case study. As a result, a total of 7 categories and 38 factors were derived. Factors with high weights were fault and fault clay, differential stress, rock type, groundwater and mud inrush, uniaxial compressive strength, cross-sectional area of tunnel, overburden thickness, karst and valley terrain, fold, limestone alternation, fluctuation of groundwater table, tunnel depth, dyke, RQD, joint characteristics, anisotropy, rockburst and so forth.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.131-140
• /
• 2009

It has been repeatedly reported that a drainage system of a drained tunnel is deteriorated. And consequently the water pressure on the lining increases with time. However, little research on the watertight tunnel was found in the literatures. According to field measurements, leakage of the undrained tunnel has increased with time, which is completely opposite to the behavior of the drained tunnel. It is evident that the hydraulic deterioration of the tunnel lining changes the water pressure on the lining and the amount of leakage, thus the design coneept in terms of groundwater is not maintained tightly throughout the life time of the tunnel. The Segment lining is generally constructed as watertight. However, it is frequently reported that the leakage in the segment tunnel increases with time. It is also reported that the leakage is generally concentrated at the joints of the segments. In this study structural and hydraulic interaetion of the segment lining due to the hydraulic deterioration of the segments and the joints is investigated using the numerical modeling method. An electric utility tunnel below groundwater table is considered for the analyses. The effects of hydraulic deterioration of the segment lining are identified in terms of ground loading, water pressure and lining behavior. A remedial grouting measure for leakage is also numerically simulated, and its appropriateness is evaluated.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.235-253
• /
• 2018

Groundwater flow induced by cracks in a buried pipe causes ground loss in the vicinity of it which can lead to underground cavities and sinkhole problems. In this study, the ground collapse mechanism and the failure mode based on an aperture in the pipe located in cohesionless ground were investigated through a series of physical model studies. As the influence parameters, size of the crack, flow velocity in the pipe, groundwater level, ground cover depth and ground composition were adopted in order to examine how each of the parameters affected the behavior of the ground collapse. Influence of every experimental condition was evaluated by the final shape of ground failure (failure mode) and the amount of ground loss. According to the results, the failure mode appeared to be a 'Y' shape which featured a discontinuous change of the angle of erosion when a groundwater level was equal to the height of the ground depth. While in the case of a water table getting higher than the level of ground cover depth, the shape of the failure mode turned to be a 'V' shape that had a constant erosion angle. As the height of the ground depth increased, it was revealed that a mechanism where a vertically collapsed area which consisted of a width proportional to the ground height and a constant length occurred was repeated.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.22 no.8
• /
• pp.107-118
• /
• 2006

Among a variety of influencing components, time-variant seepage and long-term underground motion are important to understand the abnormal behavior of tunnels. Excessiveness of these two components could be the direct cause of severe damage on tunnels, however, it is not easy to quantify the effect of these on the behavior of tunnels. These parameters can be estimated by using inverse methods once the appropriate relationship between inputs and results is clarified. Various inverse methods or parameter estimation techniques such as artificial neural network and least square method can be used depending on the characteristics of given problems. Numerical analyses, experiments, or monitoring results are frequently used to prepare a set of inputs and results to establish the back analysis models. In this study, a back analysis method has been developed to estimate geotechnically hard-to-known parameters such as permeability of tunnel filter, underground water table, long-term rock mass load, size of damaged zone associated with seepage and long-term underground motion. The artificial neural network technique is adopted and the numerical models developed in the first part are used to prepare a set of data for learning process. Tunnel behavior, especially the displacements of the lining, has been exclusively investigated for the back analysis.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.45-50
• /
• 2023

In order to prevent slope disasters caused by rainfall, it is very important to quickly exclude rainfall. In Korea, horizontal drainage holes with excellent economic feasibility and construction performance are generally applied as a method to lower the underground water level. However, horizontal drainage holes constructed on the site are often uniformly constructed regardless of the presence or absence of other water or ground conditions, and it is often difficult to expect drainage performance of horizontal drainage holes due to poor maintenance. In this study, an artificial ground was created using model construction and horizontal drainage experiments were conducted to measure the amount of horizontal drainage drain in a certain amount of control area 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and an evaluation table (draft) that can quantitatively evaluate horizontal drainage based on measurements and design documents is proposed as basic data.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.22 no.9
• /
• pp.61-68
• /
• 2006

Recently the large scale civil engineering projects are being implemented by reclaiming the sea or utilizing seashore and river embankment areas. The reclaimed land and utilized seashore are mostly soft ground that doesn't have sufficient bearing capacity. This soft ground consists of fine-grained soil such as clayey and silty soils or large void soil like peat or loose sand. It has high ground water table and it may cause the failure and crock of building foundation by uplift pressure and ground water leakage. In this study, the permittivity and the transmissivity were evaluated with the applied normal pressure in the laboratory. The laboratory model tests were conducted by utilizing geocomposite drainage system for draining the water out to release the uplift pressure. The soil used in the laboratory drainage test was dredged soil from the reclaimed land where uplift pressure problems can arise in soil condition. Geocomposite drainage system was installed at the bottom of apparatus and dredged soil was layered with compaction. Subsequently the water pressure was supplied from the top of specimen and the quantities of drainage and the pore water pressure were measured at each step water pressure. The results of laboratory measurements were compared with theoretical values. For the evaluation of propriety of laboratory drainage test, 2-D finite elements analysis that can analyze the distribution and the transferring of pore water pressure was conducted and compared with laboratory test results.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.370-376
• /
• 2011

To design the drainage system of a mine, it is very important to evaluate the groundwater inflow to the mine workings. In this study, continuous steady state flow through rock mass around mine openings developed in Sungok area of Gagok Mine was analyzed. Saturated only model and Saturated/unsaturated model were used as material models of rock mass. Groundwater quantities flowing into Sungok 160 level which is 1216 m long are computed as 1450 $m^3$/day in case of a saturated model and as 1071 $m^3$/day in case of a saturated/unsaturated model. An effect that hydraulic conductivity has on inflow turned out be greater than precipitation and inflow increased linearly with increase of hydraulic conductivity. It was found that change of hydraulic conductivity ratio and orientation have an impact on the variation of inflow and water table.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.263-278
• /
• 2022

This paper contains experimental study for the development and performance of TBM backfill material with thixotropic properties. The LW backfill material is widely applied to fill the cavity on the back side of the shield TBM excavation, but has disadvantages such as settlement caused by strength reduction, material separation by groundwater, and reduced plasticity. In this paper, laboratory tests and a model test were conducted to assess the performance of inorganic thixotropic backfill material proposed to improve these problems. The results of laboratory tests show that 1 hr-uniaxial compressive strength of ITB was 12 times higher than LW, and the rate of bleeding of 20 hr was 8.3 times lower, and the result of flow table test was more than 27 times higher. This result indicated that the inorganic thixotropic backfill material has superior properties to LW backfill in terms of strength reduction, material separation, and thixotropy. In the model experiment, a model injection device tester was manufactured and the injection performance and filling rate were verified. When material was injected in the water, it was visually checked whether material separation occurred, and it was confirmed that the filling rate was 96% or more. Comparison results with the test of LW and ITB materials was concluded that ITB can reduce the material separation by groundwater and the occurrence of tunnel cavity.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.44-57
• /
• 2008

In this study, a 2D finite-element analysis, using the SEEP/W program, was carried out to estimate the amount of groundwater flawing into a tunnel, as well as the groundwater tables around wetland areas during and after a tunnel excavation through rock mass. Four sites along the Wonhyo-tunnel in Cheonseong Mountain (Gyeongnam, Korea) were analysed, where the model damain of the tunnel included both wetland and fault zone. The anisotropy of the hydraulic conductivities of the rock mass was calculated using the DFN model, and then used as an input parameter for the cantinuum model. Parametric study on the influencing factors was perofrmed to minimize uncertainties in the hydraulic properties. Moreover, the volumetric water content and hydraulic conductivity functions were applied ta the model to reflect the ability of a medium ta store and transport water under both saturated and unsaturated conditions. The conductivity of fault zone was assumed ta be $10^{-5}m/sec\;or\;10^{-6}m/sec$ and the conductivity of grouting zone was assumed as 1/10, 1/50 or 1/100 of the conductivity of rock mass. Totally $6{\sim}8$ cases of transient flow simulation were peformed at each site. The hydraulic conductivities of fault zone showed a significant influence on groundwater inflow when the fault zone crossed the tunnel. Also, groundwater table around wetland maintained in case that the hydraulic conductivity of grouting zone was reduced ta be less than 1/50 of the hydraulic conductivity of rock mass.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.545-552
• /
• 2017

Ground subsidence can result in the formation of sinkholes, potholes, settlement of structures, and road subsidence. Road subsidence is described as the sudden collapse of the road surface into subsurface cavities caused by the loss of bearing capacity in the ground, such as the dissolution of limestone by fluid flow in the surface causing the formation of voids leading to subsidence at the surface. Road subsidence occurs about 665 times annually, and this incidence has been increasing until 2013. Damaged underground facilities, management negligence, and lowering of the ground water table have been the causes of road subsidence in Seoul. Seoul metropolitan government announced special management counter plans to relieve the anxieties and make the roads safe for passing. Construction sites, such as excavation works, need to be managed properly because they have strong potential to induce road subsidence. The aim of this study was to identify the main causes of road subsidence and suggest management plans. First, life cycle cost analysis revealed the daytime construction to be more appropriate than nighttime. In addition, by analyzing the limitations of using sand as a backfill material, it is proposed to use a flowable backfill material instead of sand. Finally, to reduce the blind spots, which is a problem in surveying the road pavement conditions of local governments, the road to be managed is divided into several zones, and a specialized agency is selected for each zone and a method of surveying the blind spots through collaboration is suggested.