In-situ ground and lining studies for the channel tunnel project : Curtis, D J; Lake, L M; Lawton, W T Paper to Tunnelling '76 conference, London, 1–5 March, 1976, P231–242, disc 264–272

Abstract

The Channel tunnel project would have involved more than 150 km of lined tunnels, intended to carry high-speed trains 50 km between portals. The trial tunnels planned in phase II to demonstrate the viability of the project offered an opportunity to compare the lining design assumptions with the actual behaviour of the ground and to measure the response of linings erected in the identical circumstances expected for the final works. The objectives and development of these in-situ studies are described and placed in the context of other studies carried out in the United Kingdom and in France. A length of instrumented concrete linings was installed in conjunction with the ground instrumentation. Vibrating wire strain gauges, hoop load cells and photoelastic optical stress plugs were incorporated and provision was also made for the accurate measurement of deformation of the rings. Further sets of instrumented linings, concrete and cast iron, are described.