Risk assessment model of tunnel water inrush based on improved attribute mathematical theory

Tunnel water inrush is one of the common geological disasters in the underground engineering construction.In order to effectively evaluate and control the occurrence of water inrush,the risk assessment model of tunnel water inrush was proposed based on improved attribute mathematical theory.The trigonometric functions were adopted to optimize the attribute mathematical theory,avoiding the influence of mutation points and linear variation zones in traditional linear measurement functions on the accuracy of the model.Based on comprehensive analysis of various factors,five parameters were selected as the evaluation indicators for the model,including tunnel head pressure,permeability coefficient of surrounding rock,crushing degree of surrounding rock,relative angle of joint plane and tunnel section size,under the principle of dimension rationality,independence,directness and quantification.The indicator classifications were determined.The links among measured data were analyzed in detail,and the objective weight of each indicator was determined by using similar weight method.Thereby the tunnel water inrush risk assessment model is established and applied in four target segments of two different tunnels in engineering.The evaluation results and the actual excavation data agree well,which indicates that the model is of high credibility and feasibility.

Prevention and treatment technologies of railway tunnel water inrush and mud gushing in China

Water inrush and mud gushing are one of the biggest hazards in tunnel construction. Unfavorable geological sections can be observed in almost all railway tunnels under construction or to be constructed, and vary in extent. Furthermore, due to the different heights of mountains and the lengths of tunnels, the locations of the unfavorable geological sections cannot be fully determined before construction, which increases the risk of water inrush and mud gushing. Based on numerous cases of water inrush and mud gushing in railway tunnels, the paper tries to classify water inrush and mud gushing in railway tunnels in view of the conditions of the surrounding rocks and meteorological factors associated with tunnel excavation. In addition, the causes of water inrush and mud gushing in combination of macroand micromechanisms are summarized, and site-specifc treatment method is put forward. The treatment methods include choosing a method of advance geological forecast according to risk degrees of different sections in the tunnel, determining the items of predictions, and choosing the appropriate methods, i.e. draining-oriented method, blocking-oriented method or draining-and-blocking method. The treatment technologies of railway water inrush and mud gushing are also summarized, including energy relief and pressure relief technology, advance grouting technology, and advance jet grouting technology associated with their key technical features and applicable conditions. The results in terms of treatment methods can provide reference to the prevention and treatment of tunnel water inrush and mud gushing.

Protection against water or mud inrush in tunnels by grouting:A review

Grouting is a major method used to prevent water and mud inrush in tunnels and underground engineering. In this paper, the current situation of control and prevention of water and mud inrush is summarized and recent advances in relevant theories, grout/equipment, and critical techniques are introduced. The time-variant equations of grout viscosity at different volumetric ratios were obtained based on the constitutive relation of typical fast curing grouts. A large-scale dynamic grouting model testing system （4000 mm × 2000 mm × 5 mm） was developed, and the diffusions of cement and fast curing grouts in dynamic water grouting were investigated. The results reveal that the diffusions of cement grouts and fast curing grouts are U-shaped and asymmetric elliptical, respectively. A multi-parameter real-time monitoring system （＆#981; = 1.5 m, h = 1.2 m） was developed for the grouting process to study the diffusion and reinforcement mechanism of grouting in water-rich faulted zone. A high early strength cream-type reinforcing/plugging grout, a high permeability nano-scale silica gel grout, and a high-expansion filling grout were proposed for the control of water hazards in weak water-rich faulted zone rocks, water inrush in karst passages, and micro-crack water inrush, respectively. Complement technologies and equipment for industrial applications were also proposed. Additionally, a novel full-life periodic dynamic water grouting with the critical grouting borehole as the core was proposed. The key techniques for the control of water inrush in water-rich faulted zone, jointed fissures and karst passages, and micro-crack water inrush were developed.

3D Finite Element Analysis of TBM Water Diversion Tunnel Segment Coupled with Seepage Field

In most studies of tunnel boring machine(TBM)tunnelling, the groundwater pressure was not considered, or was simplified and exerted on the boundary of lining structure. Meanwhile, the leakage, which mainly occurs in the segment joints, was often ignored in the relevant studies of TBM tunnelling. Additionally, the geological models in these studies were simplified to different extents, and mostly were simplified as homogenous bodies. Considering the deficiencies above, a 3D refined model of the surrounding rock of a tunnel is firstly established using NURBS-TIN-BRe P hybrid data structure in this paper. Then the seepage field of the surrounding rock considering the leakage in the segment joints is simulated. Finally, the stability of TBM water diversion tunnel is studied coupled with the seepage simulation, to analyze the stress-strain conditions, the axial force and the bending moment of tunnel segment considering the leakage in the segment joints. The results illustrate that the maximum radial displacement, the minimum principal stress, the maximum principal stress and the axial force of segment lining considering the seepage effect are all larger than those disregarding the seepage effect.

3D Finite Element Simulation of Tunnel Boring Machine Construction Processes in Deep Water Conveyance Tunnel

Applying stiffness migration method,a 3D finite element mechanical model is established to simulate the excavation and advance processes.By using 3D nonlinear finite element method,the tunnel boring machine(TBM) excavation process is dynamically simulated to analyze the stress and strain field status of surrounding rock and segment.The maximum tensile stress of segment ring caused by tunnel construction mainly lies in arch bottom and presents zonal distribution.The stress increases slightly and limitedly in the course of excavation.The maximum and minimum displacements of segment,manifesting as zonal distribution,distribute in arch bottom and vault respectively.The displacements slightly increase with the advance of TBM and gradually tend to stability.

Fiber optic sensing and performance evaluation of a water conveyance tunnel with composite linings under super-high internal pressures

For long-distance water conveyance shield tunnels in operation,the high internal water pressure may cause excessive deformation of composite linings,affecting their structural integrity and serviceability.However,the deformation and failure characteristics of lining structures under internal water pressure are not well investigated in the literature,particularly for three-layer composite linings.This study presents an in situ experimental investigation on the response of two types of composite linings(i.e.separated and combined lining structures)subjected to internal pressures,in which a fiber optic nerve system(FONS)equipped with distributed strain and displacement sensing nerves was employed to monitor the performance of the two composite linings during testing.The experimental results clearly show that the damage of the tunnel lining under different internal pressures was mainly located in the self-compaction concrete layer.The separated lining structure responded more aggressively to the variations in internal pressures than the combined one.Moreover,two evaluation indices,i.e.radial displacement and effective stiffness coefficient,are proposed for describing the changes in the structural bearing performance.The effective stiffness coefficients of the two types of lining structures were reduced by 39.4%and 29.5%,respectively.Considering the convenience of field monitoring,it is suggested that the average strains at different layers can be used as characteristic parameters for estimating the health conditions of lining structures in service.The analysis results provide a practical reference for the design and health evaluation of water conveyance shield tunnels with composite linings.

Soil pressure and pore pressure for seismic design of tunnels revisited: considering water-saturated, poroelastic half-space

This paper describes a systematic study on the fundamental features of seismic soil pressure on underground tunnels, in terms of its magnitude and distribution, and further identifi es the dominant factors that signifi cantly infl uence the seismic soil pressure. A tunnel embedded in water-saturated poroelastic half-space is considered, with a large variety of model and excitation parameters. The primary features of both the total soil pressure and the pore pressure are investigated. Taking a circular tunnel as an example, the results are presented using a fi nite element-indirect boundary element(FE-IBE) method, which can account for dynamic soil-tunnel interaction and solid frame-pore water coupling. The effects of tunnel stiffness, tunnel buried depth and input motions on the seismic soil pressure and pore pressure are also examined. It is shown that the most crucial factors that dominate the magnitude and distribution of the soil pressure are the tunnel stiffness and dynamic soil-tunnel interaction. Moreover, the solid frame-pore water coupling has a prominent infl uence on the magnitude of the pore pressure. The fi ndings are benefi cial to obtain insight into the seismic soil pressure on underground tunnels, thus facilitating more accurate estimation of the seismic soil pressure.

Formation mechanisms of water inrush and mud burst in a migmatite tunnel：a case study in China

This paper presents a case study of water inrush and mud burst occurring in a migmatite tunnel to study its formation mechanisms. The geological investigation and mineralogical analysis showed that water inrush and mud burst in the migmatite was closely related to the component of the host rock. High content of soluble minerals,e.g.,calcite and dolomite,would make the migmatite rock prone to be fragmentized,isintegrated and eventually form different sorts of connected or semi-connected veins. The field exploration revealed most cavities in the magmatite tunnel were eroded by groundwater and formed large interconnected networks. The two faults and the dike in the magmatite tunnel became the preferred paths and provided great convenience for plenty of precipitation and mud slurry. Due to high water pressure and blast disturbance,the cavities can soon connect each other as well as all sorts of veins,forming a complex ground channel for water inrush and mud burst. To estimate the potential occurrenceof water inrush and mud burst,the water bursting coefficient was employed. The results showed the water bursting coefficient of the magmatite tunnel was much bigger than the threshold values and it can be used to explain the accident of water inrush and mud burst occurring in the magmatite tunnel.

Treatment of tunnel wash waters-experiments with organic sorbent materials.PartⅠ:Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nonpolar oil

Tunnel wash waters characterize all waters that run off after washing procedures of tunnels are performed.These waters represent a wide spectrum of organic and inorganic pollutants,such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)and toxic metals.Removal of such contaminants from water runoff was investigated using laboratory tests after washing procedure was performed on two road tunnels in eastern Norway(Hanekleiv and Bragernes).Due to diverse character of both,treatment media and treated wash waters, the wh...

Roughness evaluation in shotcrete-lined water tunnels with invert concrete based on cases from Nepal

Most of the existing roughness estimation methods for water tunnels are related to either unlined or concrete/steel-lined tunnels. With the improvement in shotcrete technology, advancement in tunneling equipment and cost and time effectiveness, future water tunnels built for hydropower projects will consist of rock support with the extensive use of shotcrete lining in combination with systematic bolting and concrete lining in the tunnel invert. However, very little research has been performed to find out tunnel surface roughness for shotcrete-lined tunnels with invert concrete, which is important in calculating overall head loss along the waterway system to achieve an optimum and economic hydropower plant design. Hence, the main aim of this article is to review prevailing methods available to calculate tunnel wall roughness, and to use existing methods of head loss calculation to back-calculate roughness of the shotcrete-lined tunnels with invert concrete by exploiting measured head loss and actual cross-sectional profiles of two headrace tunnels from Nepal. Furthermore, the article aims to establish a link between the Manning coefficient and the physical roughness of the shotcrete-lined tunnel with invert concrete and to establish a link between over-break thickness and physical roughness. Attempts are also made to find a correlation between over-break thickness and rock mass quality described by Q-system and discussions are conducted on the potential cost savings that can be made if concrete lining is replaced by shotcrete lining with invert concrete.

Key technologies for construction of Jinping traffic tunnel with an extremely deep overburden and a high water pressure

Jinping traffic tunnel is one of the deepest traffic tunnels in the world with a maximum overburden of 2 375 m and the overburden over 73% of its total length is larger than 1 500 m. The tunnel is 17.5 km long and designed to provide a shortcut road between two hydropower stations： Jinping I and Jinping II of the Jinping Hydropower Project, located on Yalong River, Liangshan State, Sichuan Province, China. The tunnel is so deep that building any shafts is impossible. The construction starts from both ends （east and west ends）, and the construction length from the west end is 10 km with a blind heading. This paper deals with an overview of this project and analysis of the engineering features, as well as key technologies developed and applied during the construction, including geological prediction, rock burst prevention under a super high in-situ stress, sealing of groundwater with a high pressure and big flow rate, ventilation for a blind heading of 10 km, wet spraying of shotcrete at zones of rock burst and rich water, etc. The application of the new technologies to the construction achieved a high quality tunnel within the contract period.

Influences of material dilatancy and pore water pressure on stability factor of shallow tunnels

Explicit finite difference code was used to calculate the stability factors of shallow tunnels without internal support in limit state. The proposed method was formulated within the nonassociative plasticity. For the shallow tunnels in soft clay, without considering the influences of pore water pressure and dilatancy, numerical results were compared with the previously published solutions. From the comparisons, it is found that the present solutions agree well with the previous solutions. The accuracy of the strength reduction technique was demonstrated through the comparisons. The influence of the pore water pressure was discussed. For the shallow tunnels in dilatant cohesive-frictional soils, the dilatant analysis was carried out.

Application of Particle Image Velocimetry Technology in Water Tunnel

A display and analysis system for hermetical flow field in water tunnel is developed based on the particle image velocimetry(PIV)technology.It consists of some subsystems,such as lamp-house,imaging,image processing and analyzing,control and particles putting.Taking the flow fields around a sphere and a cylinder model as an example under higher Renolds number 5.8×105 in water tunnel,we inquired into the application of the system to water tunnel experiment by cross correlation algorithm.The measure error is less than 2%.The test results show that the developed system can measure and display the flow field accurately in complex flow field without touching and disturbing.The research work indicates that PIV has lots of potential applications in the underwater flow field measurement.

Predictive analysis of stress regime and possible squeezing deformation for super-long water conveyance tunnels in Pakistan

The prediction of the stress field of deep-buried tunnels is a fundamental problem for scientists and engineers. In this study, the authors put forward a systematic solution for this problem. Databases from the World Stress Map and the Crustal Stress of China, and previous research findings can offer prediction of stress orientations in an engineering area. At the same time, the Andersonian theory can be used to analyze the possible stress orientation of a region. With limited in-situ stress measurements, the Hock-Brown Criterion can be used to estimate the strength of rock mass in an area of interest by utilizing the geotechnical investigation data, and the modified Sheorey＇s model can subsequently be employed to predict the areas＇ stress profile, without stress data, by taking the existing in-situ stress measurements as input parameters. In this paper, a case study was used to demonstrate the application of this systematic solution. The planned Kohala hydropower plant is located on the western edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Three hydro-fracturing stress measurement campaigns indicated that the stress state of the area is SH - Sh 〉 Sv or SH 〉Sv 〉 Sh. The measured orientation of Sn is NEE （N70.3°-89°E）, and the regional orientation of SH from WSM is NE, which implies that the stress orientation of shallow crust may be affected by landforms. The modified Sheorey model was utilized to predict the stress profile along the water sewage tunnel for the plant. Prediction results show that the maximum and minimum horizontal principal stres- ses of the points with the greatest burial depth were up to 56.70 and 40.14 MPa, respectively, and the stresses of areas with a burial depth of greater than 500 m were higher. Based on the predicted stress data, large deformations of the rock mass surrounding water conveyance tunnels were analyzed. Results showed that the large deformations will occur when the burial depth exceeds 300 m. When the burial depth is beyond 800 m, serious squeezing deformations will occur in the surrounding rock masses, thus requiring more attention in the design and construction. Based on the application efficiency in this case study, this prediction method proposed in this paper functions accurately.

Treatment of tunnel wash waters-experiments with organic sorbent materials. PartⅡ: Removal of toxic metals

In the first part of the article, the column and the bag experiments concerning removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nonpolar oil (NPO) from tunnel wash waters using organic sorbent materials have been described. This part presents the results of removal of toxic metals. The metals of concern (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mo, Ni, and Zn) were selected based on the priority toxicant pollutants defined in surface water quality criteria. Concentrations of these metals in the collected effluent...

Structural mechanism and construction method of mud and water inrush in Xiangyun tunnel of Guangtong-Dali railway

Mud and water inrush in tunnel is a common problem in the construction process. Nowadays, the research and classification on this are mostly focused on karst situations. According to the characteristics of the surrounding rock and damage forms of the tunnel in the studied area, the author analyzed the geological and structural characteristics of mud and water inrush in tunnel and obtained their construction type. Meanwhile, the advanced water detection under the complex geological conditions was studied by using induced polarization method, transient electromagnetic method and three-dimensional seismic method, it can be concluded that the water-rich fracture zone exists within the detection range with a risk of large mud and water inrush disaster. The concrete construction treatment measures are put forward:①cement-water glass binary slurry is selected as the material for ground and hole grouting, its advantage is that the gel time can be controlled, and it has certain grout ability in the strata with large permeability coeffcient, which is conducive to excavate construction immediately after grouting.②applying the mature retrograde grouting construction can reduce grouting time and improve the excavation efficiency.

LONG AND DEEP DIVERSION TUNNELS OF 1^(ST) STAGE PROJECT IN WEST ROUTE OF SOUTH-NORTH WATER TRANSFER PROJECT

West Route of South-North Water Transfer Project,situated in southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,is a giant project,which will deliver 17 billion m3 of water from the main stream and tributaries upstream of the Yangtze River to the upper reaches of the Yellow River. It is to be constructed in 3 stages, of which the 1st stage project includes delivering 4 billion m3 of water by gravity from two tributaries of Yalong River and three tributaries of Dadu River. The project consists of 5 dams,7 tunnels and a channel in series,with the dam height of 63～123 m and water transfer length of 260.3 km,of which the tunnels measure 244.1 km. The special climatic,environmental and geologic conditions make the project much more complicated in construction,especially 3 tunnels with the length longer than 50 km each create challenges to the technical requirements of engineering survey,design and construction.

Grouting techniques for the unfavorable geological conditions of Xiang'an subsea tunnel in China

One of the major challenges during subsea tunnel construction is to seal the potential water inflow. Thepaper presents a case study of Xiang＇an subsea tunnel in Xiamen, the first subsea tunnel in China. Duringits construction, different grades of weathered geomaterials were encountered, which was the challengingissue for this project. To deal with these unfavorable geological conditions, grouting was adoptedas an important measure for ground treatment. The grouting mechanism is first illustrated by introducinga typical grouting process. Then the site-specific grouting techniques employed in the Xiang＇ansubsea tunnel are elaborated. By using this ground reinforcement technique, the tunneling safety of theXiang＇an subsea tunnel was guaranteed. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energy analysis of rock plug thickness in karst tunnels based on non-associated flow rule and nonlinear failure criterion

The geological hazards, such as water inrush and mud outburst, are easily induced by the high water pressure caverns ahead of a karst tunnel face. Therefore, it is a pivotal issue to determine the reserved thickness of rock plug during the construction of tunnels. The limit analysis principle is employed to analyze the safe thickness from the point of energy dissipation, and the nonlinear and non-associated characteristics of geotechnical materials are both considered. On the basis of a plane failure pattern of rock plug, the expressions of detaching curve and rock plug thickness are derived. The effect of each parameter on the safe thickness of rock plug is discussed in detail, which interprets the corresponding failure scope of rock plug. The obtained results indicate that the thickness of rock plug is highly influenced by the nonlinear dilatancy coefficient and the nonlinear coefficient. The proposed method is validated by a comparison of the calculated results with those of the engineering project of the "526 karst cavern" of Yunwushan tunnel. This proposed method can provide reference basis for the design and excavation of karst tunnels in the future.

Analysis of mechanical behavior of soft rocks and stability control in deep tunnels

Due to the weakness in mechanical properties of chlorite schist and the high in situ stress in Jinping II hydropower station, the rock mass surrounding the diversion tunnels located in chlorite schist was observed with extremely large deformations. This may significantly increase the risk of tunnel instability during excavation. In order to assess the stability of the diversion tunnels laboratory tests were carried out in association with the petrophysical properties, mechanical behaviors and waterlweakening properties of chlorite schist. The continuous deformation of surrounding rock mass, the destruction of the support structure and a large-scale collapse induced by the weak chlorite schist and high in situ stress were analyzed. The distributions of compressive deformation in the excavation zone with large deformations were also studied. In this regard, two reinforcement schemes for the excavation of diversion tunnel bottom section were proposed accordingly. This study could offer theoretical basis for deed tunnel construction in similar geological condition~