TUNNELING TECHNIQUES

CENG 7205

Dr.-Ing. Henok Fikre

2020
TUNNELING TECHNIQUES
COURSE CONTENT
 Concept
 Geotechnical Investigations
 Detailed design
 Design procedures
 Geometric Considerations
 Stress around openings
 Design methods
 Construction methods and procedures
 Post Construction Considerations
 Building Response Analysis
 Applications with software
 Case Histories
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STEPS

Concept

Detailed design

Construction stage

Post construction
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS

 CONSTURUCTION TECHNIQUES
 CUT AND COVER TUNNELS
 TUNNELS IN ROCK
 TUNNELS IN SOIL
 IMMERSED TUNNELS
 IMPORTANT CONSIDERTIONS DURING
CONSTRUCTION
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS

 CONSTURUCTION TECHNIQUES
 CUT AND COVER TUNNELS
 TUNNELS IN ROCK
 TUNNELS IN SOIL
 IMMERSED TUNNELS
 IMPORTANT CONSIDERTIONS DURING
CONSTRUCTION
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – CUT AND COVER

 Construction Methodology
 Bottom Up - structure independent of support
 Top down – tunnel roof and ceiling parts of support
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – CUT AND COVER

 Bottom up steps
1. temporary excavation support walls, dewatering if
required, temporary wall support elements
2. constructing the floor
3. complete construction of the walls and then the roof,
waterproofing if required
4. Backfilling to final grade
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – CUT AND COVER
 Bottom up – avantages
 conventional construction method - well understood by
contractors
 Waterproofing can be applied to the outside surface of the
structure
 Inside of the excavation is easily accessible
 Drainage systems can be installed outside the structure
 Bottom up – disavantages
 larger footprint required for construction than for top-down
construction
 ground surface can not be restored to its final condition until
construction is complete
 Requires temporary support or relocation of utilities
 may require dewatering
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – CUT AND COVER

 Top down - steps

1. Installation of excavation support/tunnel structural walls,
dewatering if required
2. Excavation to the level of the bottom of the tunnel top slab,
construction and water proofing of the tunnel top slab tying
it to the support of excavation walls
3. Backfilling the roof and restoring the ground surface,
Excavation of tunnel interior, bracing, construction of the
tunnel floor slab
4. Completing the interior finishes
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – CUT AND COVER

 Top down– avantages

 It allows early restoration of the ground surface above the
tunnel
 The temporary support of excavation walls are used as the
permanent structural walls
 The structural slabs will act as internal bracing for the support
of excavation thus reducing the amount of tie backs required
 It requires somewhat less width for the construction area
 Easier construction of roof since it can be cast on prepared
grade rather than using bottom forms
 may result in lower cost for the tunnel
 may result in shorter construction duration by overlapping
construction activities
 TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – CUT AND COVER
 Top down – disavantages
 Inability to install external waterproofing outside the
tunnel walls
 More complicated connections for roof, floor and base slabs
 Potential water leakage at the joints between the slabs
and the walls
 Risks that the exterior walls (or center columns) will
exceed specified installation tolerances and extend within
the neat line of the interior space
 Access to the excavation is limited to the portals or
through shafts through the roof
 Limited spaces for excavation and construction of the
bottom slab
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – CUT AND COVER

 ConditionsFavorable to Bottom-Up
Construction:
• No right-of way restrictions
• No requirement to limit sidewall deflections
• No requirement for permanent restoration of surface

 Conditions Favorable to Top-Down Construction

• Limited width of right-of-way
• Sidewall deflections must be limited to protect
adjacent features
• Surface must be restored to permanent usable
condition as soon as possible
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – CUT AND COVER

 Ground water control:

• Dewatering - when groundwater levels are higher than the base
level of the tunnel
 depend on the permeability of the various soil layers exposed
 can be accomplished within the excavation with impermeable excavation
support walls that extend down to a firm, reasonably impermeable stratum
• Sometimes the excavation is done in the wet, then the water is
pumped out
• Pumped wells lower the groundwater table outside the excavation
support during construction; however this may have
environmental impact
 Ground water lowering: impervious retaining walls, pumping within the
excavation, deep wells
• After construction is complete and dewatering ceases, hydrostatic
uplift (buoyancy) pressures should be considered
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS

 CONSTURUCTION TECHNIQUES
 CUT AND COVER TUNNELS
 TUNNELS IN ROCK
 TUNNELS IN SOIL
 IMMERSED TUNNELS
 IMPORTANT CONSIDERTIONS DURING
CONSTRUCTION
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK

 Rock failure mechanisms

 Rock fall
 Slabbing/Topplling
 Rock burst
 Bulking (Increase in volume, 10-40%)
 Squeezing (sand, silt, shale, clay)
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK
 Rock failure mechanisms
• At shallow depth-blocky rock mass-gravity falls of wedges from roofs and side walls

• With increaseed depth-failure (spalling/slabbing, rock burst)

• In unweathered rock- massive rock- low stress- no serious stability problems

TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK
 Rock failure mechanisms
• squeezing and swelling

• In unweathered rock- massive rock- low stress- no serious

stability problems
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK

 Rock tunneling methods

• Drill and blast
• Blast powder as early as the 18th
Century
• Dynamite invented by Alfred Nobel
• Dill small hole, load them with
explosive and detonate
• Effective blasting- explosive is
distributed through the rock mass, by
drilling an array of boreholes that are
then loaded with explosives and fired
in an orderly sequence
• Relief- give time for fructures to
fragment
• Perimeter control- perimeter holes fired
with extra delay
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK

 Rock tunneling methods

• Tunnel boring machine (TBM)
• Disc cutter causes the rock to fail in shear forming slabs or
chips
• 10-100 times the speed of the drill and blast
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK
 Rock tunneling methods
o Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM)
1. Mechanical support TBM - has a full-face cutterhead which
provides face support by constantly pushing the excavated
material ahead of the cutterhead against the surrounding ground.
2. Compressed air TBM - can have either a full-face cutterhead or
excavating arms. Confinement is achieved by pressurizing the air
in the cutter chamber
3. Slurry shield TBM - has a full-face cutterhead. Confinement is
achieved by pressurizing boring fluid inside the cutterhead
chamber.
4. Earth pressure balance machine - has a full-face cutterhead.
Confinement is achieved by pressurizing the excavated material in
the cutterhead chamber.
5. Mixed face shield TBMs - have full-face cutterheads and can
work inclosed or open mode and with different confinement
techniques.
 TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK

 Rock tunneling methods

• TBM excavate rock mass in a form of rotating and
crushing by applying enormous pressure on the face with
large thrust forces while rotating and chipping with a
number of disc cutters mounted on the machine face
(cutter head)
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK

 Rock tunneling methods

• Main body of typical TBM
 Cutter head and Sup consist port
 Gripper (Except Single Shield TBM)

 Shield (Except Open TBM)

 Thrust Cylinder

 Conveyor

 Rock Reinforcement Equipment

TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK

 Rock tunneling methods

• With a rock TBM, the penetration rate is affected by the
following factors
 Total machine thrust

 Cutter spacing

 Cutter diameter and edge geometry

 Cutter head turning speed (revolutions per minute)

 Cutter head drive torque

 Diameter of tunnel

 Strength, hardness, and abrasivity of the rock

 Jointing, weathering and other characteristics of the

rock.
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK

 Rock tunneling methods

TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IN ROCK

 Rock tunneling methods

• Road headers
 can cut variable or odd shapes that otherwise would

require TBM excavation in combination with drill and

blast
 Lower cost
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN ROCK

 Ground water control

 Dewatering at tunnel face- most common
 Drainage ahead of tunnel using probe holes
 Drainage from pilot bore/tunnels
 Grouting - to reduce water inflow through joints,
bedding planes, shear/fault zones to an accepted level
 Freezing – rare cases
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS

 CONSTURUCTION TECHNIQUES
 CUT AND COVER TUNNELS
 TUNNELS IN ROCK
 TUNNELS IN SOIL (SOFT GROUND)
 IMMERSED TUNNELS
 IMPORTANT CONSIDERTIONS DURING
CONSTRUCTION
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Ground classification – Table 7.1 (FHWA)

 Soft Ground (Table 7.5)
1. Cohesive Soils and Silty Sand Above Water Table
 behave as ductile plastic material
 Estimate of ground behavior in tunneling:
 Ncrit : stability factor
 Pz: overburden pressure to the tunnel centerline
 Pa : equivalent uniform interior pressure applied to the face (as by
breasting or compressed air)
 Su: undrained shear strength
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Ground classification – Table 7.1 (FHWA)

 Soft Ground (Table 7.5)
1. Cohesive Soils and Silty Sand Above Water Table
 behave as ductile plastic material
 Estimate of ground behavior in tunneling:
 Ncrit : stability factor
 Pz: overburden pressure to the tunnel centerline
 Pa : equivalent uniform interior pressure applied to the face (as by
breasting or compressed air)
 Su: undrained shear strength
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground
2 Cohesionless Granular Soils including Silty Sand
below the Water Table
 dry / partially saturated sand and gravel above the
groundwater table may possess some temporary
apparent cohesion from negative pore pressure
 Below GWT - lacks sufficient cohesion or cementation
- can easily run or flow into the excavation
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground – excavation methods

 Shield Tunneling
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground – excavation methods

 Shield Tunneling
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground – excavation methods

 Shield Tunneling
 Blind shield
 Open face, hand-dug shield

 Semi mechanized

 Mechanized

 Slurry face Machine

 Earth pressure balance (EPB) machine

 Earth pressure balance (EPB) high-density slurry machine

 Choice of appropraite machine for a particular soil

condition -Table 7.4 (FHWA)
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground – excavation methods

 Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) or NATM
 a method where the surrounding rock or soil formations of a
tunnel or underground opening are integrated into an
overall ring-like support structure and the following
principles must be observed
 “never open more than is needed”- can be excavated rapidly,
and quickly supported
 viable method for- Short tunnels
 large openings such as stations unusual shapes or complex
structures such as intersections enlargements
 largely based on an observational approach
 offers flexibility in geometry
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground – soil stabilization

Refer Sec 7.7 of FHWA

TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground – excavation methods

 Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) or NATM
 “never open more than is needed”- can be excavated rapidly,
and quickly supported
 viable method for- Short tunnels
 large openings such as stations unusual shapes or complex
structures such as intersections enlargements
 largely based on an observational approach
 offers flexibility in geometry
 Ground Support Elements (Section 9.5 FHWA)
 Elements of Commonly Used Soft Ground Excavation and
Support Classes: Table 9.2 (FHWA)
 Examples: Table 9.4 (FHWA)
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground – excavation methods

 Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) or NATM
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – TUNNELS IN SOIL

 Soft Ground – excavation methods

 Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) or NATM - Umbrella
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS

 CONSTURUCTION TECHNIQUES
 CUT AND COVER TUNNELS
 TUNNELS IN ROCK
 TUNNELS IN SOIL (SOFT GROUND)
 IMMERSED TUNNELS (Chapter 11 FHWA)
 JACKED BOX TUNNELING (Chapter 12 FHWA)
 IMPORTANT CONSIDERTIONS DURING
CONSTRUCTION
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS

 CONSTURUCTION TECHNIQUES
 CUT AND COVER TUNNELS
 TUNNELS IN ROCK
 TUNNELS IN SOIL (SOFT GROUND)
 IMMERSED TUNNELS
 IMPORTANT CONSIDERTIONS DURING
CONSTRUCTION
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 Instrumentation
 Surface and Subsurface Instrumentation
 subsurface settlement markers, cased deep
benchmarks, subsurface shallow and deep settlement
indicators, inclinometers, multiple point borehole
extensometers, piezometers
 Tunnel Instrumentation
 Deformation Measurements
 Stress Measurements

 Details – see Chapter 15 FHWA

TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 Monitoring
 The behavior of a tunnel lining is most drastically manifested
in the displacements of the tunnel walls and the rock mass
surrounding the tunnel.
 Deformations around the tunnel circumference is by far the
most important indicator of tunnel performance and is also
relatively easy to measure. Loads, strains, and stresses are
generally more difficult to measure, and more difficult to
interpret.
 The measurement instruments can be installed at different
locations on the tunnel lining to achieve the required level of
accuracy.
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 Instrumentation - Monitoring
 Monitoring Cross Sections
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 Monitoring
 Interpretation of Monitoring Results
 Crown settlement
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 Monitoring
 Interpretation of Monitoring Results
 Crown /roof settlement (as a function of the horiz. distance)
 Foot settlement (left and right)
 Relative roof settlement (Crown-Foot)
 Convergence and divergence
 Displacement vector
 Comparison with reference section
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 Monitoring
 Interpretation of Monitoring Results
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 Monitoring
 Interpretation of Monitoring Results
TUNNELING
CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 POST CONSTRUCTION
 Monitoring
 Rehabilitation (Chapter 16 – FHWA)
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CONSTRUCTION ASPECTS – IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 PROJECT - 1
 Using the geometric data from the AKH project as given
to the individual group, show different design options
 Empirical methods
 Analytical methods
 Numerical methods