Comparative Study of Tunnel Blast-Induced Vibration on Tunnel Surfaces and Inside Surrounding Rock

Abstract

In tunnel blast applications, vibration monitors are typically placed on tunnel surfaces to measure the responses of rock to explosion loads for statutory compliance. Few publications in the open literature have focused on the differences between the blasting vibration on tunnel surfaces and inside the surrounding rock. During blasting excavation of the experimental tunnels in the China Jinping Underground Laboratory, velocity sensors were arranged both on the tunnel walls and inside the surrounding rock to monitor far-field vibrations. In this paper, the vibration characteristics on the tunnel surfaces and inside the surrounding rock are presented based on the recorded field data. Corresponding empirical formulae for peak particle velocity (PPV) attenuation and dominant frequency variation are derived from these data. A three-dimensional dynamic finite-element model is used to verify the site survey results. The field and numerical studies show that compared with the inside vibration, the tunnel surface vibration has a higher, more readily attenuated PPV and a lower frequency with a slower rate of decline in the dominant frequency. The mechanisms that cause the differences between the surface and inside vibration are discussed in detail. The tunnel surface vibration in the far field is dominated by surface waves, which occupy more than 75% of the total vibrational energy. For this reason, the results presented in this paper do not apply to vibration in the near field, where body waves are expected to be dominant.