• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2019

In this study, both 2D and 3D failure shapes of rock mass above the water-filled cavity are put forward when the surrounding rock mass cannot bear the pressure caused by the water-filled cavity. Based on the analytical expressions derived by kinematic approach, the profiles of active and passive failure patterns are plotted. The sensitivity analysis is conducted to explore the influences of different rock parameters on the failure profiles. During the excavation of the deep tunnels above the karst cavity, the water table always changes because of progressive failure of cavity roof. Therefore, it is meaningful to discuss the effects of varying water level on the failure patterns of horizontal rock layers. The changing laws of the scope of the failure pattern obtained in this work show good consistency with the fact, which could be used to provide a guide in engineering.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2022

Based on the extended spatial mobilization plane (SMP) criterion, we present an elastic-brittle-plastic solution for an axisymmetric cylindrical tunnel. The influences of the intermediate principal compressive stress and material strain-softening behavior are considered. Closed-form formulas for the critical support force, radius of plastic zone, and distributions of stress and displacement in surrounding rock are proposed. The elastic-plastic solution based on SMP is compared with the Kastner solution to verify the credibility of the obtained elastic-plastic solution. The elastic-brittle-plastic solution following the SMP criterion and the current solution based on the Mohr-Coulomb criterion are also compared. The rock strain-softening rate and the intermediate principal stress affect the stability of the surrounding rock. The results provide guidance for optimizing the design of support systems for tunnels.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.769-774
• /
• 2018

The growth of cities requires the construction of new tunnels close to the existing ones. Prediction and control of ground movement around the tunnel are important especially in urban area. The ground respond due to EPB (Earth Pressure Balance) pressure are investigated using the finite element method by ABAQUS in intersection of the triplet tunnels (Line 2, 3 and 4) of Mashhad Urban Railway in Iran. Special attention is paid to the effect of EPB pressure on the tunnel face displacement. The results of the analysis show that in EPB tunneling, surface settlement and face displacement is related to EPB pressure. Moreover, it is found that tunnel construction sequence is a great effect in face displacement value. For this study, this value in Line 4 where is excavated after line 3, is smaller than that line. In addition, the trend of the displacement curves are changed with the depth for all lines where is located in above and below, close to and above the centerline tunnel face for Line 2, 3 and 4, respectively. It is concluded that: (i) the surface settlement decreases with increasing EPB pressure on the tunnel face; (ii) at a constant EPB pressure, the tunnel face displacement values increase with depth. In addition, this is depended on the tunneling sequence; (iii) the trend of the displacement curves change with the depth.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.171-178
• /
• 2020

Mountainous areas cover more than 70% of Korea. With the rapid increase in tunnel construction, tunnel-collapse incidents and excessive deformation are occurring more frequently. In addition, longer tunnel structures are being constructed, and geologically weaker ground conditions are increasingly being encountered during the construction process. Tunnels constructed under weak ground conditions exhibit long-term deformation behavior that leads to tunnel instability. This study analyzes the behavior of the bottom region of tunnels under geological conditions of long-term deformation. Long-term deformation causes various types of damage, such as cracks and ridges in the packing part of tunnels, as well as cracks and upheavals in the pavement of tunnels. We observed rapid tunnel over-displacement due to the squeezing of a fault rupture zone after the inflow of a large amount of groundwater. Excessive increments in the support member strength resulted in damage to the support and tunnel bottom. In addition, upward infiltration pressure on the tunnel road was found to cause severe pavement damage. Furthermore, smectite (a highly expandable mineral), chlorite, illite, and hematite, were also observed. Soil samples and rock samples containing clay minerals were found to have greater expansibility than general soil samples. Considering these findings, countermeasures against the deformation of tunnel bottoms are required.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2000.03b
• /
• pp.87-92
• /
• 2000

In excavation of tunnels especially located in shallow depth, it is not rare to meet geological change in excavation progress worse than expected in the initial design stage. This paper present a case study on the re-design of excavation and support system of a shallow tunnel under construction where it meets the unexpected bad geological condition during excavation. The detailed geological investigation shows that the rock mass is heavily weathered and fractured with RMR value less than 20. Considering this geological condition, the design concept is focused on the reinforcement of the ground preceding the excavation of tunnel. Two design patterns, LW-grouting & forepoling with pilot tunnelling method and the steel pipe reinforced grouting method, are suggested. Numerical analysis by FLAC shows that these two patterns give the tunnel and roof ground stable in excavation process while the original design causes severe failure zone around the tunnel and floor heaving. In point of the mechanical stability and the degree of construction, the steel pipe reinforced grouting technique proved to be good for the reinforcement of heavily fractured rock mass in tunnelling. This assessment and design process would be a guide in the construction of tunnels in heavily weathered and fractured rock mass situation.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.183-197
• /
• 2004

The introduction of geodetic methods of absolute displacement monitoring in tunnels has significantly improved the value of the measurements. Structurally controlled behavior and influences of an anisotropic rock mass can be determined, and the excavation and support adjusted accordingly. 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 were evaluated from the results. The results were 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
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.170-185
• /
• 2018

The effect of fault on the stability of the closely-spaced twin tunnels located in fault zones was investigated by numerical analyses and scaled model tests on condition of varying widths, inclinations and material properties of fault. When obtaining the strength/stress ratios of pillar between twin tunnels, three different stresses were used which were measured at the middle point of pillar, calculated to whole average along the pillar section and measured at the left/right edges of pillar. Among them, the method by use of the left/right edges turned out to be the most conservative stability estimation regardless of the presence of fault and reflected the excavating procedures of tunnel in real time. It was also found that the strength/stress ratios of pillar were decreased as the widths and inclinations of fault were increased and as the material properties of fault were decreased on condition using the stresses measured at the left/right edges of pillar. As a result of scaled model tests, it was found that the model with fault showed less crack initiating pressure than the model without fault. As the width of fault was larger, tunnel stability was decreased. The fault had also a great influence on the failure behavior of tunnels, such as the model without fault showed failure cracks generated horizontally at the left/right edges of pillar and at the sidewalls of twin tunnels, whereas the model with fault showed failure cracks directionally generated at the center of pillar located in the fault zone.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.45-54
• /
• 2016

Double deck tunnels are considered to have a large demand in a near future for solving traffic congestion problems and overcoming the limitations in constructing new tunnels. This study presents a numerical investigation using finite element (FE) analysis on the behaviors of the tunnels and the stability of pillars in a divergence section where single tunnel is diverged from a main line double deck tunnel. The effects of the separation distance between the diverged and the main tunnels and the ground condition were examined through the FE analysis by varying the separation distance from 0.1D to 2.0D (D: diameter of main tunnel) and the rock class from class I to V, respectively, and the analysis results were compared with those using empirical methods, strength-stress ratio, and the volume of interference. The FE analysis results indicated that the separation distance has a larger effect on tunnel behaviors, compared with the rock strength, and a single tunnel with a large cross section is more favorable than two separated tunnels for tunnel stability when the separation distance is below 0.7D.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.130-140
• /
• 2013

In this study, scaled model tests were performed to investigate the stability of twin tunnels with small clearance, where the pillar widths were 0.5D and 0.25D, respectively. The tunnels were supposed to be constructed in anisotropic weathered rocks with $30^{\circ}$ inclined bedding planes, and the model tests were conducted under the condition of lateral pressure ratio, 1. Six types of test models which had respectively different pillar widths and support conditions were experimented, where crack initiating pressures, maximum pressures, failure modes of pillar and deformation behaviors around tunnels were investigated. The models with wider pillar were cracked under higher pressure than the models with shallower pillar. The models with lining support were cracked under higher pressure and showed less tunnel convergence than the unsupported models. The models with both lining and pillar reinforcement were proved to be most stable among the tested models. In particular, as the model of 0.25D pillar width with only lining support showed shear failure of pillar according to the existing bedding planes, so both lining and pillar reinforcement were thought to be indispensable in that case of tunnel.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.63-79
• /
• 1993

The design of tunnels in rock masses often demands more informations on geologic features and rock mass properties than acquired by usual field survey and laboratory testings. In practice, the situation that a perfect set of geological and mechanical input data is given to geomechanics design engineer is rare, while the engineers are asked to achieve a high level of reliability in their design products. This study presents an artificial neural network which is developed to resolve the difficulties encountered in conventional design techniques, particulary the problem of deteriorating the confidence of existing numerical techniques such as the finite element, boundary element and distinct element methods due to the incomplete adn vague input data. The neural network has inferring capabilities to identify the possible failure modes, support requirements and its timing for underground openings, from previous case histories. Use of the neural network has resulted in a better estimate of the correlation between systems of rock mass classifications such as the RMR and Q systems. A back propagation learning algorithm together with a multi-layer network structure is adopted to enhance the inferential accuracy and efficiency of the neural network. A series of experiments comparing the results of the neural network with the actual field observations are performed to demonstrate the abilities of the artificial neural network as a new tunnel design assistance system.