Rock Tunnel Research Articles

A comparative analysis of hybrid RF models for efficient lithology prediction in hard rock tunneling using TBM working parameters

A comparative analysis of hybrid RF models for efficient lithology prediction in hard rock tunneling using TBM working parameters

Full-Section Deformation Monitoring of High-Altitude Fault Tunnels Based on Three-Dimensional Laser Scanning Technology.

In traditional tunnel monitoring, the characteristic points of an object within a tunnel are measured to obtain information about the object. Considering the limitations of the traditional method in measuring the complex surface structure of tunnels, such as limited monitoring points, a long measurement period, and low precision, this study introduces an approach that uses three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning for monitoring tunnel cross-section deformation. Using this approach, the soft surrounding rock of a high-altitude ultralong tunnel was taken as the monitoring object. The test tunnel was first scanned using a 3D laser scanner, and the collected data were processed. The internal structural data of the tunnel were subsequently compared with its actual contour lines and the data of its primary branch and secondary lining on different dates. The results indicate that the arch roof of the tunnel tended to be stable within a certain time range when the positions of the primary branch and secondary lining were at different measuring points with different pile numbers. The deformation of the pile number on the left and right sides did not generally exceed 0.02 m, except at a few measuring points. A comparison between the actual cross section of the initial branch and that of the designed section showed that the actual elevation of the arch of the initial branch of the tunnel was greater than its designed elevation by no more than 0.3 m. Hence, through this study, a convenient and practical method is presented for monitoring deformation in complex curved tunnel structures.

Assessing Mechanical Properties and Response of Expansive Soft Rock in Tunnel Excavation: A Numerical Simulation Study.

This study investigates the dynamics of moisture absorption and swelling in soft rock during tunnel excavation, emphasizing the response to support resistance. Utilizing COMSOL numerical simulations, we conduct a comparative analysis of various strength criteria and non-associated flow rules. The results demonstrate that the Mohr-Coulomb criterion combined with the Drucker-Prager model under compressive loads imposes stricter limitations on water absorption and expansion than when paired with the Drucker-Prager model under tensile loads. Restricted rock expansion leads to decreased horizontal displacement and ground uplift, increased displacement in the tunnel's bottom arch, and significantly reduced displacement in the top arch. The study also considers the effects of shear dilation, burial depth, and support resistance on the stress and displacement of the surrounding rock. Increased shear dilation angles correlate with greater rock expansion, resulting in increased horizontal displacement and ground uplift. The research study concludes that support resistance is critical in limiting the movement of the tunnel's bottom arch and impacting the stability of the surrounding rock. Additionally, the extent of rock damage during the excavation of expansive soft rock tunnels is found to be minimal. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the processes of soft rock tunnel excavation and contributes to the development of more efficient support systems.

Investigation on the Mechanical Characteristics of the Excavation of a Double-Line Highway Tunnel Underpass Existing Railway Tunnel under the Influence of Dynamic and Static Load

Research on the excavation mechanical properties of underpass tunnels has already had certain results, but only a few of them consider the effects of dynamic and static loads on the excavation mechanical properties of underground tunnels at the same time; particularly, there is a lack of research investigating double-line highway tunnels with angled underpasses of existing railway tunnels. In this paper, based on the tunnel project of the new double-line Shiqian Highway Tunnel passing under the Hurong Railway with an oblique angle, based on the method of over-advance geological prediction and investigations into the palm face surrounding the rock, the rock degradation caused by dynamic and static loads is quantified using the perturbation system. Additionally, the mechanical parameters of the rock under the influence of dynamic and static load coupling in the influence area of the cross-tunneling project are determined using the Hoek–Brown criterion, and the mechanical characteristics of the excavation of a tunnel under the double-lane highway tunnel passing under the existing railroad are constructed with the mechanical characteristics of the double-lane highway tunnel, taking into consideration the influence of the dynamic and static load coupling in a three-dimensional model. The results show that, in line with the new tunnel rock movement law for the top of the arch sinking, the bottom plate bulging, the side wall outward movement, the height and width of the arch, and the bottom plate arch show an increase with the tunnel excavation, while the side wall rock displacement effect is smaller; the left and right line tunnel disturbed area of the rule of change is similar; the existing tunnel bottom plate displacement is larger than the top plate and the left and right side wall, under the influence of the excavation time step. Typical profile point displacement is mainly determined by the distance from the excavation surface; von Mises stress extremes are observed in the top plate and side walls of the existing tunnel, which occur in the tunnel structure, and there are unloading and pressure-bearing zones in the bottom plate; the new tunnel has the same rock disturbance angle under the four calculation conditions and, based on the displacement control criterion, the excavation method is preferred and the upper and lower step blasting excavation method is recommended.

A plastic Stillinger-Weber potential-based discretized virtual internal bond approach for modeling soft rock fracture and its application in tunnel failure

Soft rocks present some undesirable behaviors, such as low strength, high plasticity and softening. These traits pose challenges in the design and construction of soft rock tunnels. To address these issues and model plastic fracture behaviors of soft rocks, we proposed a plastic Stillinger-Weber (PSW) potential and integrated it into the discretized virtual internal bond (DVIB) model. The PSW-DVIB model combines the strengths of the plastic DVIB and the SW-DVIB models. It not only effectively reproduces the plastic fracture behavior but also accurately reflects the Poisson’s ratio. Moreover, due to the inclusion of fracture energy in the PSW potential, the simulation results are basically mesh size independent. The PSW-DVIB model is then utilized to investigate the failure behaviors of soft rock tunnels. The effects of the coefficient of lateral pressure, in-situ stress, Poisson’s ratio and tunnel shape on tunnel failure are investigated. The simulated results indicate that the coefficient of lateral pressure has significant influence on the failure zone distribution of the surrounding rock. With the coefficient of lateral pressure increasing, the failure degree of surrounding rock decreases firstly and then increases. The optimum coefficients of lateral pressure for the stability of circular, arched and square tunnels are about 1.00, 0.75 and 0.75, respectively. When the in-situ stress or Poisson’s ratio is larger, the influence of the coefficient of lateral pressure on tunnel failure is more obvious. The influence of the coefficient of lateral pressure on square tunnels are more significant than the arched tunnels, and then the circular tunnels. These findings provide valuable insights for the design and construction of soft rock tunnels.

Investigation of Energy Transformation and Dissipation in Soft Rock Tunnels with Yielding Support Under Large Deformation

Investigation of Energy Transformation and Dissipation in Soft Rock Tunnels with Yielding Support Under Large Deformation

Pressure-relief joints of initial support structural system used in tunnels with high-stress surrounding rock.

To address the problem of large deformations in weak surrounding rock tunnels under high ground stress, which cause damage to initial support structures, this study proposes a novel type of circumferential pressure-relief joint based on the concept of relieving deformation pressure of the surrounding rock. Key parameters of the pressure-relief joint, such as initial bearing capacity peak, constant bearing capacity, and allowable pressure-relief displacement, were obtained through numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. A comparison was made between the mechanical characteristics of rigid joints and the new type of pressure-relief joint. The applicability of the pressure-relief joint was verified through field tests, monitoring the surrounding rock pressure, internal forces in the steel frames, and the convergence displacement of the support structure. The results show that: (1) In the elastic stage, the stiffness of the new pressure-relief joint is similar to that of rigid joints. In the plastic stage, rigid joints fail directly, whereas the pressure-relief joint can control deformation and effectively release the deformation pressure of the surrounding rock while providing a constant bearing capacity. (2) The right arch foot in the experiment had poor rock quality, leading to high stress in the steel frame and significant horizontal displacement. After the deformation of the pressure-relief joint, the stress in the surrounding rock and steel frame significantly reduced, and the rate of horizontal deformation of the support structure slowed down. (3) The vertical and horizontal final displacements of the pressure-relief joint in the experiment were 61mm and 15mm, respectively, which did not exceed the allowable deformation values. The components of the support structure remained intact, ensuring safety. However, this study has limitations: the design of the new pressure-relief joint only allows for a vertical deformation of 150mm and a horizontal deformation of 50mm, limiting the range of pressure-relief deformation.

Research on optimization strategy of TBM tunneling parameters based on stratum perception and simulation tunneling experiment

Real-time perception of surrounding rock stratum and optimization decision of tunneling parameters are of great significance for TBM safe and efficient tunneling. Taking a diversion tunnel in Xinjiang as the engineering background, 948 groups of tunneling data of surrounding rocks at all grades were collected. Aiming at the problem of unbalanced tunneling data of different grades of surrounding rock, the quaternion classification problem of surrounding rock grade is converted into the binary classification problem, and the surrounding rock stratum perception model is established based on EasyEnsemble algorithm. On this basis, a flow frame for optimization of all grades surrounding rock tunneling parameters is proposed, and the differences between the optimization results of exhaustive method, simulated annealing algorithm and ant colony optimization algorithm are compared. The results show that the prediction error of ant colony optimization model is less than 5 %, and the running time is only 1/12 ∼ 1/6 of the exhaustive method. Then, based on the self-developed model test equipment, a similar materials test block of surrounding rock stratum is configured, and a scale cutter head is used for simulation tunneling experiment. The experiment shows that the ant colony optimization model optimization result is the best combination of tunneling parameters, which shows that the proposed optimization flow frame of tunneling parameters has good applicability. Finally, the AdaBoost model was trained with unbalanced samples of various grades of surrounding rock, and the prediction results were statistically analyzed. The results showed that the AUC value of EasyEnsemble model increased by 11.33 % on average, the F-measure increased by 18.12 % on average, and the G-measure increased by 14.00 % on average compared with the AdaBoost model, indicating that data balance has a significant effect on improving the perception accuracy of surrounding rock stratum.

Rock fracturing mechanism and arrangement of fracturing holes using hydro-mechanical splitters

For more-efficient tunneling in hard rock, reported here are simulations and experiments to analyze the rock fracturing mechanism and determine the optimal arrangement of fracturing holes when using hydro-mechanical splitters in tunnel excavation. First, a numerical model of rock fracturing is established using the cohesive-zone model, enabling analysis of the relationship between fracturing force and crack surface development during rock fracturing; this analysis involves examining the mechanisms for crack propagation and stress evolution, thereby comprehensively assessing the mechanism for rock fracturing using a hydro-mechanical splitter. Next, the stress evolution and crack propagation with multiple fracturing holes arranged in either a line or a circle are analyzed; how the fracturing force varies with different numbers of fracturing holes is obtained, and a method of using free-face unloading for circular expansion with a central free face is proposed. Finally, the tunnel contour control of rock fracturing using hydro-mechanical splitters is studied experimentally and ideal peripheral and bottom contours are obtained, thereby providing a way to use rock fracturing technology based on hydro-mechanical splitters for tunneling in hard rock.

The Floor Heave Mechanism of a Deep Clastic Rock Tunnel in Southwest China: An Experimental Study Based on Excavation Stress Paths

The Floor Heave Mechanism of a Deep Clastic Rock Tunnel in Southwest China: An Experimental Study Based on Excavation Stress Paths

An extended discontinuous deformation analysis for simulation of grouting reinforcement in a water-rich fractured rock tunnel

Grouting has been the most effective approach to mitigate water inrush disasters in underground engineering due to its ability to plug groundwater and enhance rock strength. Nevertheless, there is a lack of potent numerical tools for assessing the grouting effectiveness in water-rich fractured strata. In this study, the hydro-mechanical coupled discontinuous deformation analysis (HM-DDA) is inaugurally extended to simulate the grouting process in a water-rich discrete fracture network (DFN), including the slurry migration, fracture dilation, water plugging in a seepage field, and joint reinforcement after coagulation. To validate the capabilities of the developed method, several numerical examples are conducted incorporating the Newtonian fluid and Bingham slurry. The simulation results closely align with the analytical solutions. Additionally, a set of compression tests is conducted on the fresh and grouted rock specimens to verify the reinforcement method and calibrate the rational properties of reinforced joints. An engineering-scale model based on a real water inrush case of the Yonglian tunnel in a water-rich fractured zone has been established. The model demonstrates the effectiveness of grouting reinforcement in mitigating water inrush disaster. The results indicate that increased grouting pressure greatly affects the regulation of water outflow from the tunnel face and the prevention of rock detachment face after excavation.

Large Deformations and Numerical Analysis of a Typical Soft Rock Tunnel in the Chuxiong Section of the Yunnan Central Water Diversion Project

Large Deformations and Numerical Analysis of a Typical Soft Rock Tunnel in the Chuxiong Section of the Yunnan Central Water Diversion Project

Experimental investigation on the load-bearing capacity and deformation behaviour of the composite lining with polyurethane compressible layer

Lining structures for tunnels in rheological rocks are susceptible to large deformations and damage. Installation of a polyurethane (PU) compressible layer between the primary and secondary lining provides a potential solution to mitigate large deformation hazards. Although the capability of PU-enhanced composite lining in adapting and absorbing large deformation has been found, its underlying load-bearing mechanism and deformation behaviour remain less understood. To fill the gap, large-scale model tests were conducted using a self-designed loading test setup, primarily focusing on the mechanical response of PU-enhanced composite lining. Ten lining specimens with varying thicknesses (25, 37.5, and 50 mm) and densities (50, 100, and 150 kg/m3) of the PU compressible layer were investigated. The digital image correlation (DIC) analysis technique was used to detect real-time deformation and strain fields under loading conditions. Results demonstrated that the PU compressible layer enhanced the ultimate load, toughness, and deformation capacity of the composite lining by an average of 17.6 %, 164.6 %, and 157.4 %, respectively. The load-displacement response of the specimens with PU compressible layer could be categorized into four stages: pre-cracking, post-cracking, strain-hardening, and failure. The primary lining experienced the largest vertical displacements among the specimens with the PU compressible layer, followed by the compressible layer and the secondary lining. Although the specimens exhibited similar progressive failure modes, there were variations in crack distribution and propagation. The analysis of rock-support interaction indicated that increasing the thickness of the PU compressible layer mainly affects the deformation capacity when the secondary lining reaches its elastic limit.

Rockburst prediction for deep tunneling near fault based on the PD-BEM method

A multiscale model coupling the peridynamic (PD) and boundary element method (BEM) is proposed to analyze the rockburst in deep tunnels near fault. The entire rockburst processes of the rock masses around the opening are captured by PD while the field conditions and boundary are described by BEM, which can take full advantage of their salient features and model the rockburst problems efficiently. The proposed model is verified by comparing its predictions with those from the field observations in “11.28” rockburst at the Jinping II Hydropower Station in China. Parametric analysis considering the dip angle and location of the fault as well as the ground stress is performed to reveal the rockburst mechanism of deep tunnel near fault. Numerical results indicate that the rockburst intensity of rock tunnel is a function of the distance between the fault and tunnel, the dip angle of fault and ground stress. Different failure modes, including buckling failure, slip failure and local slabbing failure are found in the simulation, which are controlled by the fault near the tunnel. Moreover, a new index for rockburst is proposed to predict the tendency and intensity of rockburst associated with deep tunneling near a fault.

Model Test on the Collapse Evolution Law of Tunnel Excavation in Composite Strata with a Cavity

More complex geological conditions could be encountered with the construction of urban subway projects. At present, many subway tunnels have been built in composite strata with upper soft and lower hard layers, but the presence of a cavity in the strata increases the risk of collapse during construction. In this paper, a series of model experiments and discrete element methods were conducted to investigate the failure behavior of composite strata with a cavity caused by tunnel excavation disturbance. The influence of the distance between the cavity and vault (hd) and the distance between the soil–rock interface and vault (hr) on the collapse of the composite strata are analyzed. The research results indicate that tunnel collapse exhibits progressive failure because of the forming of a collapsed arch in the strata. If the hd is greater than the tunnel span (D), the arch can be stabilized without other disturbances. Additionally, the thickness of the tunnel rock layer affects the height of the collapsed arch significantly, as it is difficult to form a stable arch when the hr is less than 2/3 D. Finally, reasonable construction safety distances are proposed based on the possibility of forming a stable arch collapse in the tunnel and determining the range of the collapse.

Frost heave model and frost heaving force analysis of permafrost tunnel based on segregated ice

Bi-directional freezing occurs when a tunnel portal passes through an active layer in cold region, or when the tunnel passes through permafrost. The surrounding rock of tunnel portal is frozen by air inside of the tunnel and earth surface. The freezing-thawing cycle of permafrost tunnels is frozen by the permafrost and air inside the tunnel. To investigate the frost heave force on the lining of permafrost tunnels, and verify the layered segregation ice in the surrounding rock of these tunnels, a one-dimensional hydrothermal stress model of bi-directional freezing is established, so as to study the evolution law of segregated ice from the surrounding rock in permafrost tunnels based on the theory of hydro-thermal coupling and segregated ice. After that, based on the mechanical theory, a frost-heave elastic mechanical model including secondary lining, freeze–thaw zone, freezing zone and segregated ice is established. The results show that there is layered segregated ice in the surrounding rock after the lining of permafrost tunnel. The annual difference and the annual average temperature have a great influence on the thickness of segregated ice, while the influence of thermal conductivity is relatively small. The thickness of thawing cycle should be less than 5 m, so that the frost heaving force acting on the lining will not be too large. Good water plugging quality can decrease the thickness of segregated ice. The frost-heaving force acting on the lining increases as the thickness of segregated ice increases. When the thickness of segregated ice is 10 cm, the maximum frost heaving force generated on the lining of single-layer segregated ice is 1.39 times that of non-segregated ice. The frost-heaving force caused by the segregated ice should be considered to guarantee the safety of tunnel structure.

Load Calculation Method for Deep-Buried Layered Soft Rock Tunnel Based on Back-Analysis of Structural Deformation

After the excavation and unloading of deep-buried soft rock tunnels, support structures often experience deformation-related disasters such as concrete cracking, steel frame bending and twisting, and primary support instability under different forms of load. Accurately calculating the load borne by the primary support structure is the key to ensuring design rationality and construction safety. Especially in layered soft surrounding rock formations, the magnitude and distribution of the loads are different from those of conventional rock and soil masses, resulting in limited applicability of existing load calculation methods to similar formations. Therefore, based on the measured deformation of the tunnel structure, while considering the different geometric forms of the primary support structure during partial excavation, this paper proposes a deformation-structure (D-S) load calculation method. By comparing the calculation results of this method and a large number of sample data for typical deep-buried layered soft rock tunnels, the reliability of the D-S load calculation method is verified. In addition, the variation law of the loads during the tunnel construction period is enunciated, and the magnitude and distribution of the loads acting on the primary support are clarified. The D-S load calculation method provides a theoretical basis for load calculation in deep-buried layered soft rock tunnels.

Study on the propagation characteristics of gas explosions disturbed by crushed rock in tunnels through gas-containing stratum

Gas explosions pose a serious risk to tunnel construction when through a gas-containing stratum. The crushed rock accumulated in tunnel could have a significant impact on explosion. To understand the mechanism of crushed rock influence on gas explosion, methane/air explosion experiments under the crushed rock with different blockage ratios and void ratios were carried out using an independently designed experimental system. The results show that the crushed rock can significantly affect the explosion intensity, and the various blockage ratios show a higher degree of influence than the void ratio. The crushed rock has the combined effect of accelerating and quenching on the flame, and there has an optimum blockage that dramatically accelerates the flame propagation. The needle-shaped, divergent and reversed flames appeared with high blockage ratio and void ratio conditions. The velocity ratio (ratio of the flame front velocities upstream and downstream of the crushed rock) has an exponential function relationship with the blockage ratio. Under certain void ratio conditions, the maximum explosion overpressure shows a parabolic trend with increasing blockage ratio. This study is helpful to guide the understanding of the explosion characteristics under practical tunnel conditions and the change law of flame structure with crushed rock obstruction.

Mechanism of high-preload support based on the NPR anchor cable in layered soft rock tunnels

Mechanism of high-preload support based on the NPR anchor cable in layered soft rock tunnels

Long-term safety evaluation of soft rock tunnel structure based on knowledge decision-making and data-driven models

Tunnel structure are often subjected to continuous deformation caused by the creep effect of soft rock, leading to posing significant long-term operational risks. This paper focuses on ensuring the safe operation of a typical soft rock tunnel in the complex and dangerous mountainous area of western China. On the basis of studying the structural mechanic characteristics of the tunnel under the influence of soft rock creep, the VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) model based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Entropy Weight Method (EWM) to determine subjective and objective weights, and game theory (GT) to obtain comprehensive weights was established. Additionally, the differential evolution-grey wolf optimization (DE-GWO) improved extreme learning machine (ELM) model was also constructed. By comparing the safety evaluation results of the two models on typical monitoring sections of soft rock tunnel structure, it is demonstrated that the proposed knowledge-based decision-making and data-driven models effectively and accurately evaluated the long-term safety of typical monitoring sections. Ulteriorly, to address the issue of structure safety evaluation caused by the inability to comprehensively monitor the entire tunnel (missing monitoring data), the DE-GWO improved ELM model was further adopted, and the structure safety status of the entire tunnel was precisely deduced.