Abstract
Water and mud inrush disaster is easily induced during tunnel construction through water-rich fault fracture zones. In this paper, based on the field data, the process of water and mud inrush in tunnels is introduced in detail, and generation conditions and evolution mechanisms have been analyzed. Results show that the key factors of water and mud inrush include poor strata lithology, abundant groundwater and tunnel excavation disturbance. These key factors provide material conditions, source power and start-up conditions for water inrush, respectively. The evolution process of water and mud inrush can be divided into three stages: generation, development and occurrence. During generation stage, a seepage channel expands continuously, with water flow increasing gradually until a large range of loose zone is formed. During the development stage, a large amount of groundwater and a large range of softened muddy rock mass accumulates around the tunnel. During the occurrence stage, the “protective layer” and initial supports suddenly lose stability and are destroyed. These research results could provide some references for the effective prediction and forewarning of similar engineering disasters.
Highlights
Guoming LiuWith the continuous expansion of the scale of tunnel construction, more and more tunnels are built in mountainous areas with extremely complex geological conditions.Among them, a water-rich fault fracture zone is an unsuitable geological body through which tunnels often pass, featuring a rich water content, loose structure and weak cementation ability
A water-rich fault fracture zone is an unsuitable geological body through which tunnels often pass, featuring a rich water content, loose structure and weak cementation ability. These characteristics can lead to water and mud inrush during tunnel excavation and construction, which seriously threatens the safety of construction workers [1,2,3,4]
Revealing the mechanisms of water and mud inrush induced by tunnel excavation through water-rich fault fracture zones is greatly significant as it can provide a forewarning for this disaster, and avoid injury and death to workers and financial losses as much as possible
Summary
With the continuous expansion of the scale of tunnel construction, more and more tunnels are built in mountainous areas with extremely complex geological conditions. A water-rich fault fracture zone is an unsuitable geological body through which tunnels often pass, featuring a rich water content, loose structure and weak cementation ability These characteristics can lead to water and mud inrush during tunnel excavation and construction, which seriously threatens the safety of construction workers [1,2,3,4]. A lot of research has been carried out on the evolution mechanism of water and mud inrush during tunnel excavation through fault fracture zones. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9585 providing theoretical guidance for studies on the mechanism of fault water and mud inrush in tunnels, mines, hydropower stations and other underground projects. Generation conditions and the evolution mechanism of water and mud inrush in tunnel faults are revealed
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