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

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.191-201
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• 1997

Geological and geotechnical surveys, in general, should precede the excavation to ensure the safety of the tunnel and should be followed up according to the various geological condition during the excavation. However actually the standard support patterns which were decided during the design step used be insisted for the whole excavation steps in spite of the various geological conditions. OO tunnel was excavated with NATM and a support pattern type-V in weak rocks. When the tunnel was excavated up to 25m long, the severe displacement was generated in the portal area and the shotcrete was damaged to make the cracks and the tunnel face was totally collapsed. It might happen owing to the one-day heavy rain, but the exact reason for that accident should be found out and the new optimal support patternt needed. Consequently three dimensional numerical analysis was applied for the evaluation of the cause of the tunnel collapse instead of two dimensional analysis, because three dimensional analysis can show better the real field phenomenon than two dimensional analysis in which the load distribution methods are adopted for the tunnel excavation. We could simulate the actual situations with three dimensional finite difference code and propose the new optimal support patterns.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.363-372
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• 2022

One of the most frequent issues in tunnel excavation is the collapse of rock blocks and the dropping of rock fragments from the tunnel face. The tunnel face can be reinforced using a number of techniques. One of the most popular and affordable solutions is the use of face longitudinal dowels, which has benefits including high strength, flexibility, and ease of cutting. In order to examine the reinforced face, this work shows the longitudinal deformation profile and ground response curve for a tunnel face. This approach is based on assumptions made during the analysis phase of problem solving. By knowing the tunnel face response and dowel behavior, the interaction of two elements can be solved. The rock element equation derived from the rock bolt method is combined with the dowel differential equation to solve the reinforced ground response curve (GRC). With a straightforward and accurate analytical equation, the new differential equation produces the reinforced displacement of the tunnel face at each stage of excavation. With simple equations and a less involved computational process, this approach offers quick and accurate solutions. The FLAC3D simulation has been compared with the suggested analytical approach. A logical error is apparent from the discrepancies between the two solutions. Each component of the equation's effect has also been described.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.255-261
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• 2003

Tunnelling in poor and heterogeneous ground is a difficult task. Even with a good geological investigation, uncertainties with respect to the local rock mass structure will remain. Especially for such conditions, a reliable short-term prediction of the conditions ahead and outside the tunnel profile are of paramount importance for the choice of appropriate excavation and support methods. The information contained in the absolute displacement monitoring data allows a comprehensive evaluation of the displacements and the determination of the behaviour and influence of an anisotropic rock mass. Case histories and with numerical simulations show, that changes in the displacement vector orientation can indicate changing rock mass conditions ahead of the tunnel face (Schubert & Budil 1995, Steindorfer & Schubert 1997). Further research has been conducted to quantify the influence of weak zones on stresses and displacements (Grossauer 2001). Sellner (2000) developed software, which allows predicting displacements (GeoFit$\circledR$). The function parameters describe the time and advance dependent deformation of a tunnel. Routinely applying this method at each measuring section allows determining trends of those parameters. It shows, that the trends of parameter sets indicate changes in the stiffness of the rock mass outside the tunnel in a similar way, as the displacement vector orientation does. Three-dimensional Finite Element simulations of different weakness zone properties, thicknesses, and orientations relative to the tunnel axis were carried out and the function parameters evaluated from the results. The results are compared to monitoring results from alpine tunnels in heterogeneous rock. The good qualitative correlation between trends observed on site and numerical results gives hope that by a routine determination of the function parameters during excavation the prediction of rock mass conditions ahead of the tunnel face can be improved. Implementing the rules developed from experience and simulations into the monitoring data evaluation program allows to automatically issuing information on the expected rock mass quality ahead of the tunnel.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.549-557
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• 2022

Tunnel face mapping involves the determination of rock discontinuities or weak rock conditions where extra support might be required. In this study, we investigated the application of Lidar scanning and photogrammetry to quantitatively characterize discontinuities of the rock mass on the tunnel face during excavation. The 3D models of tunnel faces generated by using these methods enable accurate and automatic discontinuity measurement to overcome the limitations of manual mapping. The results of this study show that both photogrammetry and Lidar can be used to reconstruct the 3D model of the tunnel face, although the photogrammetric 3D model is less detailed than its counterpart produced by Lidar. Given acceptable accuracy and cost-effectiveness, photogrammetry can be a fast, reliable, and low-cost alternative to Lidar for acquiring 3D models and determining rock discontinuities on tunnel faces.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 2006

Although the round length for tunnel excavation has a major technical and economical impact in conventional tunnelling, there is no coherent procedure available for its determination. In this study, the influence of round length on the behaviour modes of weak rock tunnel was investigated by numerical analyses. Quantitative estimation of the behaviour modes of the face and the unsupported span was established by use of the safety factor for the face stability and the conditional chart. In addition, the optimum round length in the tunnel design stage was investigated based on the detail construction information such as cycle time and material costs. Although this proposed method has some restrictions, it is expected to provide useful information for the optimization of the tunnel excavation, especially in design stage.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.110-119
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• 2013

It is generalized to measure the arch settlement and convergence during tunnel construction for monitoring its mechanical stability. The initial convergence rate a day is defined from the first convergence measurement and the final convergence defined as the convergence measured lastly. The initial and the final tunnel arch settlement are defined like the preceding convergence. In the study, the relations between the initial and final displacements of a shallow tunnel are analyzed. The measurements were performed in the tunnel of subway 906 construction site in Seoul. The overburden is 10-20 m and the tunnel goes through weathered soil/rock. The width and height of the tunnel are about 11.5 m, 10m, respectively. So this is a shallow tunnel in weak rock. The length of tunnel is about 1,820 m and the tunnel was constructed in 2 stages, dividing upper and lower half. The numbers of measurement locations of arch settlement and convergence are 184 and 258, respectively. As a result, the initial displacement rate and the final displacement are comparatively larger in the section of weathered soil.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2009

A 3-D numerical analysis was carried out to observe potential effects of orientation of inherent weak zones to tunnel behaviors and stress distributions during tunnel excavation. Weak zones used for the analysis were placed at the upper 1D part from crown, on the crown and on the center of face, using orientations derived from the 6th RMR parameter for assessment of joint orientation effect on tunnel. Mechanical properties of rock mass were derived through a in-situ displacement measurement-based back analysis. Finally, a classification chart for crown settlement with five ranks based on orientation and location of weak zones is suggested.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 1995

In this paper the stress redistribution around tunnel face was analyzed by using a three-dimensional finite element model. The effects of in-situ stress levels, excavation sequences, stiffness difference between the hard ground and the weak zone on the stress redistributions were considered. Displacement and stress changes at tunnel crown, side wall, and invert were investigated throughout the sequential excavation. To show ground response, percentage of the displacement and stress variations are used as a function of normalized distance that is between the face and monitoring section. Preceding displacements and stress variations were presented to be adopted in the two-dimensional tunnel analysis.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.319-334
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• 2024

The current theories on the interaction between surrounding rock and support in deep-buried tunnels do not consider the form of pre-reinforcement support or the flexibility of primary support, leading to a discrepancy between theoretical solutions and practical applications. To address this gap, a comprehensive mechanical model of the tunnel with pre-reinforced rock was established in this study. The equations for internal stress, displacement, and the radius of the plastic zone in the surrounding rock were derived. By understanding the interaction mechanism between flexible support and surrounding rock, the three-dimensional construction analysis solution of the tunnel could be corrected. The validity of the proposed model was verified through numerical simulations. The results indicate that the reduction of pre-deformation significantly influences the final support pressure. The pre-reinforcement support zone primarily inhibits pre-deformation, thereby reducing the support pressure. The support pressure mainly affects the accelerated and uniform movement stage of the surrounding rock. The generation of support pressure is linked to the deformation of the surrounding rock during the accelerated movement stage. Furthermore, the strength of the pre-reinforcement zone of the surrounding rock and the strength of the shotcrete have opposite effects on the support pressure. The parameters of the pre-reinforcement zones and support materials can be optimized to achieve a balance between surrounding rock deformation, support pressure, cost, and safety. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for predicting the deformation of surrounding rock and support pressure during the dynamic construction of deep-buried weak rock tunnels. These findings can guide engineers in improving the construction process, ensuring better safety and cost-effectiveness.