Ground response of closely spaced twin tunnels constructed in heavily overconsolidated soils

As part of the City of Edmonton’s light rail transit expansion, twin 6.5 m diameter oval shaped tunnels were constructed using conventional tunnelling methods. The geology of the site consists predominately of a hard, fissured cohesive till unit. The tunnel face construction was sequenced as top header, bench and invert excavations. At its narrowest, the pillar separating the twin tunnels was less than 1.5 m across or 0.23 tunnel diameters. Typically, the minimum pillar spacing required to reduce the interaction between twin, side by side tunnels is one tunnel diameter. Because the tunnel construction was within an urban environment, there was considerable concern with ground loss and excessive surface settlements. This study demonstrates that within similar materials, a pillar width of 0.5 tunnel diameters sufficiently reduces the tunnel interactions and minimize the risk of damage to nearby structures.     

Upgrading the Arlberg tunnel to current safety standards

Austrian road tunnels within the Trans-European Road Network (TERN) must fulfil the requirements of the Directive 2004/54/EC (European Commission, 2004) not later than April 2019. This regulation has to be applied to all tunnels in the TERN with a length of more than 500 m, whether they are in operation, under construction or at design stage, and aims at ensuring a minimum level of safety for road users. One of the main features of this directive is the requirement for providing an egress possibility to a safe environment every 500 m throughout the whole tunnel.The Arlberg road tunnel has a length of some 15.5 km and is in operation for more than 35 years. It is a single tube tunnel operated with bi-directional traffic, but carries a quite low traffic volume. Hence, the construction of a second tube is not really cost effective. Currently the tunnel is equipped with a transversal ventilation system with remotely controlled smoke extraction dampers providing smoke extraction every 100 m. The maximum distance between egress possibilities to a save environment is some 1500 m. Due to the high costs of a construction of a second tube or a parallel running escape gallery, a novel solution was found. The existing fresh air duct will be used as safe escape way between the existing egress possibilities. This solution has big impacts on the ventilation system and on the requirements for thermal structure protection of the new egress ways, i.e. the fresh air duct. In order to overcome this problem, massive changes in the ventilation design have to be performed, accompanied by the installation of a high-pressure water-mist system for structure protection.     

Challenges and strategies involved in designing and constructing a 6 km immersed tunnel: A case study of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge

A 6 km immersed tunnel of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge (HZMB) has been designed and funded. Once completed in 2016, the HZMB Tunnel will break the record of the 5.8 km BART Tunnel in the United States, although it will soon be overtaken by the ∼20 km Fehmarn Tunnel between Denmark and Germany that is to be completed in 2020. Construction of the HZMB Tunnel was started in 2011 and more than ten elements thus far have been installed on the site. This paper presents details about the challenges and solutions for the design and construction of the HZMB Tunnel on a strategic level. Special features of the HZMB Tunnel include a long length of 6 km, a deep water depth of almost 45 m, and a thick backfill of 23 m. Challenges include severe marine environment, strict requirements for waterproofing, construction of sections connecting the tunnel with artificial islands, and tunnel stability after future excavation of fairway trenches. Moreover, the HZMB Tunnel is challenged by possible sand liquefaction in seismic events, conservation of white Chinese dolphin, and waterway dispersion during construction. Details about the strategies are given in order to improve the immersed tunnel design and construction methods.     

Sequential excavation,NATM and ADECO: What they have in common and how they differ

Rabcewicz, 1964, Rabcewicz, 1965 maintained that “tunnels should be driven full face whenever possible”. ADECO, which stands for “Analysis of Controlled Deformations in tunnels”, now allows us to fulfill Rabcewicz’s dream in any stress–strain condition. In order to achieve that dream and its consequent control over cost and schedule, however, NATM must be abandoned for the ADECO. The paper traces the history of the sequential excavation, NATM (as first conceived) and Analysis of Controlled Deformations (ADECO) with the aim of shedding light on the unavoidable use of sequential excavation in “soft ground”, and of highlighting advances in tunnel design and construction that have occurred in Europe after and as alternates to the NATM. The paper presents the basic concepts in the ADECO approach to design, construction and monitoring of tunnels together with some case histories, including: full face excavation for Cassia tunnel (face area > 230 m²) in sands and silts under 5 m cover below an archeological area in Rome, Italy; Tartaguille tunnel (face area > 140 m²) advanced full face in highly swelling and squeezing ground under 100 m cover where NATM led to catastrophic failure, France; and 80 km of tunnels (face area > 140 m²) advanced full face in highly squeezing/swelling ground under 500 m cover for the high-speed railway line between Bologne and Florence, Italy (turnkey contract).     

Geotechnical risk management approach for TBM tunnelling in squeezing ground conditions

Historically, attempts to use tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in Himalayan geology have been unsuccessful, particularly where weak rocks exist at the significant depths often required for hydroelectric hydraulic tunnels resulting in squeezing ground conditions. The use of segmental tunnel linings erected by shielded TBMs presents additional risk, such that the advantages of potentially high rates of advance using this form of construction have not previously been realised. Programme demands for the 330 MW Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project in India required that 15 km of the 23 km headrace tunnel be constructed using a double-shield TBM erecting a segmental lining. Preliminary studies suggested difficult ground due to squeezing conditions along the 1400 m deep tunnel through weak meta-sedimentary rocks. To allow planning and construction to commence, a risk management approach to design and construction was formulated with contingency procedures and criteria developed to allow the risks to the TBM and the lining to be managed effectively. Advanced numerical modelling included analysis of the tunnel with the ground represented by a Stress Hardening Elastic Viscous Plastic (SHELVIP) model to take account of time dependent loading. The Kishanganga tunnel represents the first segmentally lined TBM tunnel to be successfully constructed in the Himalaya. This paper describes the risk-mitigation approach, the special measures developed to address the risks, the numerical modelling and laboratory testing undertaken, and includes results from the segmental lining monitoring. Recognition of the risks, the development of an innovative methodology and the provision of the means by which geotechnical risk could be managed effectively during construction, gave confidence to all stakeholders to proceed with a method of construction that had not previously been implemented successfully in the Himalaya.     

Evaluation of common TBM performance prediction models based on field data from the second lot of Zagros water conveyance tunnel (ZWCT2)

Zagros water conveyance tunnel (ZWCT) is a 49 km tunnel designed for conveying 70 m³/s water from Sirvan River southward to Dashte Zahab plain in western Iran. This long tunnel has been divided in 3 Lots namely 1A, 1B, 2. By November 2014, about 22 km of the Lot 2 (with a total length of 26 km) has been excavated by two double shield TBMs from two southern and northern portals. The bored section of tunnel passed through different geological units of 3 main formations of Zagros mountain ranges which mainly consist of weak to moderately strong argillaceous-carbonate sedimentary rocks. In this paper, the operating and as-built geological data collected during construction phase of the Lot 2 of ZWCT project was used to compare the calculated machine performance by empirical methods such as the Hassanpour et al. (2011), Q_TBM, NTNU, Palmstrom, and theoretical model of Colorado School of Mines or CSM. The predicted penetration rates were then compared with the observed field performance of the machine and the variations of predicted rates were examined by statistical analysis. The results showed that the site-specific model, which was based on TBM performance in similar formations can provide estimates closer to actual machine performance.     

Effect of adverse geological condition on TBM operation in Ghomroud tunnel conveyance project

With the planned length of 36 km, Ghomroud tunnel is one of the longest tunnels under construction in central Iran. About half or 18 km of this tunnel was excavated by a double shield TBM. Several adverse geological conditions encountered, consisting of ground squeezing and face collapse, hindering TBM performance, and caused several TBM stoppages and jamming. This paper presents the impact of ground conditions on machine performance based on the information obtained from field observations and geotechnical site investigations. As built geological conditions are described while the method and results of tunnel convergence measurements and their impacts on tunneling operation is examined. Based on the detail study of the available geological information and tunnel convergence measurements, it was evident that the existence of weak structures in rock mass resulted in high rate of the convergence, which was the dominant factor in the TBM jamming. Since it was not possible to make observation and measurements of geological parameters when working in a lined tunnel built by a shielded machine, an attempt was made to correlate TBM operational parameters and ground convergence. The preliminary result of the analysis has indicated a good correlation among machine’s operational parameters and tunnel convergence. If the system is fully developed, these parameters can be used as an indicator of the potential for high rates of convergence. An early warning on ground convergence is essential for taking precautionary measures to avoid TBM from getting jammed by squeezing ground.     

Influence of traffic force on pollutant dispersion of CO,NO and particle matter (PM2.5) measured in an urban tunnel in Changsha,China

Environmental safety issues and ventilation problems caused by the construction of urban tunnel have increasingly been attracting people’s attention. Previous studies in China have mainly focused on vehicle emissions and ventilation control technologies in road tunnels, resulting in a research gap on urban tunnel ventilation engineering design. Therefore, a detailed monitoring investigation was conducted from May 22 to June 2, 2013 in Changsha Yingpan Road Tunnel, China. The study aim was to measure the traffic characteristics, air velocity and the carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) concentrations in this tunnel, which has two lanes per bore and multiple ramps. Measurement results show that during the workday morning peak, the maximum traffic flow was 1560 passenger-car-unit/h per lane with vehicle speed around 33.6 km/h in the eastbound tunnel, the average air velocity was 3.07 m/s, and the proportion of the light-duty vehicles (LDV) was 97.3%. Under the traffic force (not open fan), the CO and NO average concentrations at the main tunnel outlet were 20.3 ppm and 1.65 ppm, respectively. The gas pollutant concentrations are effectively controlled within the multiple-ramps tunnel and the design air volume flow is noticeably reduced. The traffic air flow was found to provide 32.5% of the required air volume to dilute NO_x in blocked traffic condition (vehicle speed of 10 km/h). In addition, the PM_2.5 concentration is mainly affected by the value of background outside the tunnel. The result can provide a quantitative assessment method to support pollutant concentration control and contribution of requested air volume by traffic flow in urban complex structure tunnel.     

Design and construction of river crossing tunnel beneath Tachia River,Taiwan

Due to the impact of the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake (ML = 7.3) and the following typhoon induced heavy rainfalls and floods, the tailrace tunnel of the Kukuan Hydropower Plant was severely blocked and must be realigned and rebuilt. The new tailrace tunnel is 1991 m long with a 140 m section passing underneath the Tachia River, where the shallowest rock cover is 3.5 m. In view of the common phenomenon that weak zone developed along river channel and debris accumulated on river bed, the ground improvement from the surface to the tunnel is difficult. Therefore, a construction shaft, a water sealing pre-grouting plan and a special supporting system were designed to prevent the potential water inflow when tunneling underneath the Tachia River. In the construction phase, adequate excavation cross sections, support elements, auxiliary treatments, and water sealing grouting methods were selected to overcome the difficult ground condition encountered. The experience learned from this successful case can be a valuable reference for the design and construction of similar river crossing tunnels in the future.     

The effect of principal stress orientation on tunnel stability

In order to investigate the effect of principal stress orientation on the stability of regular tunnels and cracked tunnels, experiments by using square specimens with a centralized small tunnel were conducted, and the corresponding numerical study as well as photoelastic study were implemented. Two kinds of materials, cement mortar and sandstone, were used to make tunnel models, and three types of tunnel models were studied, i.e. (1) regular tunnel models loaded by different orientation’s principal stresses, (2) tunnel models with various orientation’s radial cracks in the spandrel under compression, and (3) tunnel models with a fixed radial crack loaded by various orientation’s principal stresses. In the numerical study, the stress intensity factors of the radial cracks were calculated, and the results agree well with the test results. For regular tunnels, when the angle θ between the major principal stress and the tunnel symmetrical axis is 45°, the corresponding tunnel is the most unfavorable; for tunnels with a radial crack in the spandrel, when the angle β between the crack and the tunnel wall is 135°, the corresponding tunnel is the most unfavorable; for tunnels with a β = 130° radial crack, when θ = 0° or θ = 70°, the compressive strengths of the tunnel models are comparatively low, whereas when θ = 90°, it is the highest.     

Design and optimisation of laser scanning for tunnels geometry inspection

The use of terrestrial laser scanning technology in engineering surveys is gaining an increasing interest due to the very high spatial density of the acquired data. Recent improvements regarding the speed, accuracy, software algorithms and the fall in price have introduced a high potential for large scale applications of this technology in highly demanding engineering environments such as tunnels. Railway tunnels, in particular those of a long length, create challenges for surveyors due to their elongation to obtain satisfactory geometry of the scanned data. The purpose of this paper is to give an optimal solution for surveying tunnel geometry using laser scanning technology to reliably inspect railway tunnels and create “as-built” documentation.The proposed methodology provides optimisation of scanning parameters, scans registration, the georeferencing approach and the survey control network design. The maximal size of the scanner shifting along the tunnel alignment is primarily conditioned by factors including the incidence angle of the laser beam and the point density distribution. The authors introduce the so-called arbitrary georeferencing approach in long tunnel scanning that controls the point cloud geometric distortions to the required limits and contributes to time and material resources savings. Optimal design of the survey control network ensures the required positional accuracy and the reliability of the measurements, together with a cost effective approach to tunnels surveying.The proposed methodology is followed by the empirical results of the modelling and profiling of 12 tunnels in a single track railway. The lengths of these tunnels are from 60 m to 1260 m, with a total length of 3.5 km. Due to the specific geometry of the case study tunnels, the maximal favourable laser incidence angle is 78° with a distance of 13 m and consequently the optimal size of the scanner shifting along the tunnel alignment is 26 m. The survey control network is designed with the condition that the optimal reliability factors are within the required limits for engineering networks. A priori estimation of the control network positional uncertainty and a posteriori adjustment results shows that the achieved positional accuracy of the control points is approximately five times better than the requested absolute accuracy of the tunnel model: σ_m = 2 cm. On the largest tunnel example it is shown that the arbitrary georeferencing approach assures that the optimal registration error size is within the requested limits.     

Review and perspective of expressway tunnels in Taiwan, China

Since the construction of the first expressway in the 1970s, the total length of expressways in Taiwan has increased to over 1 000 km, of which 40 km are aligned with tunnels. These twin-tube tunnels, which have two or three lanes in each tube, are characterized by large cross-sections. Due to the complicated topography and heterogeneous geological conditions of Taiwan, tunnel construction has encountered many difficulties. Thus, many advanced excavation methods were developed during tunnel construction. To satisfy the concurrent requirements of safety, economy and efficiency, new construction methods and techniques should be developed or introduced. Moreover, environmental protection and ecological conservation must be paid increasing attention to the goal of substantial development.     

Construction of a large-section long pedestrian underpass using pipe jacking in muddy silty clay: A case study

This paper presents a case study of constructing a large-section long pedestrian underpass using pipe jacking method in Nanjing, China. The underpass, having a width of 7 m and a height of 4.3 m, was jacked 94.5 m in muddy silty clay under a busy roadway with 6.2 m overburden soil, meanwhile it traverses above the existed shield metro tunnels with just 4.5 m from the underpass bottom to tunnel vault. This paper introduced the design and construction schemes of this project in detail. A pre-construction three dimensional numerical simulation was conducted to investigate the responses of the roadway and metro tunnels to pipe jacking construction. Based on the simulation results, the field monitoring program was proposed, and the tunnels deformation and ground settlement were constantly monitored. The field performances of the metro tunnels and roadway were analyzed according to the monitoring data. In the jacking process, the micro-underbreak method was adopted. In order to decrease the tunnels uplift and ground settlement, the actual volume of soil conveyed out from soil chamber to ground surface was kept 95–98% of theoretical soil volume cut by cutter head. In general, this project is completed successfully without taking any additional time and money-consuming deformation control measures. The ground traffic and underneath metro runs well during the whole construction process.     

Experiences of TBM operation in gas bearing water condition – A case study in Iran

The Nowsud tunnel (Lot 2B) project is a 25.7 km length water conveyance tunnel which was bored with a 6.73 m diameter double shield TBM. The tunnel consisting of 6.0 m inside diameter which lined with 25 cm thick, 4 pieces honeycomb precast segments. The geology is consisted of limestone, limy shale, black shale and Shally limestone of Cretaceous Garu and Pliocene Gurpi formations. During heading of tunnel, it was encountered with CH₄ gas emission and H₂S bearing water inrushes, up to 890 l/s. A source which could not be plugged with grouting and the heading had to be stopped for several days and months. As far as the author is aware, this condition has not been seen in double shield TBM tunneling.This case study attempts to discuss firstly the quality and origin of poison gases and water ingress into the excavations. Then, the destructive effects of the poison gases and water ingress on different parts of TBM, concrete corrosion, considerable delay in tunnel progresses and negative impact on tunnel personals productivity have been evaluated.Finally, with respect to restricted space in TBM and back up, a executable solution methods have been pursued to abatement and prevention of the poison gases and water ingress into the excavations, while the construction is in progress by double shield TBM.     

Load transfer mechanism in pile group due to single tunnel advancement in stiff clay

Construction of tunnels in urban cities may induce excessive settlement and tilting of nearby existing pile foundations. Various studies reported in the literature have investigated the tunnel–soil–pile interaction by means of field monitoring, centrifuge and numerical modelling. However, the load transfer mechanism between piles in a group, the induced settlement and the tilting of a pile group due to tunnel advancement has not been investigated systematically and is not well understood. This study conducts three-dimensional, coupled-consolidation finite element analyses to investigate tunnelling effects on an existing 2 × 2 pile group. The construction of a 6 m diameter (D) tunnel in saturated stiff clay is simulated. Responses of the pile group located at a clear distance of 2.1 m (0.35D) from a tunnel constructed at three different cover-to-diameter-of-tunnel ratios (C/D) of 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 are investigated. The computed results are compared to published data based on field monitoring. It is found that the most critical stage for settlement, tilting and induced bending moment of pile group due to tunnelling is when the tunnel face is close to the pile group rather than at the end of tunnel excavation. The depth of the tunnel relative to the pile group has a vital influence on the settlement, tilting of pile group and the load transfer mechanism between piles in pile group induced by tunnel excavation. Tunnelling near the mid-depth of the pile group (i.e. C/D = 1.5) induces the largest bending moment in the piles, but the settlement and tilting of the pile group are relatively small. Based on a settlement criterion, apparent loss of capacity of the pile group is 14% and 23% for tunnels constructed at depths of C/D = 1.5 and at both C/D = 2.5 and 3.5, respectively. The largest load redistribution between the front and rear piles in the group and the largest tilting of the pile cap towards the tunnel occurs when tunnel excavated at C/D = 2.5.     

Artificial Ground Freezing to excavate a tunnel in sandy soil. Measurements and back analysis

The paper is dedicated to the case history of a 13 m wide, 17 m high and 40 m long service tunnel at Toledo Station, previously constructed in a deep open shaft and belonging to the Line 1 of the Napoli underground network. The existing Line 1 has been recently extended with a new stretch consisting of five new stations connected by twin rail tunnels for a total length of about 5 km. Toledo Station main shaft is located by a side of the line and it is connected to the pedestrian platforms by the above mentioned large size service tunnel. The station is situated in the historical center of the city of Napoli, under a deeply urbanized area. In Fig. 1 a longitudinal section of the main shaft of the station and of the large service tunnel with the above and surrounding buildings is sketched. The focus of this paper is on the settlement caused by the tunnel excavation and on the use of the Artificial Ground Freezing (AGF) technique to allow the safe excavation of the large crown of the service tunnel, located about one half in a silty sand layer and one half in yellow tuff, well below the groundwater table.     

Numerical analysis of different ventilation schemes during the construction process of inclined tunnel groups at the Changheba Hydropower Station,China

During the excavation process of underground caverns, the rational selection of the ventilation scheme is very important for the safety and health of construction workers. The flood discharge tunnel groups at the Changheba Hydropower Station are selected as a case to study the design of ventilation schemes in inclined tunnel groups; these groups are characterized by a gradient of approximately 10% and a complex intersecting relationship among the tunnels. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is used to simulate the fluid dynamics in tunnel groups when different ventilation schemes are employed. Four ventilation schemes with the same duct at different positions along the transverse section are formulated, and the scheme approaching the right side with most of the construction adits is adopted in engineering after a comparative analysis, as it offers a well-distributed velocity field and sufficient security distance. The study reveals that flow vortices appear in the tunnels with a long axis length ranging from 5 m to 20 m; the observation that the flow velocity on the transverse sections is away from the heading face indicates that a low-velocity area is always present in the vicinity of an air duct, and the security distance on the upstream side is 60% shorter than on the downstream side with the same air-blower when the tunnels have a 10% gradient. In addition, when the excavation distance rises 200 m, the ventilation condition in the tunnels, especially in the areas around tunnel intersections, is greatly improved by the completion of pilot tunnels and shafts in advance.     

Combined freeze-sealing and New Tubular Roof construction methods for seaside urban tunnel in soft ground

Construction of seaside urban tunnels is significantly difficult due to the densely adjacent buildings and underground facilities in conjunction with unfavourable geological conditions. For this, this paper investigates the construction methods used for Gongbei Tunnel, which is a typical seaside tunnel connecting Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in China. The construction methods and stability of the undercutting section will be focused. In the tunnel section of interest, dozens of thick steel tubes are jacked into the soft soil, and freeze-sealing method is applied to form a thick water-proofing wall. In this study, the combined freezing and New Tubular Roof (NTR) method are simulated by thermo-mechanical coupling analysis. The temperature field obtained in the freezing process indicates that the thickness of frozen wall grows approx. 2.0 m after 50 days of freezing. Besides, the stability of the surrounding ground and supporting structures in the bench-cutting stage are also investigated. Then the thawing process is simulated and associated suggestions for post-grouting to prevent excessive thawing settlement are proposed. The numerical results show that the tunnel is stable and the influence of tunnel excavation on adjacent buildings is within the permissible range. It also shows that the designed construction methods can be used to adequately meet safety and stability standards when adopting the proposed construction and supporting system.     

A case study on rock damage prediction and control method for underground tunnels subjected to adjacent excavation blasting

The effects of tunnel blast excavation on the surrounding rock mass and the lining systems of adjacent existing tunnels are comprehensively studied for the Damaoshan highway tunnel project as a case study. The damage of the surrounding rock and the lining system under different blast loads are analyzed by field tests and numerical simulations. It is observed that the rock damage extent around the tunnels linearly increases with the peak particle velocity (PPV) of the existing tunnel. A feasible PPV-based damage control method is then proposed for different portions of the tunnels. For the Damaoshan tunnel project, a PPV threshold of 0.22 m/s in the adjacent existing tunnel is prescribed to limit the damage extent to approximately 1.6 m at the tunnel exit and entrance portions. Furthermore, the PPV criteria for the other portions are also determined accordingly. It is also shown that no failure occurs in the linings or at the rock–lining interfaces if the PPV is less than 0.30 m/s. The control method and the threshold PPV proposed in this study have been successfully applied to restrict blast-induced damage during the new tunnel excavation of the Damaoshan tunnel project.     

Development of an elliptical fitting algorithm to improve change detection capabilities with applications for deformation monitoring in circular tunnels and shafts

Terrestrial laser scanning, also known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is an emerging technology that has many proven uses in the geotechnical engineering community including rockmass characterization, discontinuity measurement and landslide monitoring. One of the newer applications of LiDAR scanning is deformation monitoring and change detection. In tunnels, deformation is traditionally measured using a series of five or more control points installed around the diameter of the tunnel with measurements recorded at regular time intervals. LiDAR provides the ability to obtain a more complete characterization of the tunnel surface, allowing for determination of the mechanism and magnitude of tunnel deformation, as the entire surface of the tunnel is being modeled rather than a fixed set of points. This paper discusses terrestrial LiDAR scanning for deformation mapping of a surface and for cross-sectional closure measurements within an active tunnel using an elliptical fit to data for profile analysis. The methods were found to be accurate to within a few millimeters when measuring 58 mm of diametric difference over an 18.3 m diameter circular profile, even when some sections of the data were removed from the analysis.