Reducing risk in long deep tunnels by using TBM and drill-and- blast methods in the same project–the hybrid solution Nick Barton* NB&A, Oslo, Norway, www.nickbarton.com Abstract: There are many examples of TBM tunnels through mountains, or in mountainous terrain, which have suffered the ultimate fate of abandonment, due to insufficient pre-investigation. Depth-of-drilling limitati0ns are inevitable when depths approach or even exceed 1 or 2 km. Uncertainties about the geology, hydro-geology, rock stresses and rock strengths go hand-in-hand with deep or ultra-deep tunnels. Unfortunately, unexpected conditi0ns tend to have a much bigger impact on TBM projects than on drill-and-blast projects. There are two obvious reas0ns. Firstly the circular excavation maximizes the tangential stress, making the relation to rock strength a higher source of potential risk. Secondly, the TBM may have beenprogressing fast enough to make probe-drilling seem to be unnecessary. If the stress-to-strength ratio becomes too high, or if faulted rock with high water pressure is unexpectedly encountered, the “unexpected events” may have a remarkable delaying effect on TBM. A simple equation explains this phenomenon, via the adverse local Q-value that links directly to utilization. One may witness dramatic reducti0ns in utilization, meaning ultra-steep deceleration-of-the-TBM gradients in a log-log plot of advance rate versus time. Some delays can be avoided or reduced with new TBM designs, where belief in the need for probe-drilling and sometimes also pre-injection, have been fully appreciated. Drill-and-blast tunneling, inevitably involvingnumerous “probe-holes” prior to each advance, should be used instead, if investigati0ns have been too limited. TBM should be used where there is lower cover and where more is known about the rock and structural conditi0ns. The advantages of the superior speed of TBM may then be fully realized. Choosing TBM because a tunnel is very long increases risk due to thelaw of deceleration with increased length, especially if there is limited pre-investigation because of tunnel depth. Key words: tunnel boring machine (TBM); rock strength; deep tunnels; tangential stress; pre-injection; Q-values; utilization; risk Nick Barton
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