Influence of groundwater drawdown on excavation responses e A case history in Bukit Timah granitic residual soils

Performances of a braced cut-and-cover excavation system for mass rapid transit （MRT） stations of the Downtown Line Stage 2 in Singapore are presented. The excavation was carried out in the Bukit Timah granitic （BTG） residual soils and characterized by significant groundwater drawdown, due to dewatering work in complex site conditions, insufficient effective waterproof measures and more permeable soils. A two-dimensional numerical model was developed for back analysis of retaining wall movement and ground surface settlement. Comparisons of these measured excavation responses with the calculated performances were carried out, upon which the numerical simulation procedures were calibrated. In addition, the influences of groundwater drawdown on the wall deflection and ground surface settlement were numerically investigated and summarized. The performances were also compared with some commonly used empirical charts, and the results indicated that these charts are less applicable for cases with significant groundwater drawdowns. It is expected that these general behaviors will provide useful references and insights for future projects involving excavation in BTG residual soils under significant groundwater drawdowns.

Performance of braced excavation in residual soil with groundwater drawdown

In densely built-up Singapore,relatively stiffsecant-bored piles and diaphragm walls are commonly used in cut-and-cover works to minimize the impact of ground movement on the adjacent structures and utilities.For excavations in stiffresidual soil deposits,the asso-ciated wall deflections and ground settlements are generally smaller than for excavations in soft soil deposits.However,if the residual soil permeability is high and the underlying rock is highlyfissured or fractured,substantial groundwater drawdown and associated seepage-induced settlement may occur.In this study,the excavation performance of four sites in residual soil deposits with maximum excavation depths between 20 and 24 m is presented.The maximum wall deflections were found to be relatively small compared to the significantly larger maximum ground settlements,owing to the extensive lowering of the groundwater table.In this paper,details of the subsurface conditions,excavation support system,field instrumentation,and observed excavation responses are presented,with particular focus on the large groundwater drawdown and associated ground settlement.Specific issues encountered during the excavation,as well as the effectiveness of various groundwater control measures,are discussed.The case studies will provide useful references and insights for future projects involving braced excavations in residual soil.

Numerical Study on Groundwater Drawdown and Deformation Responses of Multi-Layer Strata to Pumping in a Confined Aquifer

Pumping artesian water from porous media inevitably reduces the groundwater head and promotes soil consolidation,which may result in regional land subsidence.In this study,a fluid-mechanical coupled numerical model is developed to investigate the dewatering-induced groundwater drawdown and deformation responses for multi-layer strata.The relation bet ween the stra tum deformation and groundwater drawdown is discussed.The results show that the pumping process can be divided into four st ages.The development of vertical deformation is inconsistent with the change of the pore pressure for the strata except for the confined aquifer at the early stage of pumping.The st rata expand while the pore pressures reduce.This inconsistency may be due to the large unloading in the confined aquifer at the early stage of pumping.Soil arch comes into being owing to the constraint of the surrounding soils when the large unloading occurs in the confined aquifer;this can reduce the stratum compression and cause the expansion of the layers.It can be concluded that as the pumping continues,the decrease of the pore pressure dominates the vertical deformation and results in the soil compression in all strata.

Limiting drainage criterion for groundwater of mountain tunnel

Large amount of groundwater discharging from tunnel is likely to cause destruction of the ecological environment in the vicinity of the tunnel, thus an appropriate drainage criterion should be established to balance the tunnel construction and groundwater.To assess the related problems, an limiting drainage standard ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 m3/(m·d) was suggested for mountain tunnels based on survey and comparative analysis. After that, for the purpose of verifying the rationality of the standard, a calculated formula for dewatering funnel volume caused by drainage was deduced on the basis of the groundwater dynamics and experience method.Furthermore, the equation about the relationship between water discharge and drawdown of groundwater table was presented. The permeability coefficient, specific yield and groundwater table value were introduced, and then combined with the above equation, the drawdown of groundwater table under the proposed limiting drainage criterion was calculated. It is shown that the proposed drainage standard can reach the purpose of protecting ecological environment under the following two conditions. One is the permeability coefficient ranges from 10-4 to 10-5 m/s and the specific yield ranges from 0.1 to 0.001. The other is the permeability coefficient varies from 10-6 to 10-8 m/s and the specific yield varies from 0.1 to 0.01. In addition, a majority of common geotechnical layers are involved in the above ranges. Thus, the proposed limiting drainage standard which ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 m3/(m·d) for mountain tunnel is reasonable.

Drainage design combining drain holes and pinholes for tunnel boring machine segments subject to high water pressure

Balance of the groundwater and ecology is crucial for controlled discharge.However,regarding the segments of tunnel boring machines(TBMs)under high water pressure,the stability of the lining structure is often reduced by excessive drain holes required to achieve this balance.The large discharge of pinholes can easily have severe consequences,such as the lowering of the groundwater table,drying of springs,and vegetation wilting.Thus,in this study,according to the fluid-structure coupling theory,a new drainage design for TBM segments was developed by considering a mountain tunnel subject to a high water pressure as a case study.The evolution characteristics,including the external water pressure of the lining,discharge volume of the segment,and groundwater-table drawdown,were investigated via numerical modeling with drain holes and pinholes.The results indicated that the optimal design parameters of drainage segments for the project case were as follows:a circumferential spacing angle and longitudinal number on one side of a single ring of 51°and 2,respectively,for the drain holes and an inclination angle and length of 46.41°and 0.25 times the grouting thickness,respectively,for the pin holes.