Application of excavation compensation method for enhancing stability and efficiency in shallow large-span rock tunnels

Engineering shallow,large-span rock tunnels challenges deformation control and escalates construction costs.This study investigates the excavation compensation method(ECM)and its associated technologies to address these issues.Utilizing five key technologies,the ECM effectively modulates radial stress post-excavation,redistributes stress in the surrounding rock,and eliminates tensile stress at the excavation face.Pre-tensioning measures further enhance the rock’s residual strength,establishing a new stability equilibrium.Field tests corroborate the method’s effectiveness,demonstrating a crown settlement reduction of 3–8 mm,a nearly 50%decrease compared to conventional construction approaches.Additionally,material consumption and construction duration were reduced by approximately 30%–35%and 1.75 months per 100 m,respectively.Thus,the ECM represents a significant innovation in enhancing the stability and construction efficiency of large-span rock tunnels,marking a novel contribution to the engineering field.

Numerical Simulation of Surrounding Rock Deformation and Grouting Reinforcement of Cross-Fault Tunnel under Different Excavation Methods

Tunnel construction is susceptible to accidents such as loosening, deformation, collapse, and water inrush, especiallyunder complex geological conditions like dense fault areas. These accidents can cause instability and damageto the tunnel. As a result, it is essential to conduct research on tunnel construction and grouting reinforcementtechnology in fault fracture zones to address these issues and ensure the safety of tunnel excavation projects. Thisstudy utilized the Xianglushan cross-fault tunnel to conduct a comprehensive analysis on the construction, support,and reinforcement of a tunnel crossing a fault fracture zone using the three-dimensional finite element numericalmethod. The study yielded the following research conclusions: The excavation conditions of the cross-fault tunnelarray were analyzed to determine the optimal construction method for excavation while controlling deformationand stress in the surrounding rock. The middle partition method (CD method) was found to be the most suitable.Additionally, the effects of advanced reinforcement grouting on the cross-fault fracture zone tunnel were studied,and the optimal combination of grouting reinforcement range (140°) and grouting thickness (1m) was determined.The stress and deformation data obtained fromon-site monitoring of the surrounding rock was slightly lower thanthe numerical simulation results. However, the change trend of both sets of data was found to be consistent. Theseresearch findings provide technical analysis and data support for the construction and design of cross-fault tunnels.

Exploring the feasibility of prestressed anchor cables as an alternative to temporary support in the excavation of super-large-span tunnel

Excavating super-large-span tunnels in soft rock masses presents significant challenges.To ensure safety,the sequential excavation method is commonly adopted.It utilizes internal temporary supports to spatially partition the tunnel face and divide the excavation into multiple stages.However,these internal supports generally impose spatial constraints,limiting the use of large-scale excavation equipment and reducing construction efficiency.To address this constraint,this study adopts the“Shed-frame”principle to explore the feasibility of an innovative support system,which aims to replace internal supports with prestressed anchor cables and thus provide a more spacious working space with fewer internal obstructions.To evaluate its effectiveness,a field case involving the excavation of a 24-m span tunnel in soft rock is presented,and an analysis of extensive field data is conducted to study the deformation characteristics of the surrounding rock and the mechanical behavior of the support system.The results revealed that prestressed anchor cables integrated the initial support with the shed,creating an effective“shed-frame”system,which successively maintained tunnel deformation and frame stress levels within safe regulatory bounds.Moreover,the prestressed anchor cables bolstered the surrounding rock effectively and reduced the excavation-induced disturbance zone significantly.In summary,the proposed support system balances construction efficiency and safety.These field experiences may offer valuable insights into the popularization and further development of prestressed anchor cable support systems.

Deterministic and probabilistic analysis of great-depth braced excavations:A 32 m excavation case study in Paris

The Fort d’Issy-Vanves-Clamart(FIVC)braced excavation in France is analyzed to provide insights into the geotechnical serviceability assessment of excavations at great depth within deterministic and probabilistic frameworks.The FIVC excavation is excavated at 32 m below the ground surface in Parisian sedimentary basin and a plane-strain finite element analysis is implemented to examine the wall deflections and ground surface settlements.A stochastic finite element method based on the polynomial chaos Kriging metamodel(MSFEM)is then proposed for the probabilistic analyses.Comparisons with field measurements and former studies are carried out.Several academic cases are then conducted to investigate the great-depth excavation stability regarding the maximum horizontal wall deflection and maximum ground surface settlement.The results indicate that the proposed MSFEM is effective for probabilistic analyses and can provide useful insights for the excavation design and construction.A sensitivity analysis for seven considered random parameters is then implemented.The soil friction angle at the excavation bottom layer is the most significant one for design.The soil-wall interaction effects on the excavation stability are also given.

Model test of negative Poisson’s ratio cable for supporting super-largespan tunnel using excavation compensation method

In recent years,there is a scenario in urban tunnel constructions to build super-large-span tunnels for traffic diversion and route optimization purposes.However,the increased size makes tunnel support more difficult.Unfortunately,there are few studies on the failure and support mechanism of the surrounding rocks in the excavation of supported tunnel,while most model tests of super-large-span tunnels focus on the failure characteristics of surrounding rocks in tunnel excavation without supports.Based on excavation compensation method(ECM),model tests of a super-large-span tunnel excavation by different anchor cable support methods in the initial support stage were carried out.The results indicate that during excavation of super-large-span tunnel,the stress and displacement of the shallow surrounding rocks decrease,following a step-shape pattern,and the tunnel failure is mainly concentrated on the vault and spandrel areas.Compared with conventional anchor cable supports,the NPR(negative Poisson’s ratio)anchor cable support is more suitable for the initial support stage of the super-large-span tunnels.The tunnel support theory,model test materials,methods,and the results obtained in this study could provide references for study of similar super-large-span tunnels。

Compensation excavation method control for large deformation disaster of mountain soft rock tunnel

In recent years,the mine tunneling method and the new Austrian tunneling method have been considered the main theories of tunneling approaches in China.It is difficult for the traditional technique to overcome the large deformation problems imposed by complex geological conditions of mountain soft rock tunneling.Hence,the compensation excavation method has been proposed to solve this issue under the consideration that all damage in tunneling originates from the excavation.It uses supportive strategies to counteract the excavation effects successfully.This paper provides an overview of the fundamental ideas of the compensation excavation method,methodologies,and field applications.The scientific validity and feasibility of the compensation excavation method were investigated through the practical engineering study of the Muzhailing and Changning tunnels.

Frozen curtain characteristics during excavation of submerged shallow tunnel using Freeze-Sealing Pipe-Roof method

The Freeze-Sealing Pipe-Roof(FSPR)method,which has been applied for the first time in the Gongbei Tunnel of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge,is a new approach of tunnel pre-support that allows flexible adjustment of freeze tube arrangement and can be adapted to different environmental conditions.When the FSPR method is used to construct shallow burial submerged tunnels,the frozen wall to hold back groundwater during excavation will be weakened by air and water flows inside and outside the tunnel,and its waterproof performance needs to be further investigated.In this paper,a two-dimensional numerical model of the temperature field considering excavation and moving water boundary is established based on the preliminary design scheme and in-situ conditions and is used to analyze the variation in frozen curtain properties with various active freezing times during excavation.The results show that excavation has a weakening effect on both sides of the frozen wall,with a greater effect on the inner side,and a positive temperature appears in the local area inside the jacked pipe.The concrete fill in the jacked pipe obviously improves the freezing efficiency,and the tunnel excavation after 60 days of active freezing in the interval filling mode can ensure that the frozen soil thickness at the thinnest segment exceeds 2 m,i.e.,the design requirement.In practice,the active freezing time can be extended appropriately to reduce the influence of river water flow above the tunnel.The study serves as a technical reference for the design and implementation of similar projects.

Feasibility evaluation for excavation of Naghshe Jahan Square subway station by underground methods

In recent years, in reaction to the increasing usage of urban areas, the excavation of underground spaces has been developed. One of the most challenging issues encountered by engineers is the construction of subway stations as large underground spaces at shallow depth with soft surrounding soils. In this paper, Naghshe Jahan Square subway station located in Isfahan, Iran, has been simulated by geomechanical fnite difference method(FDM). This station is located under important historical structures. Therefore, the ground displacement and surface settlement induced by the excavation of the subway station should be strictly controlled. Many of such problems are affected by selected excavation method. For these reasons, different underground excavation methods associated with construction have been studied. In this study, sequential excavation method and large-diameter curved pipe roofng method are used and the numerical results of the two methods are compared. The presence of groundwater table obliges us to choose special techniques for the stability of the ground around the subway station during construction; hence compressed air and ground freezing techniques are utilized in the simulations of the subway station. Finally, after choosing appropriate support systems, the large-diameter curved pipe roofng method with 1.5 m spacing between curved pipes is proposed.

Assessing fracturing mechanisms and evolution of excavation damaged zone of tunnels in interlocked rock masses at high stresses using a finitediscrete element approach

Deep underground excavations within hard rocks can result in damage to the surrounding rock mass mostly due to redistribution of stresses.Especially within rock masses with non-persistent joints,the role of the pre-existing joints in the damage evolution around the underground opening is of critical importance as they govern the fracturing mechanisms and influence the brittle responses of these hard rock masses under highly anisotropic in situ stresses.In this study,the main focus is the impact of joint network geometry,joint strength and applied field stresses on the rock mass behaviours and the evolution of excavation induced damage due to the loss of confinement as a tunnel face advances.Analysis of such a phenomenon was conducted using the finite-discrete element method (FDEM).The numerical model is initially calibrated in order to match the behaviour of the fracture-free,massive Lac du Bonnet granite during the excavation of the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Test Tunnel,Canada.The influence of the pre-existing joints on the rock mass response during excavation is investigated by integrating discrete fracture networks (DFNs) of various characteristics into the numerical models under varying in situ stresses.The numerical results obtained highlight the significance of the pre-existing joints on the reduction of in situ rock mass strength and its capacity for extension with both factors controlling the brittle response of the material.Furthermore,the impact of spatial distribution of natural joints on the stability of an underground excavation is discussed,as well as the potentially minor influence of joint strength on the stress induced damage within joint systems of a non-persistent nature under specific conditions.Additionally,the in situ stress-joint network interaction is examined,revealing the complex fracturing mechanisms that may lead to uncontrolled fracture propagation that compromises the overall stability of an underground excavation.

Settlement characteristics of large-diameter shield excavation below existing subway in close vicinity

A case of Qinghuayuan tunnel excavation below the existing Beijing Subway Line 10 is presented.The new Qinghuayuan tunnel,part of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-speed Railway,was excavated by a shield machine with an outer diameter of 12.2 m.The existing subway was excavated by shallow tunnelling method.The project layout,geological conditions,reinforcement measures,operational parameters of shield machine and monitoring results of the project are introduced.During the Qinghuayuan tunnel excavation below the existing subway,total thrust,shield driving speed,cutterhead rotation speed and torque were manually controlled below the average values obtained from the previous monitoring of this project,which could effectively reduce the disturbance of the surrounding soil induced by shield excavation.The Gaussian fitting function can appropriately fit both the ground and the existing subway settlements.The trough width is influenced not only by the excavation overburden depth,but also by the forepoling reinforcement and tail void grouting measures.

State-of-the-art review of soft computing applications in underground excavations

Soft computing techniques are becoming even more popular and particularly amenable to model the complex behaviors of most geotechnical engineering systems since they have demonstrated superior predictive capacity,compared to the traditional methods.This paper presents an overview of some soft computing techniques as well as their applications in underground excavations.A case study is adopted to compare the predictive performances of soft computing techniques including eXtreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost),Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines(MARS),Artificial Neural Networks(ANN),and Support Vector Machine(SVM) in estimating the maximum lateral wall deflection induced by braced excavation.This study also discusses the merits and the limitations of some soft computing techniques,compared with the conventional approaches available.

Tunnel failure in hard rock with multiple weak planes due to excavation unloading of in-situ stress

Natural geological structures in rock(e.g.,joints,weakness planes,defects)play a vital role in the stability of tunnels and underground operations during construction.We investigated the failure characteristics of a deep circular tunnel in a rock mass with multiple weakness planes using a 2D combined finite element method/discrete element method(FEM/DEM).Conventional triaxial compression tests were performed on typical hard rock(marble)specimens under a range of confinement stress conditions to validate the rationale and accuracy of the proposed numerical approach.Parametric analysis was subsequently conducted to investigate the influence of inclination angle,and length on the crack propagation behavior,failure mode,energy evolution,and displacement distribution of the surrounding rock.The results show that the inclination angle strongly affects tunnel stability,and the failure intensity and damage range increase with increasing inclination angle and then decrease.The dynamic disasters are more likely with increasing weak plane length.Shearing and sliding along multiple weak planes are also consistently accompanied by kinetic energy fluctuations and surges after unloading,which implies a potentially violent dynamic response around a deeply-buried tunnel.Interactions between slabbing and shearing near the excavation boundaries are also discussed.The results presented here provide important insight into deep tunnel failure in hard rock influenced by both unloading disturbance and tectonic activation.

Influence of excavation schemes on slope stability: A DEM study

Slope failure due to improper excavation is one of common engineering disasters in China.To explore the failure mechanism of soil slope induced by toe excavation,especially to investigate the influence of excavation unloading path and rate on slope stability,a numerical slope model was built via particle flow code PFC2 D.The development of crack and strain during excavation were obtained and used to evaluate the deformation characteristics.Furthermore,excavation types representing different unloading paths and rates were compared in terms of crack number and strain level.Results indicate that crack number and strain level induced by horizontal column excavation are much greater than those of vertical column excavation and oblique excavation.The crack number and strain level increase with excavation unloading rate.Besides,the feasibility of taking the average strain of slope surface and the average value of maximum strain along monitoring lines to represent the global deformation characteristics were discussed.This study can provide a theoretical guidance for slope monitoring and preliminary optimal selection of excavation scheme in the design and construction of slope engineering.

Differential uplift and settlement between inner column and diaphragm wall in top-down excavation

Top structure and basement will confront the risk of being damaged on account of large stress and strain fields incurred by differential uplift and settlement between inner column and diaphragm wall in top-down method. Top-down excavation of the Metro Line 10 in Shanghai was modeled with finite element analysis software ABAQUS and parameters of subsoil were obtained by inverse analysis. Based on the finite element model and parameters, changes in the following factors were made to find more effective methods to restrain differential uplift and settlement: length of diaphragm wall, thickness of jet-grouting reinforcement layer, ways of subsoil reinforcement, sequence of pit excavation, connection between slabs and diaphragm wall or column and width of pit. Several significant results are acquired. The longer the diaphragm wall is, the greater the differential uplift between column and diaphragm wall is. Rigidity of roof slab is in general not strong enough to keep diaphragm wall and column undergoing the same uplift during excavation; Uplift at head of column and differential uplift between column and diaphragm wall decrease when subsoil from-16.6 to-43 m in pit is reinforced through jet-grouting. But, as excavation proceeds to a lower level, benefit from soil reinforcement diminishes. During the process applying vertical load, the larger the depth of diaphragm wall is, the smaller the settlement is at head of column and diaphragm wall, and the greater the differential settlement is between column and diaphragm wall. When friction connection is implemented between column, diaphragm wall and floor slabs, uplifts at head of column and diaphragm wall are larger than those of the case when tie connection is implemented, and so does differential uplift between column and diaphragm wall. The maximum deflection of diaphragm wall decreases by 58% on account of soil reinforcement in pit. The maximum deflection of diaphragm wall decreases by 61.2% when friction connection is implemented instead of tie connection.

Fracture development around deep underground excavations: Insights from FDEM modelling

Over the past twenty years, there has been a growing interest in the development of numerical modelsthat can realistically capture the progressive failure of rock masses. In particular, the investigation ofdamage development around underground excavations represents a key issue in several rock engineeringapplications, including tunnelling, mining, drilling, hydroelectric power generation, and the deepgeological disposal of nuclear waste. The goal of this paper is to show the effectiveness of a hybrid finitediscreteelement method （FDEM） code to simulate the fracturing mechanisms associated with theexcavation of underground openings in brittle rock formations. A brief review of the current state-of-theartmodelling approaches is initially provided, including the description of selecting continuum- anddiscontinuum-based techniques. Then, the influence of a number of factors, including mechanical and insitu stress anisotropy, as well as excavation geometry, on the simulated damage is analysed for threedifferent geomechanical scenarios. Firstly, the fracture nucleation and growth process under isotropicrock mass conditions is simulated for a circular shaft. Secondly, the influence of mechanical anisotropy onthe development of an excavation damaged zone （EDZ） around a tunnel excavated in a layered rockformation is considered. Finally, the interaction mechanisms between two large caverns of an undergroundhydroelectric power station are investigated, with particular emphasis on the rock mass responsesensitivity to the pillar width and excavation sequence. Overall, the numerical results indicate that FDEMsimulations can provide unique geomechanical insights in cases where an explicit consideration offracture and fragmentation processes is of paramount importance. 2014 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting byElsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Excavation of Inlet Tunnels at Geheyan Power Station

The Geheyan Power Station on the Qingjiang river has four inlet tunnels, on the right bank, with its excavation diameter of 11.3 m to 12.5 m, after lining diameter of 9.5 m, axis to axis spacing of 24 m. The thickness of the pillar between tunnels should usually be more than two times of tunnel diameter to ensure the stability of surrounding rock during excavation. In this paper, the excavation methods of tunnels with the pillar thickness as small as the tunnel diameter, such as smooth surface blasting, shotcrete support protection, are emphatically discussed.

Reliability Allocation of Large Mining Excavator Electrical System Based on the Entropy Method with Failure and Maintenance Data

In the design of large mining excavator electrical system,a practical reliability allocation method was introduced to allocate system level reliability requirements into subsystem and component levels. During the reliability allocation process,factors from the fault and maintenance data were only considered in reliability allocation scheme. It could avoid the disturbance from expert experiences. The entropy method was also used to obtain weights of reliability allocation indexes of large mining excavators considering different factors. Then the failure rate allocation of subsystems and components could be completed.

Deep Foundation Pit Excavations Adjacent to Disconnected Piled Rafts: A Review on Risk Control Practice

Foundation pit excavation engineering is an old subject full of decision making. Yet, it still deserves further research due to the associated high failure cost and the complexity of the geological conditions and/or the surrounding existing infrastructure around it. This article overviews the risk control practice of foundation pit excavation projects in close proximity to existing disconnected piled raft. More focus is given to geotechnical aspects. The review begins with achievements to ensure excavation performance requirements, and follows to discuss the complex soil structure interaction involved among the fundamental components: the retaining wall, mat, piles, cushion, and the soil. After bringing consensus points to practicing engineers and decision makers, it then suggests possible future research directions.

Analytical solution for a circular roadway considering the transient effect of excavation unloading

The rocks surrounding a roadway exhibit some special and complex phenomena with increasing depth of excavation in underground engineering.Quasi-static analysis cannot adequately explain these engineering problems.The computational model of a circular roadway considering the transient effect of excavation unloading is established for these problems.The time factor makes the solution of the problem difficult.Thus,the computational model is divided into a dynamic model and a static model.The Laplace integral transform and inverse transform are performed to solve the dynamic model and elasticity theory is used to analyze the static model.The results from an example show that circumferential stress increases and radial stress decreases with time.The stress difference becomes large gradually in this progress.The displacement increases with unloading time and decreases with the radial depth of surrounding rocks.It can be seen that the development trend of unloading and displacement is similar by comparing their rates.Finally,the results of ANSYS are used to verify the analytical solution.The contrast indicates that the laws of the two methods are basically in agreement.Thus,the analysis can provide a reference for further study.

Comprehensive Analysis Method of Slope Stability Based on the Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Methods and Its Application

To study the safety and stability of large slopes, taking the right side slope of the Yuxi’an tunnel of the Yuchu Expressway Bridge in Yunnan Province as an example, limit equilibrium and finite element analysis were applied to engineering examples to calculate the stability coefficient of the slope before and after excavation in the natural state. After comparative analysis, it was concluded that the former had a clear mechanical model and concept, which could quickly provide stability results;the latter could accurately determine the sliding surface of the slope and simulate the stress state changes of the rock and soil mass. The stability coefficients calculated by the two methods were within the stable range, but their values were different. On this basis, combined with the calculation principles, advantages and disadvantages of the two methods, a comprehensive analysis method of slope stability based on the limit equilibrium and finite element methods was proposed, and the rationality of the stability coefficient calculated by this method was judged for a slope case.