Application of Electro-Osmosis to Reduce the Adhesion of Clay during Mechanical Tunnel Driving

Abstract

Research Article| November 01, 2011 Application of Electro-Osmosis to Reduce the Adhesion of Clay during Mechanical Tunnel Driving GIOVANNI SPAGNOLI; GIOVANNI SPAGNOLI 2 Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Lochnerstr. 4-20, 52064 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany 1Present address: Fugro Consult GmbH, Ostendstraße 17, 64319 Pfungstadt, Germany. 2Corresponding author email: g.spagnoli@fugro.de. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar NORBERT KLITZSCH; NORBERT KLITZSCH Department of Applied Geophysics and Geothermal Energy E.ON Energy Research Center, Mathieustr. 6, 52074 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar TOMÁS FERNÁNDEZ-STEEGER; TOMÁS FERNÁNDEZ-STEEGER Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Lochnerstr. 4-20, 52064 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar MARTIN FEINENDEGEN; MARTIN FEINENDEGEN Geotechnical Engineering, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 1, 52074 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar ALVARO REAL REY; ALVARO REAL REY Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Lochnerstr. 4-20, 52064 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar HELGE STANJEK; HELGE STANJEK Clay and Interface Mineralogy, Bunsenstr. 8, 52072 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar RAFIG AZZAM RAFIG AZZAM Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Lochnerstr. 4-20, 52064 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information GIOVANNI SPAGNOLI 1Present address: Fugro Consult GmbH, Ostendstraße 17, 64319 Pfungstadt, Germany. 2 Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Lochnerstr. 4-20, 52064 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany NORBERT KLITZSCH Department of Applied Geophysics and Geothermal Energy E.ON Energy Research Center, Mathieustr. 6, 52074 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany TOMÁS FERNÁNDEZ-STEEGER Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Lochnerstr. 4-20, 52064 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany MARTIN FEINENDEGEN Geotechnical Engineering, Mies-van-der-Rohe-Str. 1, 52074 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany ALVARO REAL REY Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Lochnerstr. 4-20, 52064 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany HELGE STANJEK Clay and Interface Mineralogy, Bunsenstr. 8, 52072 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany RAFIG AZZAM Department of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Lochnerstr. 4-20, 52064 Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, Germany 2Corresponding author email: g.spagnoli@fugro.de. Publisher: Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1558-9161 Print ISSN: 1078-7275 © 2011 Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (2011) 17 (4): 417–426. https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.17.4.417 Article history First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation GIOVANNI SPAGNOLI, NORBERT KLITZSCH, TOMÁS FERNÁNDEZ-STEEGER, MARTIN FEINENDEGEN, ALVARO REAL REY, HELGE STANJEK, RAFIG AZZAM; Application of Electro-Osmosis to Reduce the Adhesion of Clay during Mechanical Tunnel Driving. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 2011;; 17 (4): 417–426. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.17.4.417 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental & Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract In geotechnical engineering, the clogging of clay soils can lead to serious problems. For example, during mechanical tunnel driving with tunnel boring machines, the problem of clogging is due to the excavated material, which sticks to the metallic parts of the machine, requiring cleaning, which in turn causes delays and financial losses. This article suggests a method to reduce adhesion of the excavated material on a steel surface by means of electro-osmosis. The adhesion of different clay types to a metal surface was studied in tilted plate tests. Three different clay samples were compacted and cut into slices with a thickness of 1 cm. Afterwards, both a direct current (DC) and pulsating DC, which consisted of the positive half-cycle only, were applied to the samples in order to study the influence of electro-osmosis on adhesion. The application of electrical fields caused the detachment of the clays from the metal surface by slight shear forces. It is not currently possible to determine the influence of the pulsating DC or DC on the detachment behavior of the clays because of the complexity of the system. However, the use of the pulsating DC results in a lower electrical contact impedance. The reduced pulsating DC contact impedance results in higher electrical currents (for the same applied potential difference) and thus a higher electro-osmotic efficiency (i.e., the energy needed to detach a clay from a metal surface by electro-osmosis is significantly lower for pulsating DC than for DC). The sample and contact impedances were determined by electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.