Effect of surcharge loading on horseshoe-shaped tunnels excavated in saturated soft rocks

Underground facilities are usually constructed under existing buildings,or buildings are constructed over existing underground structures.It is then imperative to account for the current overburden loads and future surface loadings in the design of tunnels.In addition,tunnels are often constructed beneath the groundwater level,such as cross-river tunnels.Therefore,it is also important to consider the water pressure impact on the tunnel lining behaviour.Tunnels excavated by a conventional tunnelling method are considered in this paper.The hyperstatic reaction method(HRM)is adopted in this study to investigate the effect of surcharge loading on a horseshoe-shaped tunnel behaviour excavated in saturated soft rocks.The results obtained from the HRM and numerical modelling are in good agreement.Parametric studies were then performed to show the effects of the water pressure,surcharge loading value and its width,and groundwater level on the behaviour of the horseshoe-shaped tunnel lining,in terms of internal forces and displacements.It displays that the bending moment,normal forces and radial displacements are more sensitive to the water pressure,surcharge loading and groundwater level.

Failure behavior of horseshoe-shaped tunnel in hard rock under high stress:Phenomenon and mechanisms

A particle flow code(PFC) was first applied to examining the mechanical response of a horseshoe-shaped opening in prismatic rock models under biaxial compression. Next, an improved complex variable method was proposed to derive the stress distribution around the opening. Lastly, a case study of tunnel failure caused by rock burst in Jinping Ⅱ Hydropower Station was further analyzed and discussed. The results manifest that a total of four types of cracks occur around the opening under low lateral confining stress, namely, the primary-tensile cracks on the roof-floor, sidewall cracks on the sidewalls, secondary-tensile cracks on the corners and shear cracks along the diagonals. As the confining stress increases, the tensile cracks gradually disappear whilst the spalling failure becomes severe. Overall, the failure phenomenon of the modelled tunnel agrees well with that of the practical headrace tunnel, and the crack initiation mechanisms can be clearly clarified by the analytical stress distribution.

Application of transient Rayleigh wave in detection of tunnel lining void area

Transient Rayleigh wave detection is a high-precision nondestructive detection method.At present,it has been widely used in shallow exploration,but rarely used in tunnel lining quality detection.Through the tunnel lining physical model experiment,the layout defects of the double-layer reinforcement lining area were detected and the Rayleigh wave velocity profile and dispersion curve were analyzed after data process-ing,which finally verified the feasibility and accuracy of Rayleigh wave method in detecting the tunnel lining void area.The results show that the method is not affected by the reinforcement inside the lining,the shallow detection is less disturbed and the accuracy is higher,and the data will fluctuate slightly with the deepening of the detection depth.At the same time,this method responds quite accurately to the thickness of the concrete,allowing for the assessment of the tunnel lining’s lack of compactness.This method has high efficiency,good reliability,and simple data processing,and is suitable for nondestructive detection of internal defects of tun-nel lining structure.

Dynamic interaction of twin vertically overlapping lined tunnels in an elastic half space subjected to incident plane waves

The scattering of plane harmonic P and SV waves by a pair of vertically overlapping lined tunnels buried in an elastic half space is solved using a semi-analytic indirect boundary integration equation method. Then the effect of the distance between the two tunnels, the stiffness and density of the lining material, and the incident frequency on the seismic response of the tunnels is investigated. Numerical results demonstrate that the dynamic interaction between the twin tunnels cannot be ignored and the lower tunnel has a significant shielding effect on the upper tunnel for high-frequency incident waves, resulting in great decrease of the dynamic hoop stress in the upper tunnel; for the low-frequency incident waves, in contrast, the lower tunnel can lead to amplification effect on the upper tunnel. It also reveals that the frequency-spectrum characteristics of dynamic stress of the lower tunnel are significantly different from those of the upper tunnel. In addition, for incident P waves in low-frequency region, the soft lining tunnels have significant amplification effect on the surface displacement amplitude, which is slightly larger than that of the corresponding single tunnel.

Railway tunnel concrete lining damaged by formation of gypsum,thaumasite and sulfate crystallization products in southwest of China

The railway tunnel concrete lining exposed to sulfate-bearing groundwater beyond 40 years in southwest of China was investigated. Field investigation, sulfate ions content and corroded products analysis, macro/microscopic test were carried out. Results show that under the tunnel concrete lining structure and its served environmental conditions, sulfate solutions permeate concrete lining and accumulate on windward-side of concrete lining, resulting in the increase of sulfate ions content on windward-side and the diffusion of sulfate ions from windward-side to waterward-side, which cause the concrete lining of windward-side damaged seriously but the waterward-side of concrete lining is still in perfect condition. It is confirmed that structural characteristic of tunnel and environmental conditions lead to physical attack with the leaching of concrete and sodium sulfate crystallization as well as chemical corrosion with formation of gypsum in high sulfate concentration and formation of thaumasite in proper temperature rather than formation of ettringite. These achievements can provide academic and technical supports for understanding the deterioration mechanism of concrete lining as well as constructing railway tunnel under sulfate attack.

Time-dependent safety of lining structures of circular tunnels in weak rock strata

Following tunnel excavation and lining completion,fractured surrounding rock deforms gradually over time;this results in a time-dependent evolution of the pressure applied to the lining structure by the surrounding rock.Thus,the safety of the tunnel lining in weak strata is strongly correlated with time.In this study,we developed an analytical method for determining the time-dependent pressure in the surrounding rock and lining structure of a circular tunnel under a hydrostatic stress field.Under the proposed method,the stress–strain relationship of the fractured surrounding rock is assumed to conform to that of the Burgers viscoelastic component,and the lining structure is assumed to be an elastomer.Based on these assumptions,the viscoelastic deformation of the surrounding rock,the elastic deformation of the lining structure,and the coordinated deformation between the surrounding rock and lining structure were derived.The proposed analytical method,which employs a time-dependent safety coefficient,was subsequently used to estimate the durability of the lining structure of the Foling Tunnel in China.The derived attenuation curve of the safety coefficient with respect to time can assist engineers in predicting the remaining viable life of the lining structure.Unlike existing analytical methods,the method derived in this study considers the time dependency of the interaction between the surrounding rock and tunnel lining;hence,it is more suitable for the evaluation of lining lifetime.

Mechanical Behavior and Shape Optimization of Lining Structure for Subsea Tunnel Excavated in Weathered Slot

Subsea tunnel lining structures should be designed to sustain the loads transmitted from surrounding ground and groundwater during excavation. Extremely high pore-water pressure reduces the effective strength of the country rock that surrounds a tunnel, thereby lowering the arching effect and stratum stability of the structure. In this paper, the mechanical behavior and shape optimization of the lining structure for the Xiang＇an tunnel excavated in weathered slots are examined. Eight cross sections with different geometric parameters are adopted to study the mechanical behavior and shape optimization of the lining structure. The hyperstatic reaction method is used through finite element analysis software ANSYS. The mechanical behavior of the lining structure is evidently affected by the geometric parameters of crosssectional shape. The minimum safety factor of the lining structure elements is set to be the objective function. The efficient tunnel shape to maximize the minimum safety factor is identified. The minimum safety factor increases significantly after optimization. The optimized cross section significantly improves the mechanical characteristics of the lining structure and effectively reduces its deformation. Force analyses of optimization process and program are conducted parametrically so that the method can be applied to the optimization design of other similar structures. The results obtained from this study enhance our understanding of the mechanical behavior of the lining structure for subsea tunnels. These results are also beneficial to the optimal design of lining structures in general.

Durability of Lining Concrete of Subsea Tunnel under Combined Action of Freeze-thaw Cycle and Carbonation

Through the fast freeze-thaw cycle test,accelerated carbonation test,and natural carbonation test,the durability performance of lining concrete under combined action of freeze-thaw cycle and carbonation were studied.The experimental results indicate that freeze-thaw cycle apparently accelerates the process of concrete carbonation and carbonation deteriorates the freeze resistance of concrete.Under the combined action of freeze-thaw cycle and carbonation,the durability of lining concrete decreases.The carbonation depth of lining concrete at tunnel openings under freeze-thaw cycles and tunnel condition was predicted.For the high performance concrete with proposed mix ratio,the lining concrete tends to be unsafe because predicted carbonation depth exceeds the thickness of reinforced concrete protective coating.Adopting other measurements simultaneously to improve the durability of lining concrete at the tunnel openings is essential.

Service Life Prediction of Lining Concrete of Subsea Tunnel under Combined Compressive Load and Carbonation

Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay subsea tunnel is the second self-built tunnel in China with the designed service life over 100 years.The durability of lining concrete are one of an important factors to determinate the service life of tunnel.Considering the main environmental loads and mechanical loads of subsea tunnel,the durability properties of lining concrete under combined action of compressive load and carbonation has been studied through the critical compressive load test,accelerated carbonation test,natural carbonation test and capillary suction test.The tests results show that critical compressive load apparently accelerates the carbonation and deteriorates the anti-permeability of concrete.Under the combined action of critical compressive load and carbonation,the durability of lining concrete decreases.Based on the carbonization life criteria and research results,for the high-performance concrete with proposed mix ratio,the predicted service life of lining concrete for Jiaozhou bay subsea tunnel is about 80 years which fails to reach the required service life.It is necessary to adopt other measurements simultaneously to improve the durability of lining concrete.

Analytical solution of a circular lined tunnel with alterable mechanical property under hydrostatic stress and internal pressure

The influence of the interaction between surrounding rock and lining on the long-term behaviour of a tunnel in service is significant.In this paper,we proposed a mechanical model of the circular lined tunnel with the alterable mechanical property under hydrostatic stress and radially inner surface pressure of the lining.The alterable mechanical properties of the surrounding rock and the lining are embodied by the changing of their elasticity modulus with service time and radial direction of the tunnel,respectively.The proposed mechanical model is successfully validated by comparison with the existing theoretical models and the numerical simulation,respectively.The influences of the main parameters of the proposed mechanical model,such as the radial power-law indexes and the time-varying coefficients of the surrounding rock and the lining,as well as the radially inner surface pressure of the lining,on the interface displacement and pressure between surrounding rock and lining are investigated.The research results can provide some valuable references for timely diagnosis and correct evaluation of the long-term behaviours of a tunnel in service.

Seismic performance of tunnel lining of side-by-side and vertically stacked twin-tunnels

The dynamic interaction between tunnel lining and its surrounding soil is a complicated issue as the magnitude of seismic wave from bedrock to the structure can be easily influenced by the geometrical layout and structural stiffness of the tunnel.A series of numerical analysis was conducted to study the dynamic response of the tunnel lining of side-by-side and vertically stacked double-tube tunnel since the inertia and kinematic interactions between the tunnel lining and the surrounding soil during an earthquake could induce excessive stresses to the lining itself due to the stiffness variation between the lining and the soil.Real earthquake ground acceleration was used as an input motion in the dynamic analysis.The interactive behavior of bending moment and axial forces,and the displacement of the tunnels were used to evaluate the effect of tunnel geometrical layout on the performance of the lining.It is found that the effect of earthquake on the axial thrust of the lining is insignificant,and there is a reduction of the bending moment in the lining due to the redistribution of the surrounding soil after the earthquake.

Full-Ring Experimental Study of the Lining Structure of Shanghai Changjiang Tunnel

Shanghai Changjiang Tunnel, 15 m in diameter, is one of the world＇s largest shield-driven tunnels in diameter. Tongji University has recently carried out a test on the full-scale three-ring lining structure of Changjiang Tunnel. This paper introduces the testing processes, including loading apparatuses, test contents, test cases, etc., and makes comparison with other shield lining structure tests conducted before, and finally gives some evaluations on the design of the tunnel.

Nondestructive testing for crack of tunnel lining using GPR

Lining craze, as a common engineering damage, affects the bearing capacity and the safety of tunnels.To improve the capabilities of the surface crack detection in the tunnel lining, ground penetrating radar(GPR) was employed. The principle and method of GPR for cracks investigation of tunnel lining were expounded. As an application example, some field measurements in order to detect the depth of cracks for the tunnel lining were achieved in a new tunnel. All GPR investigations were made with the antennae of 1 GHz. The cracks of concrete structure were located, and the distributing and depth of cracks are inspected and estimated by GPR. The results of investigation show GPR is accurate and efficient to detect cracks of tunnel lining.

Prototype test study on mechanical characteristics of segmental lining structure of underwater railway shield tunnel

Based on the first unde rwater railway shield tunnel, the Shiziyang shield tunnel of Guangzhou Zhu- jiang River, the prototype test was carried out against its segmental lining structure by using ＂multi-function shield tunnel structure test system＂. And the mechanical characteristics of segmental lining structure using straight assembling and staggered assembling were studied deeply. The results showed that, the mechanical characteristics of segmental lining structure varied with the water pressures; especially after cracking, the high water pressure played a significant role in slowing down the growing inner force and deformation. It also testi- fied that the failure characteristics varied with straight assembling structure and staggered assembling structure. Shear thilurc often occurred near longitudinal seam when using straight assembling.

Evaluation of earthquake impact on magnitude of the minimum principal stress along a shotcrete lined pressure tunnel in Nepal

In situ stress condition in rock mass is influenced by both tectonic activity and geological environment such as faulting and shearing in the rock mass.This influence is of significance in the Himalayan region,where the tectonic movement is active,resulting in periodic dynamic earthquakes.Each large-scale earthquake causes both accumulation and sudden release of strain energy,instigating changes in the in situ stress environment in the rock mass.This paper first highlights the importance of the magnitude of the minimum principal stress in the design of unlined or shotcrete lined pressure tunnel as water conveyance system used for hydropower schemes.Then we evaluated the influence of local shear faults on the magnitude of the minimum principal stress along the shotcrete lined high pressure tunnel of Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectric Project(UTHP)in Nepal.A detailed assessment of the in situ stress state is carried out using both measured data and three-dimensional(3D)numerical analyses with FLAC3D.Finally,analysis is carried out on the possible changes in the magnitude of the minimum principal stress in the rock mass caused by seismic movement(dynamic loading).A permanent change in the stress state at and nearby the area of shear zones along the tunnel alignment is found to be an eminent process.

Analysis of the Stability and Mechanical Characteristics of the Jointed Surrounding Rock and Lining Structure of a Deeply Buried Hydraulic Tunnel

On-site monitoring and numerical simulation have been combined to analyze the stability of the jointed surrounding rock and the stress inside the lining structure of a sample deeply buried hydraulic tunnel.We show that the deformation around the tunnel was mainly concentrated in the range 51.37 mm∼66.73 mm,the tunnel circumference was dominated by shear failure,and the maximum plastic zone was about 3.90 m.When the shotcrete treatment was performed immediately after the excavation,the deformation of the surrounding rock was reduced by 58.94%∼76.31%,and the extension of the plastic zone was relatively limited,thereby leading to improvements in terms of the stability of surrounding rock.When the support was provided at different time points,the stress of the surrounding rock in the shallow part of the tunnel was improved everywhere.In the tunnel section with high ground stress and joint development,when 10 cm steel fiber concrete spray layer and 40 cm C25 concrete secondary lining were used,the maximum tensile stress on the lining structure was 0.89 MPa,i.e.,it was less than the tensile strength of concrete,which indicates that the internal force of the lining can meet the overall requirements.

Effect of insufficient tunnel crown thickness on the post-tensioned concrete lining of the Yellow River Crossing Tunnel and its strengthening schemes

The effect of deficiency in tunnel crown thickness on the Yellow River Crossing Tunnel with post-tensioned concrete inner lining was investigated by the elasto-plastic finite element method. Changes in the deformations and circumferential stresses of the post-tensioned concrete inner lining with the gradual decrease of the tunnel crown thickness were compared, and the potential bearing risk of insufficient tunnel crown thickness for the Yellow River Crossing Tunnel was revealed. Based on the finite element calculation results of circumferential stresses under different defective cases, the corresponding reinforcement schemes were proposed. The calculation results show that the inner lining can still maintain a satisfactory stress state when the tunnel crown thickness is equal to or greater than 0. 28 m. When the tunnel crown thickness decreases below 0.28 m, the external surface of the crown and internal surface of the crown＇s adjacent areas may be under tension. The tension stresses will incrementally increase and ultimately exceed the tensile strength of the inner lining concrete as the tunnel crown thickness further decreases gradually. Then, the Yellow River Crossing Tunnel cannot operate normally, and severe cracking, leaking or even failure may occur. When the tunnel crown thickness is equal to or greater than 0.28 m, the reinforcement suggestions are that the void spaces between the inner lining and the outer lining should be back-filled with concrete. When the tunnel crown thickness is less than 0. 28 m, the inner lining should be reinforced by steel plates after concrete back-filling.

Load laws of composite lining in mountain tunnel model tests and numerical simulation validation

Currently,model tests are increasingly being used to simulate the construction of mountain tunnels,but the support structure of the model tests does not show the composite lining,and the force laws of the composite lining are not yet clear.In this research,the force variation of composite lining under three cases in model tests of deep-buried tunnels were carried out with the surrounding rock grade and installation time as the variation factors.The test results reveal that:(1)The suitable method to reduce the contact load between the secondary lining and primary support is to enhance the primary support in the soft and weak surrounding rock.Correspondingly,for ClassⅢsurrounding rock and better quality of surrounding rock,the primary support can lag behind the excavation face a certain distance.(2)The axial forces of the bolts tend to rise with concentration of 0.4 kN-0.7 kN after the secondary lining was installed.(3)With or without two to three excavation cycles delayed,the load sharing ratio of the secondary lining of the Class III surrounding rock is less than 10%.Finally,the numerical simulation verifies the feasibility of the model tests.

An expert system for diagnosing fire-caused damages to reinforced-concrete tunnel lining

During the last four decades, reinforced-concrete structure failures have been happening widely for many reasons, such as increased service loads, war accidents, fire, and durability problems. The economic losses due to those failures are very high. An expert system is an interactive computer-based decision tool that uses both facts and heuristics to solve difficult problems based on knowledge acquired from experts. To realize these requirements, a logic programming visual basic language is used together with visual diagnosis. The expert system, Diagnosis of Fire-Caused Damages to Reinforced-Concrete Tunnel Lining (DFCDRCTL) was developed in this work for diagnosing the annual damages caused by fire. The program is used as an alternative of a human expert to make annual technical decisions in diagnosing fire damages at the second reinforced-concrete tunnel lining segment. It is concluded that the proposed DFCDRCTL expert system is easy to use, and is fast and helpful for engineers.

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.