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Seung-Ryull Kim
ESCO Consultant & Engineers Company Ltd
Seoul, Korea
INTRODUCTION
Generally, subway tunnels are constructed as near to the surface as possible. This is primarily
because access to the system for passengers at stations will be more convenient and less
expensive in terms of capital and also in terms of operation and maintenance taking into
consideration facilities such as escalators or lifts. For this reason, construction is often
conducted in relatively soft soil conditions such as alluvial deposits, clay and weathered soil.
The two main methods employed in constructing subway systems in urban areas are the cut-
and-cover method and the bored tunnelling method. The former is used for relatively shallow
runs following underneath streets while the latter is used primarily for deep construction or
for routes that run underneath other structures or residential areas. Invariably, both methods
result in lowering the groundwater table which will cause a significant amount of ground
settlement in areas composed of compressible layers of soil like clay or silt in cases where the
excavation needs to be performed below the in-situ groundwater table. The incurrence of
lateral displacement is also a phenomenon common to both methods.
For successful tunnelling adjacent to or beneath existing structures in urban areas, additional
measures are often used to protect the structures from damage and to help ensure their
stability. The following sections describe two types of measures that are frequently employed
in urban area soft ground tunnelling and finally the case historiesU
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Several different types of support systems were used relevant to the geological conditions.
Typical support systems for the Seoul subway construction are illustrated in Figure 2 below.
Sketch
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with reasonable low water head. Moreover, it also apply for the case that the drawdown of the
groundwater table may give damages to the existing buildings and facilities above the tunnel.
The drained tunnels are tunnels in which proper drainage system is provided for the water
drainage throughout the lifetime of tunnels. The construction cost of drained tunnel is more
economical as compared to watertight tunnel, while maintenance cost is higher.
Drained tunnels are the best option in the region where the inflow of the groundwater is
less and there is no hazard due to drawdown of groundwater table.
G
a) Watertight tunnel b) Drained tunnel
Cut-and-cover Tunnelling
The cut-and-cover method refers to the provision of a shallow structure formed by first
making an excavation from the surface in which the structure is later built. Backfilling and the
restoration of the surface ground follow thereafter. There are many variations possible in
construction sequences as well as the materials used for temporary and permanent structures.
This type of construction in running tunnels is generally cheaper than providing the same
facilities in bored tunnels and also avoids the need for tunnelling specialists, which are often
in short supply. However, extensive surface disruption along the route is likely to occur
during construction. This method also requires either the demolition of or complex temporary
supports for existing structures and public utilities unless the construction takes place
underneath open ground.
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Figure 4 shows a typical cross section view of the cut-and-cover tunnelling method with a
hydraulic cut-off scheme. There are two distinctive schema for hydraulic cut-off used in cut-
and-cover construction: one involves the placement of an impermeable barrier along the entire
circumference of the excavation area; the other entails improving the watertightness of the
surrounding ground using ground treatment methods such as permeation grouting, jet grouting,
the casting of in-situ concrete piling, compaction grouting and ground freezing etc.
Fig. 4: Typical cross section of cut-and-cover method with a groundwater cut-off scheme
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(a) Contiguous piled wall (b) True secant piled wall (c) Pseudo-secant piled wall
Soil-cement walls can also be formed by jet grouting. Jet grouting, as illustrated in Figure 7,
uses a high-velocity thin jet of water. As the jet rotates the water cuts through the soil and
disintegrates it. In this process, the soil is simultaneously dislodged and mixed with the grout.
The grout does not penetrate the soil either by permeation or splitting; simply, it becomes
thoroughly mixed in-situ with the water and soil within the cavity created by the spinning
water jet. No grouting pressure is applied. The objective here is to create a series of soil-
cement column walls and the main role of the jet grouting is to strengthen the ground.
Additionally, the nature of its watertightness serves to provide reliable cut-off walls. It is
recommended to set up a proper process for spoil treatment when applying this technique.
Fig. 7:. Schematic diagram of jet grouting and completed jet columns at construction site
Bored Tunnelling
In unstable geological conditions that are pervious and weak soil condition, mass ground
treatments often serve as adequate solutions for tunnels where mechanized tunnelling is not
feasible. Figure 8 illustrates a typical example of such a situation. To construct shallow
tunnels in an urban area, treatment from the ground surface is always preferred since it avoids
most of the difficulties concerning groundwater. It also allows the ground treatment to be
carried out in advance and, therefore, independently of tunnelling operations. However, this
requires: 1) careful investigation and localization of underground facilities/infrastructures; 2)
temporary restrictions to surface traffic; 3) additional dead drilling length through overburden.
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Fig. 8; Ground treatment along tunnel periphery from the ground surface
If the ground to be treated is cohesionless and has a greater permeability, drilling from below
the groundwater table will tend to produce a large ingress of water and eventually soil erosion.
The use of stuffing boxes at grout hole heads is necessary to avoid these problems. Drilling
operations, therefore, become significantly more complicated when this situation occurs at the
tunnel face. Where groundwater is a problem, the pervious soil around the tunnel must be
completely sealed off at the treated zone. Ground treatment from the tunnel face is usually
carried out through a succession of different steps. Figure 9 illustrates a typical example of
this kind of treatment.
Fig. 9: Cross section and profile of typical ground treatment from tunnel face
Apart from the difficulties related to construction described above, treatment from the tunnel
face also presents several other difficulties: 1) limited working space; 2) possible standing
time of tunnelling; 3) increased work and costs involved, compared to vertical ones.
Consequently, this type of treatment is usually carried out only when: 1) the depth is
excessive; 2) access from the ground surface is impossible, or; 3) greater accuracy is needed
for installing freezing tubes, for example.
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(a) Numerical simulation (b) Monitored results from Seikan tunnel
Fig. 10: Relationship between the size of grouting zone and the groundwater infiltration
Perfect permeation is a complete substitution, replacing the free water in the ground with the
grouting material without distorting the structure of the ground. This type of ground treatment
is referred to as permeation grouting. Grouting materials should be selected according to how
well they can penetrate a particular ground condition. Chemical grouting is preferred to
ensure the cut-off walls function properly. With this technique, the key issue is the formation
of a homogeneous cut-off wall at the designated location and depth.
Figure 10 shows the relationship between the width of a grouted zone and the amount of
water inflow into a tunnel. We can clearly see that the decrease in groundwater infiltration
according to increases in the size of the grouted zone are most significant up to a thickness of
about two meters, beyond which the amount of infiltration decreases at a diminishing rate. It
is interesting to note from these results that using a grouted zone with a greater thickness
results in only a small reduction in the amount of water infiltration.
Cut-and-cover Tunnelling
In the case of cut-and-cover tunnelling, one of the ground strengthening methods that is
generally accepted is the grouting technique. There are actually several different types of
grouting techniques currently available, each with their own applications and benefits. They
are commonly classified as: compaction grouting, fracture grouting, chemical grouting,
permeation grouting and jet grouting.
Compaction grouting entails a thick mortar mix that acts as a radial hydraulic jack, creating
bulbs or lenses, thus displacing and compressing the surrounding ground to some extent.
Chemical grouting is one of the types of permeation grouting with a relatively low-viscosity
grout. This type of grouting is distinguished by the mechanism in which the grout fills the
voids in the ground without causing any substantial change to the original volume or structure
of the ground area. Hydrofracturing grouting fragments the ground using water in order to
increase the total stresses through a wedging action of successive thin grout lenses, filling
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unconnected spaces or fissures and possibly consolidating the soil under the pressure of the
injection. Jet grouting provides a valuable solution for a wide range of problems when
conventional injection methods are unsuitable, unsafe or too expensive.
Jet grouting is among the newer generation of ground treatment methods and its popularity is
growing rapidly around the world. Its development largely came through a need to be able to
treat fine-grained soils that are normally untreatable using permeation grouting and for which
significantly high amounts of strength are required. This method complies quite well with the
stringently environmentally controlled circumstances that chemical grouts cannot meet.
Bored Tunnelling
Weak ground conditions where serious ground runs have occurred should be strengthened
prior to heading. Under such circumstances, grout could be injected so as to form a zone of
stabilized ground around the excavated surface of the tunnel. As this stabilized zone becomes
larger and stronger, surface settlements become smaller. Finite Element studies of this matter,
conducted by many researchers have revealed that a structurally competent stabilized soil
zone around a tunnel acts as a compression ring and prevents stress changes from being felt in
the soft soil beyond. This, in turn, reduces the effects of compression in the untreated soil and
thus limits the amount of settlement at the ground surface above the tunnel.
Fig. 12: Correlation between stabilized zone thickness and surface settlement
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Figure 12 has as its assumption that the grouting zone completely surrounds the tunnel
opening. This situation is not possible where soil layers that cannot be treated with grout are
located in the face area. Such a discontinuous grouting zone might be accepted even in a
homogeneous ground. In cases where only the soil above the springline of the tunnel is
grouted in the homogeneous ground condition, ground movements have been found to be
greater than those within a continuous zone that has a lesser thickness but uses the same area
extent of grouted soil. This means that, for a given amount of grouting, a continuous zone of
grouting around the tunnel opening is more effective in controlling ground movement. Figure
13 shows the effectiveness of the shape of grouted zone qualitatively using numerical
simulations.
Fig. 13: Effect related to the shape of a grouted zone in homogeneous ground
Cut-and-cover Tunnelling
It is essential to provide protection for adjacent existing structures when a new excavation
reaches a depth at which a loss of bearing capacity, settlements, or lateral movements to the
existing properties could occur. New construction may employ the cut-and-cover method
when the excavation depth is not sufficient to utilize tunnelling method. This type of work
requires the installation of some kind of earth retaining structures.
The retaining structure may be constructed with: 1) sheetpiling; 2) soldier beams with
lagging; 3) in-situ concrete piles, and; 4) diaphragm walls. The most commonly applied
system in which to hold the retaining wall in place is a bracing system with wales and struts,
shown in Figure 14a. Construction costs associated with shallow cut-and-cover tunnels are
less than those for bored tunnels; however, this cost goes up dramatically as depth is increased.
Furthermore, this technique also tends to have significantly disruptive effects in particularly
congested urban environment.
When cut-and-cover excavation is made in sandy soil and clay, the stability of the bottom
against such things as boiling (Figure 14b) and heaving (Figure 14c) should be attended to for
matters of safety. To prevent boiling in sandy soil, the hydraulic gradient should be reduced
by lowering the groundwater table behind the retaining wall structure or by increasing the
length of the waterflow path. To avoid a base instability of the excavation in a soft clay
stratum, soil along the bottom area needs to be sufficiently strengthened.
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(a) Wales and struts (b) Boiling (c) Heaving
This technique can be applied when the overburden is too thin for other supporting techniques
or when it is necessary to control to a high extent the possible subsidence of the surface. Since
the jet-grouting arch is normally installed at the crown area of the tunnel, sub-vertical
columns are often placed at the wall area to support the jet-grouting arch. The arch supports
the soil during the excavation and homogenizes the stresses, which will act on the final
supports. The steel pipe umbrella (often called pipe roofing), or forepoling, is an umbrella
of steel pipes or beams with a truncated conical shape set on the crown of the future tunnel.
These techniques are also used to control ground run at the face. Fiberglass pipes are also
sometimes installed to reinforce the face.
However, it should be clearly understood that use of grouting, a jet-grouting umbrella or any
other auxiliary measures is not a substitute for good construction procedures.
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Fig. 16: 3-D view of steel pipe umbrella arch installed ahead of tunnel face
Excavation methods can be roughly divided as follows: 1) conventional drill and blast
method; 2) conventional cyclic method using excavation machines (roadheader, high impact
hammer, mechanical excavator, etc.), and; 3) the TBM or shield method. Mechanized
tunnelling (using TBM and shield machine) is not dealt with in this paper. Drill and blast
excavation and machinery excavation can be carried out with full face heading, half face
heading or multiple bench heading (preferably crown, bench, or invert).
In soft ground conditions, the full face heading may not be applicable because of the grounds
relatively short stand-up time. Thus, the bench excavation is quite common for soft ground
tunnelling in urban areas.
The distance and interval between working cycles can be chosen freely depending on the
stand-up time of ground and the requirements for completing the support system. The multi-
phased side gallery technique has also proven to be especially suitable for urban areas with a
shallow overburden and poor subsoil conditions.
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Perhaps the most important thing related to the excavation and support system for tunnelling in poor
ground conditions is the rapid completion of the tunnel lining. Therefore, the smaller the
excavated area is, the faster the completion of the lining. Figures 17 and 18 depict the bench
heading and the multi-phased side gallery heading, respectively, in weak ground conditions.
Besides these two excavation
methods, the ring-cut, the
central diaphragm wall cut (CD-
cut) and top heading subdivision
are frequently used for soft
ground tunnelling. Sidewall
galleries are the best excavation
method for the safety of the
tunnel face and for controlling
the settlement of ground surface. Fig. 18: Schematic diagram of multi-phased side gallery heading
The ring-cut is also a common
excavation method for stabilizing the tunnel face. If the minimization of ground settlement is
a major concern during excavation, the CD-cut is perhaps the best alternative. Top-heading
subdivision is applied at a relatively large cross-section of the tunnel with relatively good
ground conditions.
(a) Ring-cut with supporting core (b) Central diaphragm wall cut (CD-cut )
Tunnel support is constructed of materials brought in following the excavation. This system
of support is mainly composed of shotcrete, rock bolt and steel ribs. Shotcrete is primarily
used as a temporary application prior to a final liner being installed or as a local solution to
instabilities in a rock tunnel, however, it can also be used as a final lining. The thickness of
the shotcrete, spread at one time, is about 10cm. The next layer should be sprayed within an
hour. The order of installing the rock bolt depends on how one is to achieve the arching effect
of the tunnel periphery. One method is to install it during the line of excavation at a small
over break in a place with good ground conditions. Another way is to install it at the first
layer of shotcrete to defend against tunnel deformation after two or three excavation cycles.
Steel ribs are self-supported before the hardening of the shotcrete and increase the solidity of
the shotcrete support. Steel ribs need less connections and their shape is safe against the
applied load.
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Fig. 20: Installation of various supports
Instrumentation and monitoring plays a key role in verifying whether the support system is su
fficient. More importantly, it also serves as a warning if the support system is not performing
as intended, or is in danger of collapse. Particularly, it is essential to prevent the existing struc
tures and underground facilities from damage or even collapse as a result of the tunnelling in
an urban area. All of the data collected by the cor
rect instrumentation and monitoring system will p
rovide good communication between the engineer
and the contractor, and thus facilitate decision m
aking during the construction.
In general, monitoring is done very frequently during the excavation, when most ground and
lining movements are taking place. During the installation of the waterproofing membrane
and the final cast-in-place of the concrete lining, monitoring is less frequent as most ground
and structural movements have already occurred. During tunnel excavation, data from the
instrumentation and monitoring system is reviewed daily by the tunnels engineer and
compared to predictions. Data on building settlement can be used by the contractor to
implement a compensation-grouting program, which is very effective in keeping building
settlement within acceptable limits. In addition, monitoring data is compared with threshold
limits on lining convergence. In the event that convergence threshold limits are exceeded, the
contractor can quickly implement a contingency plan to install additional support.
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Fig.22: Ground surface settlement trough as a result of tunneling
CASE HISTORIES
To ease surface traffic congestion, most of the worlds largest cities have constructed subway
networks and continue to extend them. These networks obviously result in technical or
construction-related interference between existing structures above and below the ground and
the newly constructed subway systems. In addition to the construction of passenger
transportation tunnels, the construction of water and sewage tunnels as well as utility tunnels
for electric and communications cables also present a number of problems.
Due to the social demands concerning the use of underground structures such as waste
isolation, as well as recreational facilities and other strategic spaces, difficulties related to
construction will continue to arise more and more in near future. The types of underground
spaces we are discussing require large cross-sectional excavations, possibly through difficult
ground conditions. The future of tunnelling requires more refined and sophisticated
monitoring and excavation technologies together with superior construction measures and
techniques to address various site-specific conditions.
With some of these challenges in mind, this lecture will present a systematic survey of some
of the technical solutions and case histories in soft ground tunnelling. Brief case histories will
be provided, reflecting a broad spectrum of technical solutions employed in soft ground
tunnelling, and we will look at how these techniques are used both in designing tunnels and
selecting appropriate tunnelling methods. The case histories described in this section
primarily reflect Korean tunnelling experiences.
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Fig. 23: Location of the construction lot 910 Fig. 24: Subsoil profile
A temporary earth retaining structure consisting of soldier piles, wales and struts with lagging
and a cast in-situ concrete wall was employed to prevent the displacement of ground.
Additionally, SGR (Space Grouting Rocket system) grouting was done, a type of permeation
grouting for the groundwater cut-off to eliminate the piping phenomenon in sandy soil. SGR
grouting was originally developed in Japan, and uses various types of chemical grouts having
different gel-times (short gel-time, long gel-time, etc.) and strengths. Grouts are permeated
into the voids in the soil using low pressure, preferably less than 5kPa, generated through the
rocket in the inducement space. This technique is quite effective for groundwater cut-off.
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For this project, one row of SGR grouting columns placed at 80cm intervals along the back of
the retaining structure was applied, achieving more than 20cm of overlapping. Other earth
retaining methods such as SCW and diaphragm walls were not considered because of the
limited workspace available on the ground surface.
(a)Site Characteristics
Construction lot 512 belongs to Seouls subway line 5, and was characterized with a shallow
overburden of alluvial deposit and a high level of groundwater. The tunnel was to be a dual-
track tunnel undercrossing the Anyangchun, one of the tributaries of the Han River, which is a
good source of groundwater. The minimum thickness of the overburden was about 17m and
the groundwater table was just 3-7m below the surface. Due to the poor ground conditions
and shallow overburden, the design methodology for constructing this tunnel had to be
updated with stability as the main consideration.
The subsoil at the site mainly consists of four layers: fill material, alluvial deposit, weathered
soil and rock, and bedrock (soft to hard rock) from the surface. The alluvial deposits were
silty to sandy soil. Hydraulic conductivity of alluvium varied 610-3 to 910-5cm/sec.
This layers deformation modulus was in the range of 100 MPa. Figure 28 shows the subsoil
profile of the site.
Fig. 27: Location of the construction lot 512 Fig. 28: Subsoil profile of the site
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tunnel except the inverted area. All the ground treatment activities were conducted at the
ground surface since this area was open space.
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Fig. 31; Location of the construction lot 912 Fig. 32: Surface condition of construction site
The sandy gravel layer, which presents many challenges in safe tunnelling, spreads along the
entire route concerned. The alluvial layer has more or less a consistent thickness and is placed
atop the banded biotite gneiss of the bedrock formation. The permeability coefficient for this
layer is 1.0x10-2 to 2.9x10-5 cm/sec. Photographs of the features of excavated surfaces in the
alluvial deposit are shown in Figures 33 and 34.
Fig. 33: Ground condition at portal and tunnel face Fig. 34: Excavated surface in alluvial deposit
(a) Excavation method with jet grouting piles (b) Dewatering scheme
Fig. 35: Ground strengthening techniques and dewatering schema
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It was revealed from the construction of a cut-and-cover tunnel that a cut-off wall constructed
along the periphery of the excavation line was not very successful in keeping the groundwater
at its original level when the excavation was carried out. As a result, gradual lowering of the
groundwater level was unavoidable.
Fig. 36: Location of the construction lot 515 Fig. 37: Tunnel under the pier foundation
The site investigation revealed that the pile tips were located in the alluvium and the entire
tunnel face lies also within this weathered rock formation. The degree of this rock formations
weathering varies from a completely weathered state to a moderately weathered state. Subsoil
conditions were complex as the thickness of the alluvial layer ranged from 12-15m. Tunnel
depth was around 14-17.5m while the groundwater level rested 10-15m below the surface.
The alluvium was underlain by the weathered soil layer and weathered rock layer.
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(b) Issues and Technical Solutions
The flyover bridge plays a very important role for public transportation. Therefore, any
instability or structural damage done to the bridge resulting from the construction of the
tunnel needed to be avoided. Although pile tips were set apart at a reasonable distance from
the excavation line of the tunnel, the intermediate ground between the pile tips and the tunnel
needed to be reinforced. In addition, an excessive lateral displacement of each pile should be
restrained to protect the piers from any damage.
Thus, the ground above the tunnel was strengthened using steel pipe roofing and forepoling
prior to heading. The diameter and length of each steel pipe were 52mm and 12m,
respectively. Lateral spacing of pipes was set to 40cm and each pipe roof umbrella overlapped
6m longitudinally. To prevent the occurrence of unwanted lateral displacement of piles, the
ground surrounding the pile group was strengthened by grouting (see Figure 39). To enhance
the effects of this strengthening, the volume of grouting soil to be strengthened was enclosed
by the cut-off grouting of SGR. To reduce settlement of the ground at the crown area, a
central diaphragm wall excavation (CD-cut) was constructed, as illustrated in Figure 38.
Fig. 38: Profile of mini pipe roof Fig. 39: Curtain grouting injection
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tunnel crown was around 11m. The principal task in this project was to secure the stability of
the existing office tower and apartment building.
(a) Location of the construction lot 906 (b) Subsoil profile of the site
Fig. 40: Location of the construction lot 906 and subsoil profile
The subsurface geology of the site mainly consisted of four layers, namely alluvium,
weathered soil, weathered rock, and gneiss as bedrock of variable strength, joint spacing and
degree of weathering. The N-value of weathered soil is 9/30 to 50/11 and the RQD was very
low (less than 0-17%). The full face soil section consisted of weathered rock at the lower side
and weathered soil at the upper side. The ground water table sat at a depth of 3.3-7.3m
below the surface.
To support this jet grouting arch, a single row of subvertical steel pipes (73mm in diameter;
4m in length) were installed with cement grouting at both ends of the arch. Before
commencement of the excavation on the lower half, three rows of GRP (22mm in diameter,
6m in length) inclined toward the lead direction were installed every four meters, while 4m-
long rock bolts were installed perpendicular to the excavated surface. In addition, the invert
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area was also strengthened with cement grouting to prevent heaving or weakening of the
ground.
ITC machine excavation 1st layer shotcrete steel rib installation 2nd layer shotcrete
side wall drilling side wall pipe installation steel rib connection final shotcrete
In the longitudinal direction the steel pipe umbrella arch installed in the upper half of tunnel o
verlapped by 11m longitudinally. Auxiliary measures adopted for safety are all illustrated in F
igure 41. After the full face excavation, 600mm thick concrete linings were installed. The exc
avation steps and supporting methods used during construction of the tunnel are shown in Fig
ure 42.
Feedback analysis was made using the settlement records obtained from the in-situ
inclinometer installed horizontally at the tunnel face. From the results of this analysis, GRP
grouting was recommended to reinforce the ground at the tunnel face. Compared to other
grouting methods, the main advantage of GRP is that the grouted area and pipe can be cut
easily without any loosening of the ground. By applying this additional support measure,
crown settlement was controlled within an acceptable limit along with the safe advancement
of the tunnel.
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measured by the delayed instrumentation system, but turned out to be about 52.2% of the
actual settlement of the tunnel
Fig. 43: Location of the construction lot 912 Fig. 44: Tunnel under the pile foundation
The water level is greatly influenced by that of the Han River, since this location is the area w
here the Banpo stream joins the river, as shown in Figure 43.
The vertical alignment of the tunnel in this area was designed to hit the piles of the pier
foundations. Sixty-seven foundation piles needed to be cut during the tunnel construction, as
illustrated in Figures 44, 45 and 49. Foundation piles are expected to lay their entire shank
within gravel-like soil. This alluvial deposit, as illustrated in Figure 46, rests unconformably
atop of the Precambrian age gneiss bedrock. Its typical gradation curve is shown in Figure 47.
The average value of hydraulic conductivity in the alluvial layer was approximately 8cm/sec.
Fig. 45: Cross section of the tunnel under the piers Fig. 46: Ground composition
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(b) Issues and Technical Solutions
Two particularly demanding issues from
a technical perspective were presented
at the design stage. One is the safety of
tunnel construction in gravel-like
ground conditions with a large source of
groundwater supply; the other is the
protection of the flyover bridges from
the possible settlement of the piers. The
challenge becomes even greater when
the pile tips are exposed and cut in the
soft ground conditions when the tunnel
is excavated. Fig. 47: Gradation curve for alluvium
Intensive subsoil investigations were conducted to determine the exact subsoil conditions and
status of pile foundations. After comprehensive analyses and discussion, the foundation
system was changed from the pile foundations to footings by applying intensive jet grouting
in the foundation area, which applied grouting along the full depth of the piles to be cut and a
substantial aerial extent prior to tunnel excavation. This intensive grouting could prevent a
large amount of groundwater infiltration. In addition, conservative schema for excavation and
supports were also followed in order to eliminate any possible source of instability concerning
the tunnel and flyover bridges. Figure 48 shows the sequence of construction. Comprehensive
instrumentation and monitoring systems were activated to check the impact of the tunnel
construction on existing structures. Emergency measures were also established during the
construction.
G
steel pile tip size steel pile steel support elastic pad
exposure confirmation cutting installation installation
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Fig. 49: Steel pile visible at tunnel face during excavation
Construction of Station Tunnel under the Old Shopping Mall and the Subway in Weak
Ground
Fig. 50: Location of the construction lot 913 Fig. 51. Cross section and subsoil profile
The subsurface geology of the construction site is composed of three primary features: 1) fill
material; 2) alluvium; 3) weathered rock formation of gneiss from the ground surface. The
alluvial layer persists up to a depth of about 18m, where the crown of the station tunnel
is located (see Fig. 51). The shortest distance between the existing subway and the new
station tunnel is about one meter. Ground condition visible in the steel pipe face placed along
the excavation line at the crown area is shown in Fig. 52.
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The fill material at the ground surface is generally composed of compact-to-dense sand and
gravel, while alluvium consists of beds of silt, sand and gravel. The size of the gravel in the
alluvium varies from 5-20cm and the gravel volume ratio ranges from 30-50%. The
weathering zone of the bedrock (gneiss) has a relatively narrow band, which ranges in
thickness to about one meter on top of the gneiss bedrock formation, while the bedrock has
variable strength and fracture/joint spacing and an RMR value of 31-67 (RQD: 50~100%).
The groundwater table exists about 9.5m below the surface. Hydraulic conductivity of the
alluvium is 1.34x10-5 to 1.22x10-3cm/sec.
Fig. 53: Steel pipes and launching gallery Fig. 54: Cross section of station 923 tunnel
The pipe installation gallery was first constructed at one end of the station tunnel, and then
pipe was jacked from one end to the other, one by one, by connecting 3m-long pieces of pipe.
After completing the pipe installation, support beams were installed every five meters
longitudinally. Pipes and support beams were all filled with reinforcement and concrete. Once
the cellular arch was completed, sidewall galleries were excavated for the construction of a
concrete wall to support the cellular arch. After this series of procedures was completed, as
shown in Figure 55, the central part was excavated. A detailed account of the construction
process is presented in Figure 55 and the final 3-D view and cross section view of the station
tunnel are shown in Figure 54.
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Fig. 55: Process of the Cellular
Safe construction was achieved by using the pipe jacking method and CAM. This method
helped control any ground deformation for this challenging tunnel section but did impose a
number of intensive labor demands.
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importance. The length of the tunnel passing under the underpass is 45m and the distance
between these two structures is about 12-13m, as shown in Figure 58.
Fig. 57: Location of the construction lot 902 and general view of construction site
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a downward extension of the support beams as the excavation progressed. Figure 60
illustrates the construction process.
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was conducted using the conventional drill and blast method and a cross section can be seen
in Figure 63.
Fig. 61: Location of the construction lot 518 Fig. 62: Subsoil profile of the site
F o r t h i s r e a s o n , a relatively conservative
construction scheme is generally preferred to
cover the uncertainties of the surrounding
ground. To avoid the difficulties due to severe
groundwater infiltration into the tunnel during Fig. 63: Tunnel profile and temporary drains
the excavation, pre-grouting was performed as
schematically depicted in Figure 64. Liquid waterglass (LW) was used in the grouting. The
entire section of tunnel beyond the excavation line in the weathered rock (25m injection
length; 5m bulk head; injection pressure: 1.2-1.8 MPa) was grouted. In addition to grouting,
mini pipe roof grouting at the crown area was also implemented to help prevent the ground
from caving-in during excavation (50mm outside diameter; 15m length; 5-8m reiteration
length). Reinforced concrete lining with a thickness of 500mm was placed to act against the
high external water pressure. Temporary drainage pipes were installed along the tunnels
inverted area to drain water from the tunnel during the construction stage. For emergency
purposes, flood control gates were also installed at both ends of the underwater tunnel section.
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Fig. 64: Schematic description of the pre-grouting for water cutting-off
The rock mass in the station area was composed of slightly weathered gneiss slanting to the
southeast. The rock mass was also cut by a small-scale fault and crushed zone. However,
almost all of the Noksapyoung Station was to be constructed in a rock mass of fair-to-good
conditions.
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Fig. 66: Sections of Noksapyoung station
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To verify the stability during
the excavation process, a
numerical analysis was done
using the 3-D Finite Element
Method (FEM). The FEM
model of the stations
structure with a vertical
ventilation shaft (analyzed
area was 84m below surface;
140m in length along the z- Fig. 69. Finite Element Model
axis; 124m in a cross section
along the y-axis), as shown in Figure 69, and the analysis simulated the excavation process
(see Figure 70). Ground displacement and support pressure were checked at each step of the
excavation.
It was estimated through the FEM analysis that the maximum stress developed in the
shotcrete lining was about 1.36 MPa at the final stage of excavation, well below the allowable
limit (8.4 MPa). The maximum total displacement was
about 10mm.
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These stations were built underneath existing
structures including the Chungmu underground
shopping center and the Daehanjeonsun building.
Myeongdong Station is a 167.5m-long two-arch
tunnel, while Hoehyeon station is 128.8 meters
long and is a three-arch tunnel, as shown in Figure
73. The vertical distances between structures
(building) and the tunnel crown is about 3.5-5.5m
through weathered rock. Myeongdong Station was
constructed in a fair-to-good quality rock mass.
The upper part of the tunnel was situated in soft
rock while the lower part was in hard rock. Fig. 72: Location of the construction lot
Hoehyeon Station was constructed in soft rock 415 and 416
with weathered soil above the rock. The weathered
soil layer was approximately 7m thick.
Fig. 73: Location and cross sections of two-arch subway station and three-arch subway station
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constructed using a sequential excavation method,
as detailed in Figures 75 and 77.
Fig. 75: Construction sequence for two-arch tunnel (Myeongdong station, subway line 4)
Both methods utilize reinforced concrete supports in the excavated areas prior to moving on
to the next step in the sequence of excavation. Excavation of Myeongdong Station was
accomplished from both sides of the tunnel, the starting and ending points. To help with
ground stability at the crown area of the tunnel, the excavation was performed using
forepoling (= 32mm; 2m in length).
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Fig. 76: Hoehyeon subway station on service
Fig. 77: Construction sequence for three-arch tunnel (Hoehyeon station, subway line 4)
Hoehyeon Station was the first three-arch subway station built in Korea. It was completed in
1985 with an excavated width of 21.4m and a height of about 7.55m. The station is located
under the Toegyero, sharing a boundary with Namdaemun market, as seen in Figure 76
For safety reasons, the Hoehyeon station tunnel was excavated with a bench length restricted
to 15m for an early ring closure during construction. However, this bench length was not
enough for the equipment to operate easily and it was hard to maneuver trucks and boring
machines during the construction work.
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On the basis of numerical analysis and measured results,
the bench length was increased to 30m for those areas
where there was no existing structure above the surface.
The original bench length of 15m was maintained for
those areas that passed directly under an existing
structure. During the construction of these tunnels, a
problem with water leakage occurred due to a damaged
waterproofing membrane. To address this leakage
problem, drainage pipes with a diameter of 150mm were
installed longitudinally along the tunnel (see Figure 78).
To reduce the number of connection joints in the
waterproofing membrane, the membrane was cut as few Fig. 78: Measure for water leakage
times as possible. In order to verify the stability of the
structure during the excavation, an FEM numerical analysis was conducted. To consider the
influence of being in such close proximity to buildings in the case of Hoehyeon Station, a 2-
dimensional Finite Element Model was used, as shown in Figure 79. The analysis showed that
both the maximum settlement and the maximum inclination appear at the building corner
close to the tunnel. However, these values fell within the allowable limits for settlement. No
serious problems related to deformation occurred during the tunnel construction and the actual
displacement and support pressure monitored also verified this.
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Euljiro station (Line No. 5) 920 Station (Line No. 9) Yeouido station (Line No. 5)
Daejeon station
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Some measures frequently employed for the soft ground tunnelling in urban area are
addressed in this paper. Those are the matters related to the measures against groundwater and
the strengthening of ground for safe tunnelling without causing any possible tunnel collapse
and damages on existing structure and facilities. Several successful case histories which are
mostly technically demanding tasks are presented in a systematic manner.
It can be concluded from this comprehensive review on the soft ground tunnelling that either
the stable tunnelling or tunnel collapse is possible in the very similar geological conditions.
Thus, human factors play significant role for the safe tunnelling. Consequently, the unique
tunnelling technique may not be executed even if it exists.
ACKNOWLEGEMENT
This paper is a slightly modified version of the authors lecture which was made at the
Training Course of 2006 World Tunnel Congress in Seoul.
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108
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