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UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION

Prepared by:

CivilThings.com

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Outline��What goes Underground?�Why go Underground?�How is the Underground built? �Where are problems encountered?�When do risks get mitigated?�

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What Goes Underground?

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�Shelters and Fully-Designed Homes..�

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Basic protection from enemies and elements..

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Partially-modified for added protection and comfort..

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Built to drawings and specifications..

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�Mining Operations..�

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Open Pits transitioning to

Underground mines.. exploiting lodes to depth and reducing environmental footprints

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Water Systems..

Collection/Supply/Irrigation/Distribution

Underground Sewage Treatment Plant, Bondi

Canal

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Mass Transit Systems..

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Road Traffic..

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Hydro-Electric Power Plants..

Surge Shaft

Powerhouse

High Pressure Tunnel

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Fuel Storage..

Other Ground Storage Media..

–Solution-Mined Salt Domes

–Depleted “Reservoir Rocks”(CO2)

–Lined Hard Rock Caverns (Compressed and Liquified Natural Gas, LNG)

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Packaged and Bulk Materials..

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  • Silo/Bunker Storage..

–Coal, Grains, Ore..

•Warehousing

–often in converted mine space

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Critical Infrastructure..

•Secure sites with network

-wide access

–Controlled exit/entry

–Atmospheric control (temp., humidity, dust..)

–Ready access for modification and maintenance •Space and Cost Saving Opportunities (“Utilidors”)..

–Heating/Cooling

–Communications

–Data transfer

–Wastewater

–Freshwater

–Transport

–Power

–etcetera..

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Research Facilities•

Worldwide, many underground research laboratories and test sites (waste repository characterization, physics, geo-’bio-sciences, engineering research, education/training..)

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Public Facilities

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Pretty Much Anything You Want

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Temppeliaukio Church

Le Grand Louvre

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Why go underground?

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Urban Congestion..

  • Go underground to avoid..

–Road pavement

–Buried infrastructure

–Basements & foundations

–Surface condemnations

–Right of way interruptions

–Minimize surface disruption

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Create Green Space..

•“The Central Artery/Tunnel Project will create more than 300 acres of landscaped and restored open space, including over 45 parks and major public plazas”.

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Protection..

Kobe Earthquake (Japan – 1995)

Severe damage to the Kobe City Hall

No damage to the underground shopping

mall located below

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Isolation

Stable, Quiet and Shielded

–Waste Isolation

–Experiments and Testing..

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How is underground built?

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Methods for underground construction

• Cut and cover method in open excavation;

• Cut and cover method between earth retaining walls with lowering of the ground water levels;

• Cut and cover method between earth retaining walls without lowering of the ground water levels;

• Wall and roof method;

• Pneumatic caisson method;

• Immersed tunnel method;

• Bored tunnel method;

• Top Down method.

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EXCAVATION BY TUNNEL BORING MACHINE

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1. Excavation and support of working shafts �2. Excavation and support of undercut and tail tunnel �3. Excavation of the tunnel itself �4. Disposal of soil from tunnel face �5. Hoisting the soil to ground level �6. Lining the tunnel �7. Extending services and rail tracks (if necessary) �8. Excavation and support of the removal shaft

Shielded TBM involve the following activities:

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Excavation In DRY Soils

Earth Pressure Balance

Digger Shield”

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Excavation In WET Soils

  • Slurry Shield

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Excavation in Rocks

Mechanical Equipment

Or

Explosive

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Blasting.

  • The person in charge of blasting shall be the last to leave the blast area, shall see that no one remains in the blast area, and shall operate the sectioning switches in the firing line while proceeding out of the blast area.
  • No persons shall enter the tunnel blast area until the ventilation system has cleared the heading of harmful gases, smoke, and dust.
  • After each blast, the underground supports in the blast area shall be inspected and secured as necessary work is resumed. Rock surfaces shall be inspected, scaled, and if required, provided with shoring, bracing, rock bolts, Shotcrete, or chain link fabric, before mucking is started. Rock bolts within 100 ft (30.4 m) of a blast shall be tested after each blast before drilling for the next round begins.
  • The muck pile shall be wet down prior to and kept wet during operations.

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Some Ground Improvement Options..

Freezing.. to stabilize the ground and/or preserve the water table Grouting.. to stabilize the ground and/or render it ~ watertight

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Some Ground Support Systems..

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Rock Bolts and Steel Channel

Steel Arches

Pre-Cast Concrete Segments

Shotcrete

Integrated Waterproofing

Cast Iron Segments

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Type of Ground Supports

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The Technique Of Jacked Box Tunneling:

  • simplest form
  • A purpose designed tunnel shield is cast on to the leading end of the box, and thrust jacks are provided at the rear end reacting against the jacking base
  • Control of Ground Disturbance
  • Constructional Tolerances
  • Particular hazards
  • Alternative method for such case

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Where are Problems Encountered?

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Ground Surprises..

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  • Geo-material properties vary in time/space (e.g. geo-statistics..)

–Strengths

–Loads/Stresses

–Deformations (elastic and plastic)

• Sometimes the engineering process fails to account for the impacts of geo-variability on..

–Designed structures..

–Surrounding structures/environment

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Major Excavation Happen..

Shanghai

Singapore

London

Munich

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Worldwide, Major Projects.. Major Losses

  • –1999 Hull Yorkshire Tunnel, UK Collapse
  • –1999 TAV Bologna -Florence, Italy Collapse
  • –1999 Anatolia Motorway, Turkey Earthquake
  • –2000 Metro Taegu, Korea Collapse
  • –2000 TAV Bologna -Florence, Italy Collapse
  • –2002 Taiwan High Speed Railway Collapse
  • –2003 Shanghai Metro, PRC Collapse
  • –2004 Singapore Metro, Singapore Collapse.
  • –2005 Barcelona Metro, Spain Collapse
  • –2005 Lausanne Metro, Switzerland Collapse
  • –2005 Lane Cove Tunnel, Sydney Collapse
  • –2005 Kaohsiung Metro, Taiwan

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  • ………etcetera..

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Fractured Rock Subject to Stress & Gravity

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Observed at the engineering scale rock is rarely solid..A “hard” rock mass may contain weak clays or even voids..

Ravelling

Alteration

Spalling/Bursting

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Changing Groundwater Conditions

  • “High Water Pressure Complicates Arrowhead Tunnels..”

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When Do Risks Get Mitigated?

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In Studying the Regional Geology

  • Benefit from the experience of others..–Same/similar rock–Same/similar needs–Much of the early work can be done from behind the desk

Putting the Site in Context..

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In Scoping the Site Investigation (SI)

  • Mixed-scale data sets..
  • experience needed
  • Field Investigation..

–Exposures

–Geophysics

–Boreholes

–Testing

•Field

•Lab

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Characterizing Subsurface Site

  • 3-D Geo-Models

–From cms to kms

–Basis of Design..

  • Conditions;

dry, damp, wet, massive, hard, stratified, seamy, schistose, jointed, blocky, crushed, soil-like..

  • •Behaviors;

raveling, running, flowing, squeezing, swelling, spalling, rock burst..

  • –Deciding between options..

•Siting

•Design

•Construction

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Design & Specify for Geo-Diversity

  • Plan for Variation..

–Geologic Uncertainties

–Design & Construction Changes

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Many Designs..One Tunnel

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��In Conclusion..��•What goes Underground?� –Pretty much any thing that could be placed on surface�•Why go Underground?� –Many advantages.. Cost and risk are the main draw-backs�•How is Underground Space Created?� –Technology exists to build in pretty much any geo-material�•Where Problems are Encountered Underground?� –Same old problems..no foolproof solutions�•When do risks get mitigated?� –Opportunities for risk management are there.. they need to be seized �•Who can best mitigate the risks? � –Practitioners and researchers collaborating together at sites �

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Reference

  • American society of civil engineers - technical committee on contracting practices of the underground technology research council. 1991.
  • The equipment magazine for the underground construction industry
  • Forensic engineering for underground construction-e. T. Brown
  • Journal of geotechnical engineering, asce, 115(11): 1513-1531.
  • Seismic analysis of underground structures-kazuhiko kawashima
  • Underground structures engineering services for owners and contractors
  • Geoengineering considerations in the optimum use of underground space - raymond l. Sterling
  • Godard, j.P., 1999. “Sub-surface development in the urban environment,” proc. 10th australian tunnelling conference, “the race for space”, melbourne.
  • Ita, 1987. “Examples of benefits of underground urban public transportation systems,” report of the working group on costs-benefits of underground urban public transportation, tunnelling and underground space technology, vol. 2, no. 1, pergamon press, oxford, u.K.
  • Support in underground hard rock mines-evert hoek
  • Drilling and blasting for underground space - R pesch1 and a robertson2

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Thank you