Assessing clogging potential and optimizing driving parameter of slurry shield tunneling in clay stratum assisted with CFD-DEM modeling

This paper proposed a two-way coupled computational fluid dynamics(CFD)and discrete element method(DEM)approach to analyze the evolution of clogging in slurry shield tunneling quantitatively.The interactions between clay particles and slurry were considered by exchanging three interaction forces,including buoyancy force,pressure gradient force,and drag force.The CFD-DEM coupling approach was first benchmarked by comparing cutterhead torque and total thrust with field monitored data of a practical slurry shield tunnel project.The evolution process of the particle phase and the fluid phase over time was presented.The results indicated that fewer than 70%of the particles can be washed away in time by the circulating slurry.About 9%of the particles adhered to the submerged wall,resulting in increased cutterhead torque and thrust.Through parametric analysis,the influence of the shield driving parameters on the clay clogging behavior is further explored.The time history of cutterhead torque or thrust can be used as a criterion for judging whether clogging has occurred.Additionally,a new assessment method of clogging risk and an optimization strategy of driving parameters were proposed,which were intended to provide some guidance for similar projects.

Research on the cuttings discharge in air cushion chamber of slurry shield based on CFD-DEM coupling method Author links open overlay panel

The rapid discharge of cuttings from the air cushion chamber is crucial for the construction safety and excavation efficiency of the slurry shield.Previous studies have mainly focused on the transport characteristics of cuttings in the slurry discharge pipe,while the complete process of cuttings entering the slurry discharge pipe from the air cushion chamber until they are discharged was often overlooked.Based on the CFD-DEM coupling method and combined with actual engineering,this paper established a numerical model that can more completely reflect the cuttings discharge process during slurry shield tunneling,and the effects of the slurry velocity at slurry gate and scouring pipes,inclination angle of slurry discharge pipe,cuttings diameter and shape coefficient were investigated by analyzing the variation in the mass flow rate,mass of discharged cuttings,and discharged ratio.The results revealed that increasing the slurry velocity can promote the discharge of cuttings.To keep the discharged rate at a high level,it is recommended that the slurry velocity at the slurry gate should be greater than 0.15 m/s.Reducing the inclination angle of the discharge pipe is conducive to the rapid discharge of cuttings.Cuttings with large diameter or small shape coefficient are more prone to accumulate in the air cushion chamber and cause clogging risk.The research results not only help to improve engineers'understanding of cuttings discharge in slurry shield,but also provide practical guidance for formulating relevant construction measures.

Experimental study on slurry-induced fracturing during shield tunneling

Facial support in slurry shield tunneling is provided by slurry pressure to balance the external earth and water pressure.Hydraulic fracturing may occur and cause a significant decrease in the support pressure if the slurry pressure exceeds the threshold of the soil or rock material,resulting in a serious face collapse accident.Preventing the occurrence of hydraulic fracturing in a slurry shield requires investigating the effects of related influencing factors on the hydraulic fracturing pressure and fracture pattern.In this study,a hydraulic fracturing apparatus was developed to test the slurry-induced fracturing of cohesive soil.The effects of different sample parameters and loading conditions,including types of holes,unconfined compressive strength,slurry viscosity,and axial and circumferential loads,on the fracturing pressure and fracture dip were examined.The results indicate that the fracture dip is mainly affected by the deviator stress.The fracturing pressure increases linearly with the increase in the circumferential pressure,but it is almost independent of the axial pressure.The unconfined compressive strength of soil can reflect its ability to resist fracturing failure.The fracturing pressure increases with an increase in the unconfined compressive strength as well as the slurry viscosity.Based on the test results,an empirical approach was proposed to estimate the fracturing pressure of the soil.

Mechanized Tunneling in Soft Soils： Choice of Excavation Mode and Application of Soil-Conditioning Additives in Glacial Deposits

The history of the formation of the alpine region is affected by the activities of the glaciers, which have a strong influence on underground works in this area. Mechanized tunneling must adapt to the presence of sound and altered rock, as well as to inhomogeneous soil layers that range from permeable gravel to soft clay sediments along the same tunnel. This article focuses on past experiences with tunnel-boring machines （TBMs） in Switzerland, and specifically on the aspects of soil conditioning during a passage through inhomogeneous soft soils. Most tunnels in the past were drilled using the slurry mode （SM）, in which the application of different additives was mainly limited to difficult zones of high permeability and stoppages for tool change and modification. For drillings with the less common earth pressure balanced mode （EPBM）, continuous foam conditioning and the additional use of polymer and bentonite have proven to be successful. The use of conditioning additives led to new challenges during separation of the slurries （for SM） and disposal of the excavated soil （for EPBM）. If the disposal of chemically treated soft soil mate- rial from the earth pressure balanced （EPB） drive in a manner that is compliant with environmental legislation is considered early on in the design and evaluation of the excavation mode, the EPBM can be beneficial for tunnels bored in glacial deposits.

Assessing a soft twin tunneling numerical model using field data

Using a five-floor building affected by the Yangtze River highway tunnels in Wuhan as the engineering background, we have constructed a free-field model and a coupled model to study the soil, lining, foundations and upper structure, and analyze the rules of movements of building foundation and ground induced by single tunnel and twin tunnel excavation with the Finite Element Analysis method. It is shown that for the coupled model, the longitudinal displacement of each foundation increases slowly when the tunnel face gets close to the foundation section and then increases fast when the tunnel face moves away from the foundation during the single and twin tunneling. For a single tunnel, the surface settlements are overestimated by the free-field and coupled tunnel. This might be crucial in urban areas. Regarding the maximum settlements and the width of the settlement trough, the difference between the free-field model and the coupled model is quite obvious. This comparison with the field measurement value reveals that the coupled model seems to be superior to the free-field model. These results are of instructive significance for design and excavation.

Towards autonomous and optimal excavation of shield machine:a deep reinforcement learning-based approach

Autonomous excavation operation is a major trend in the development of a new generation of intelligent tunnel boring machines(TBMs).However,existing technologies are limited to supervised machine learning and static optimization,which cannot outperform human operation and deal with ever changing geological conditions and the long-term performance measure.The aim of this study is to resolve the problem of dynamic optimization of the shield excavation performance,as well as to achieve autonomous optimal excavation.In this study,a novel autonomous optimal excavation approach that integrates deep reinforcement learning and optimal control is proposed for shield machines.Based on a first-principles analysis of the machine-ground interaction dynamics of the excavation process,a deep neural network model is developed using construction field data consisting of 1.1 million samples.The multi-system coupling mechanism is revealed by establishing an overall system model.Based on the overall system analysis,the autonomous optimal excavation problem is decomposed into a multi-objective dynamic optimization problem and an optimal control problem.Subsequently,a dimensionless multi-objective comprehensive excavation performance measure is proposed.A deep reinforcement learning method is used to solve for the optimal action sequence trajectory,and optimal closed-loop feedback controllers are designed to achieve accurate execution.The performance of the proposed approach is compared to that of human operation by using the construction field data.The simulation results show that the proposed approach not only has the potential to replace human operation but also can significantly improve the comprehensive excavation performance.

Effects of slurry viscosity and particle additive size on filter cake formation in highly permeable sand

Filter cake is critical to maintaining the stability of the excavation face of an underwater shield tunnel in a high-permeability stratum.In a high-permeability formation,generating an effective filter cake on the excavation face is difficult with a pure bentonite slurry,which penetrates the ground and may not achieve the required suspension pressure.Determining how to efficiently and quickly form a thin and low-permeability filter cake on the tunnel working face has become a key engineering problem in the construction of slurry shield tunnels in high-permeability strata.In this study,the relationship between slurry viscosity and the slurry pressure gradient of pure bentonite was established by performing slurry permeability experiments.The influence of slurry viscosity on the formation of the filter cake in a high-permeability formation was studied under different pressure gradients.In addition,the effect of additive particle size on the slurry filter cake formation was analyzed by introducing additives with different particle sizes to pure bentonite slurries with different viscosities.The test results indicate that(1)for the pure bentonite slurry,the critical initial pressure gradient can be used as a rough indicator of the formation of the filter cake,and the relationship between the critical maximum pore diameter and the average pore diameter of the for-mation can be compared to establish and analyze the formation law of the slurry filter cake;(2)adding particles to the slurry can enhance the effect of the pure bentonite slurry;and(3)adding coarse-grained materials can effectively improve the film-forming effect.The slurry is more compact when the particle size is close to the average pore size of the formation.