On a Paradox of Elasto-Plastic Tunnel Analysis

Elasto-plastic tunnel analysis may produce a paradox in the calculation of ground pressure whereby ground pressures appear to increase in relation to higher ground quality. More specifically, for an overstressed ground in combination with a stiff support, analysis may indicate greater loading of the support with a ground of high strength than with a ground of low strength (all of the other parameters being equal). This counter-intuitive outcome appears in all of the common calculation models (analytical plane strain analysis, numerical plane strain analysis and numerical axisymmetric analysis), although it does not correspond either to the ground behaviour that is intuitively expected or to ground behaviour observed in the field, thus raising doubts over the predictive power of common tunnel design calculations. The present paper discusses the assumptions made in the models that are responsible for the paradox: the assumption that ground behaviour is time-independent (whereas in reality overstressed ground generally creeps) and the assumption that the support operates with full stiffness close to the face (which is not feasible in reality due to the nature of construction procedures). When proper account is taken of either or both of these assumptions in more advanced models, the paradox disappears. As the models which generate the paradox are very commonly used in engineering and scientific practice, the investigations of the present paper may be of value, helping the engineer to understand the uncertainties inherent in the models and to arrive at a better interpretation of the results they produc

The Applicability of the Ground Response Curve to Tunnelling Problems that Violate Rotational Symmetry

The applicability limits of the closed-form solution to the problem of ground response to tunnelling are sounded out by systematically investigating the effect of deviations from some of the important assumptions underlying the closed-form solution. The ground response curve (GRC) expresses the relationship between tunnel support pressure and the radial displacement of the tunnel boundary on the basis of a rotationally symmetric model. The assumptions underlying rotational symmetry are a circular tunnel, a hydrostatic and uniform initial stress field, an isotropic and homogeneous ground and uniformly distributed support pressure. Deviations from these assumptions generally necessitate potentially time-consuming numerical analyses. The paper revisits the classical problem of tunnel excavation in a linearly elastic, perfectly plastic ground obeying the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion, and analyses the effects of non-uniformity and anisotropy of the initial stress field and of a non-circular tunnel geometry. The results show that the GRC also provides a reasonably accurate approximation of average tunnel convergence for a wide range of ground conditions that violate rotational symmetr

On the Time-Development of Sulphate Hydration in Anhydritic Swelling Rocks

Anhydritic claystones are among the most problematic rocks in tunnelling. Their swelling has caused serious damage and high repair costs in a number of tunnels, especially in Switzerland and southwest Germany. The swelling is usually attributed to the transformation of anhydrite into gypsum. It is a markedly time-dependent process which might take several decades to complete in nature. The present paper focusses on simultaneous anhydrite dissolution and gypsum precipitation in a closed system, i.e. disregarding the transport processes that may also be important for the evolution of the swelling process. The paper begins with a presentation of the governing equations and continues with parametric studies in order to investigate the role of the initial volumetric fractions of the constituents and the specific surface areas of the minerals involved. A simplified model for the hydration of anhydrite is also proposed, which identifies the governing process and the duration of the swelling process. Finally, parametric studies are performed in order to investigate the effect of the anhydrite surface being sealed by the formation of gypsum. The latter slows down the swelling process considerabl

The Effect of Consolidation on TBM Shield Loading in Water-Bearing Squeezing Ground

Jamming or overstressing of the shield due to ground pressure are potential problems for tunnel boring machine (TBM) tunnelling in squeezing ground. The risk of shield jamming depends essentially on the deformation rate of the ground in the vicinity of the working face. The time-dependency of the ground response to the excavation is associated with its rheological properties as well as with the transient consolidation process that takes place around the opening in the case of a low-permeability saturated ground. The present paper focuses on the second mechanism and investigates the interaction between the advancing shield, tunnel lining and consolidating ground by means of transient numerical analyses. For a given set of geotechnical conditions and a given TBM configuration, the load exerted by the ground upon the shield during TBM operation decreases with increasing gross advance rate. During a long break in operations, the ground pressure may increase significantly, thereby necessitating a higher thrust force to overcome shield skin friction and restart the TBM. It is interesting to note that a high advance rate reduces the risk of shield jamming not only during TBM advance, but is also favourable with respect to any subsequent long standstill

The Interaction Between Shield, Ground and Tunnel Support in TBM Tunnelling Through Squeezing Ground

When planning a TBM drive in squeezing ground, the tunnelling engineer faces a complex problem involving a number of conflicting factors. In this respect, numerical analyses represent a helpful decision aid as they provide a quantitative assessment of the effects of key parameters. The present paper investigates the interaction between the shield, ground and tunnel support by means of computational analysis. Emphasis is placed on the boundary condition, which is applied to model the interface between the ground and the shield or tunnel support. The paper also discusses two cases, which illustrate different methodical approaches applied to the assessment of a TBM drive in squeezing ground. The first case history—the Uluabat Tunnel (Turkey)—mainly involves the investigation of TBM design measures aimed at reducing the risk of shield jamming. The second case history—the Faido Section of the Gotthard Base Tunnel (Switzerland)—deals with different types of tunnel support installed behind a gripper TB

Derivative-free Kalman filtering based approaches to dynamic state estimation for power systems with unknown inputs

This paper proposes a decentralized derivative-free dynamic state estimation method in the context of a power system with unknown inputs, to address cases when system linearisation is cumbersome or impossible. The suggested algorithm tackles situations when several inputs, such as the excitation voltage, are characterized by uncertainty in terms of their status. The technique engages one generation unit only and its associated measurements, and it remains totally independent of other system wide measurements and parameters, facilitating in this way the applicability of this process on a decentralized basis. The robust- ness of the method is validated against different contingencies. The impact of parameter errors, process and measurement noise on the unknown input estimation performance is discussed. This understanding is further supported through detailed studies in a realistic power system model

Interpretation of Core Extrusion Measurements When Tunnelling Through Squeezing Ground

Squeezing intensity in tunnelling often varies over short distances, even where there is no change in the excavation method or lithology. Reliable predictions of the ground conditions ahead of the face are thus essential to avoid project setbacks. Such predictions would enable adjustments to be made during construction to the temporary support, to the excavation diameter and also to the final lining. The assessment of the behaviour of the core ahead of the face, as observed by means of extrusion measurements, provides some indications as to the mechanical characteristics of the ground. If the ground exhibits a moderate time-dependent behaviour and the effects of the support measures are taken into account, the prediction of convergence is feasible. If the ground behaviour is pronouncedly time-dependent, however, convergence predictions become very difficult, because core extrusion is governed by the short-term characteristics of the ground, which may be different from the long-term properties that govern final convergence. The case histories of the Gotthard Base Tunnel and of the Vasto tunnel show that there is a weak correlation between the axial extrusions and the convergences of the tunnel. By means of the case histories of the Tartaiguille tunnel and Raticosa tunnel, it is shown that to identify potentially weak zones on the basis of the extrusion measurements, careful processing of the monitoring data is essential: the analysis of the data has to take account of the effects of tunnel support and time, and has to eliminate errors caused by the monitoring proces

Coral skeleton P/Ca proxy for seawater phosphate: Multi-colony calibration with a contemporaneous seawater phosphate record

A geochemical proxy for surface ocean nutrient concentrations recorded in coral skeleton could provide new insight into the connections between sub-seasonal to centennial scale nutrient dynamics, ocean physics, and primary production in the past. Previous work showed that coralline P/Ca, a novel seawater phosphate proxy, varies synchronously with annual upwelling-driven cycles in surface water phosphate concentration. However, paired contemporaneous seawater phosphate time-series data, needed for rigorous calibration of the new proxy, were lacking. Here we present further development of the P/Ca proxy in Porites lutea and Montastrea sp. corals, showing that skeletal P/Ca in colonies from geographically distinct oceanic nutrient regimes is a linear function of seawater phosphate (PO4 SW) concentration. Further, high-resolution P/Ca records in multiple colonies of Pavona gigantea and Porites lobata corals grown at the same upwelling location in the Gulf of Panama were strongly correlated to a contemporaneous time-series record of surface water PO4 SW at this site (r2 = 0.7–0.9). This study supports application of the following multi-colony calibration equations to down-core records from comparable upwelling sites, resulting in ±0.2 and ±0.1 lmol/kg uncertainties in PO4 SW reconstructions from P. lobata and P. gigantea, respectively.P/Ca Porites lobata (lmol/mol) = (21.1 ? 2.4)PO4 SW (lmol/kg) + (14.3 ? 3.8)P/Ca Pavona gigantea (lmol/mol) = (29.2 ? 1.4)PO4 SW (lmol/kg) + (33.4 ? 2.7)Inter-colony agreement in P/Ca response to PO4 SW was good (±5–12% about mean calibration slope), suggesting that species-specific calibration slopes can be applied to new coral P/Ca records to reconstruct past changes in surface ocean phosphate. However, offsets in the y-intercepts of calibration regressions among co-located individuals and taxa suggest that biologically-regulated “vital effects” and/or skeletal extension rate may also affect skeletal P incorporation. Quantification of the effect of skeletal extension rate on P/Ca could lead to corrected calibration equations and improved inter-colony P/Ca agreement. Nevertheless, the efficacy of the P/Ca proxy is thus supported by both broad scale correlation to mean surface water phosphate and regional calibration against documented local seawater phosphate variations

Quality in the apartment building industry a case study in Greece

The construction industry has often been accused of providing low quality structures, mainly to increase financial profits. While in most European countries the picture has changed, and quality control and management systems are in place, in Greece, construction suffers from the lack of quality systems, especially in the apartment building industry. In the first part of the thesis, approaches of quality are reviewed, and their applicability to the construction industry is analysed. Furthermore, quality systems and total quality management in the construction industry are widely examined. The aim is to investigate the main reasons laying behind the poor quality structures in the Greek apartment building industry, and if the available quality control systems are applied, to monitor their contribution in quality of construction. In the second part, an outline of the Greek apartment building industry is described through a research on quality aspects, from the customers and construction firms' perspective. In addition, new construction techniques, building materials and quality standards are introduced, in order to improve the industry's picture. Finally, the future prospects of management systems and quality processes are recommended to customers and construction firms