Predicting geological hazards during tunnel construction

The complicated geological conditions and geological hazards are challenging problems during tunnel construction,which will cause great losses of life and property.Therefore,reliable prediction of geological defective features,such as faults,karst caves and groundwater,has important practical significances and theoretical values.In this paper,we presented the criteria for detecting typical geological anomalies using the tunnel seismic prediction（TSP） method.The ground penetrating radar（GPR） signal response to water-bearing structures was used for theoretical derivations.And the 3D tomography of the transient electromagnetic method（TEM） was used to develop an equivalent conductance method.Based on the improvement of a single prediction technique,we developed a technical system for reliable prediction of geological defective features by analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of all prediction methods.The procedure of the application of this system was introduced in detail.For prediction,the selection of prediction methods is an important and challenging work.The analytic hierarchy process（AHP） was developed for prediction optimization.We applied the newly developed prediction system to several important projects in China,including Hurongxi highway,Jinping II hydropower station,and Kiaochow Bay subsea tunnel.The case studies show that the geological defective features can be successfully detected with good precision and efficiency,and the prediction system is proved to be an effective means to minimize the risks of geological hazards during tunnel construction.

Application of Low-penetration Concrete as the Protecting Layer in Wuhan Yangtse River Tunnel Tube

Based on the Wuhan Yangtse River Tunnel Project, the low-penetration fiber concrete used in the protecting layer of Wuhan Yangtse River Tunnel tube has been studied in this paper. With the effect of silica fume, slag and polypropylene fiber on the anti-penetration of tunnel concrete by means of NEL test, XRD and SEM, some conclusions has been drawn. The affection on the anti-penetration capability of the four factors is capacity of silica fume>portion of short and long fiber> fiber VOL Portion>length of Fiber. Fiber capacity of 0.15% is still not good enough for the anti-penetration capability of concrete. While that of 0.5% has exceed the maximum, and the fiber tends to assemble together. Silica fume may greatly enhance the anti-penetration capability of concrete, while the relationship between them is not direct proportion. The average of chloric ion pervasion coefficient with 8% capacity of silica fume is the lowest. Slag may reacted with other component to generate lots of C-A-H. When reacted with free chloride ion, C-A-H may form friedel salt which may also enhance the Anti-penetration capability of concrete.

Experimental study on the effect of flexible joints of a deep-buried tunnel across an active fault under high in-situ stress conditions

During dislocation,a tunnel crossing the active fault will be damaged to varying degrees due to its permanent stratum displacement.Most previous studies did not consider the influence of the tunnel’s deep burial and the high in-situ stress,so the results were not entirely practical.In this paper,the necessity of solving the anti-dislocation problem of deep-buried tunnels is systemically discussed.Through the model test of tunnels across active faults,the differences in failures between deep-buried tunnels and shallow-buried tunnels were compared,and the dislocation test of deep-buried segmental tunnels was carried out to analyze the external stress change,lining strain,and failure mode of tunnels.The results are as follows.(1)The overall deformation of deep-buried and shallow-buried tunnels is both Sshaped.The failure mode of deep-buried tunnels is primarily characterized by shear and tensile failure,resulting in significant compressive deformation and a larger damaged area.In contrast,shallow-buried tunnels mainly experience shear failure,with the tunnel being sheared apart at the fault crossing,leading to more severe damage.(2)After the segmental structure design of the deep-buried tunnel,the‘‘S”deformation pattern is transformed into a‘‘ladder”pattern,and the strain of the tunnel and the peak stress of the external rock mass are reduced;therefore,damages are significantly mitigated.(3)Through the analysis of the distribution of cracks in the tunnel lining,it is found that the tunnel without a segmental structure design has suffered from penetrating failure and that cracks affect the entire lining.The cracks in a flexible segmental tunnel affect about 66.6%of the entire length of the tunnel,and cracks in a tunnel with a short segmental tunnel only affect about 33.3%of the entire length of the tunnel.Therefore,a deep-buried tunnel with a short segmental tunnel can yield a better anti-dislocation effect.(4)By comparing the shallow-buried segmental tunnel in previous studies,it is concluded that the shallow-buried segmental tunnel will also suffer from deformation outside the fault zone,while the damages to the deep-buried segmental tunnel are concentrated in the fault zone,so the anti-dislocation protection measures of the deep-buried tunnel shall be provided mainly in the fault zone.The results of the above study can provide theoretical reference and technical support for the design and reinforcement measures of the tunnel crossing active fault under high in-situ stress conditions.