Tunneling

Definition
Tunnels are artificial underground
passages opened at both ends constructed
for different purposes.
Required for highways, railways,
sewerage, water supply, public utilities
and canals.
Necessitated when open excavation of
strata becomes uneconomical, not only
construction cost but for maintenance as
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 History
The oldest tunnel was constructed 4000 years
ago in ancient Babylon to underpass the bed of
river Euphrates and to establish an
underground connection between the royal
palace and Temple of Jove.
The length of the tunnel was 1 km and it was
built with the considerable cross-section
dimensions of 3.6 m by 4.5 m.
In the second half of the 20th century, with the
progress in development of both explosives and
equipment, underground construction became
feasible.
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 Geological Considerations or ground
properties before constructing any tunnel
project:

The engineering properties of a rock

generally depend not only on the matrix
(structure formed by the minerals) but
also imperfections in the structure such
as voids (pore space ),cracks ,inclusions,
grain boundaries and weak particles.
Pore spaces are largely made up of
continuous irregular capillary cracks
separating the mineral grains.
Physical discontinuities are present in all
rock masses as a result of geological
activities.
Introduction of defects into the rock mass
due to human activities that alter the
properties of the rock material.
The mechanical breaks in the rock have
zero or low tensile strengths, increase
rock deformability and provide pathways
for water to flow.
 •Springline : The
line at which the
tunnel wall breaks
Crown: The uppermost from sloping
part of the tunnel outward to
sloping inward
Transportation tunnel cross-sections toward the crown

Crown Top heading

Core (strozze) Springline Bench

Wall
Invert Bottom

Circular Horseshoe Vertical walls arch roof

Invert : The bottom Heading : The excavated face of the tunnel
(floor) of the tunnel
Station : The distance measured from the portal (chainage) Drift : A
horizontal
Wall : The side of the tunnel Portal : The tunnel entrance excavation
The choice of tunnelling method
may be dictated by:
geological and hydrological
conditions
Weak rock under high stresses leads
to squeezing ground conditions.
Brittle strong rock high stress
conditions may lead to rockbursting.
 cross-section and length of
continuous tunnel
local experience and time/cost
considerations (what is the value
Choice of method
of time in the project) depends upon
limits of surface disturbance, and nature of strata
many others factors and geometry of d
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tunnel section tinu
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Classification of Tunnelling
Methods based on type of strata:
Methods divided into three categories
Firm ground- reasonable time available for
installing conventional support.
Soft ground- Conventional support can not be
installed.
Running ground- Special treatment required
before starting excavation

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Tunnelling Methods
Rough classification of methods
 Excavation: An excavation process without
removing the overlying rock or soil
• Steps: excavating-remove muck-supporting-
lining-ventilation-draining
• Drill & Blast, hammer, roadheader, ....
Cut and cover: trenching to excavate and construct a
tunnel, and then backfilling earth over it.
Immersed tunnel: lowering prefabricated tunnel
elements into a dredged channel and joining them
up under water
• Concrete
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Bottom-up method: The main site is excavated,
with ground support as necessary, and the tunnel
is constructed within. The tunnel may be of in situ
concrete, precast concrete, precast arches, or
corrugated steel arches. The trench is then
carefully back-filled above the tunnel roof and the
surface is restored.
Coffer Dam and
hydroelectric Tunnel
Top-down method: Here side support walls and
cap beams are constructed from ground level
typically with slurry walls, or secant piling. Then a
shallow excavation allows making the tunnel roof
of precast beams or in situ concrete. The surface is
then restored except for access openings. This
allows early reinstatement of roadways, services
and other surface features. Excavation then takes
place under the permanent tunnel roof, and the
base slab is constructed.
Tunnelling in Firm ground
Traditional methods. Involving drilling and blasting

Full Face Method. In firm soils where full

face excavation can hold it self for
sufficient time to allow mucking and
supporting operations.
In the full-face method, workers excavate
the entire diameter of the tunnel at the
same time.
This is most suitable for tunnels passing
through strong ground or for building
smaller tunnels.
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 Top Heading and benching. When full face
excavation is not possible. Heading should be
sufficient distance ahead of benching.

 In this technique, workers dig a smaller tunnel

known as a heading. Once the top heading has
advanced some distance into the rock, workers begin
excavating immediately below the floor of the top
heading; this is a bench.

 One advantage of the top-heading-and-bench

method is that engineers can use the heading tunnel
to gauge the stability of the rock before moving
forward with the project.
Excavation by tunnelling Methods
 Drift Method. In case of large or pilot tunnel , Drift is made and
then expanded. There can be more than one drifts.
 Different ‘drift methods’ depending on location of drift can be used.
 Tunnelling in Soft Strata
Tunnels constructed in soft materials
require temporary support immediately or
shortly after excavation. Way to provide
support are:
Suitably spaced bents of wood
Suitably spaced bents of steel for lagging
(covering)
Liner plates
Fore poling placed to retain material
between adjacent bents
Temporary supports must be designed for
higher working stress compared to those in
permanent designs.
Tunnelling in Soft Ground
Instantaneous support is required
No drilling and blasting.
Forepoling is done.
 Boards are driven ahead of the last ‘rib’, around
periphery
 Forepoles act as cantilevers beyond breasting

 Soil is excavated after removing the breast board and

new rib is erected

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Because stand-up time is generally short when
tunneling through soft ground, cave-ins are a
constant threat. To prevent this from happening,
engineers use a special piece of equipment called a
shield.
A shield is an iron or steel cylinder literally pushed
into the soft soil. It carves a perfectly round hole and
supports the surrounding earth while workers remove
debris and install a permanent lining made of cast
iron or precast concrete.
When the workers complete a section, jacks push the
shield forward and they repeat the process.
Tunnelling in Running Ground
Many methods
Principle is, Linear plates are pushed in starting
from crown
Cavity is excavated
Additional linear plates are pushed one by one and
bolted
Arch section gradually widened down to springing
line.

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Tunnelling in Rocks
Tunnels are driven in rocks by drilling holes in the rock
face, loading the holes with explosives, blasting and
removing the broken rock
Each sequence full cross section of the tunnel may be
excavated, or one or more drifts may be there.
Drilling pattern for holes of explosives may differ
depending upon rock type, cross section, experience
expertise and type of explosive suggested.
Methods are similar in principle like
 Full Face Method
 Top Heading and benching
 Drift Method

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Tunneling through hard rock almost always involves
blasting. Workers use a scaffold, called a jumbo, to place
explosives quickly and safely.
The jumbo moves to the face of the tunnel, and drills
mounted to the jumbo make several holes in the rock. The
depth of the holes can vary depending on the type of rock,
but a typical hole is about 10 feet deep and only a few
inches in diameter.
Next, workers pack explosives into the holes, evacuate the
tunnel and detonate the charges. After vacuuming out the
noxious fumes created during the explosion, workers can
enter and begin carrying out the debris, known as muck,
using carts.
 Then they repeat the process, which advances the tunnel
slowly through the rock.
Fire-setting is an alternative to blasting. In this
technique, the tunnel wall is heated with fire, and then
cooled with water. The rapid expansion and contraction
caused by the sudden temperature change causes large
chunks of rock to break off. The Cloaca Maxima, one of
Rome's oldest sewer tunnels, was built using this
technique.

The stand-up time for solid, very hard rock may measure
in centuries. In this environment, extra support for the
tunnel roof and walls may not be required. However, most
tunnels pass through rock that contains breaks or pockets
of fractured rock, so engineers must add additional
support in the form of bolts, sprayed concrete or rings of
steel beams. In most cases, they add a permanent concrete
lining
Sequence of operation in Rocky
Strata (Drill and Blast)
Marking tunnel profile.
Setting up and drilling
Loading explosive and blasting
Removing the foul gases
Checking
Scaling
Mucking
Rock bolting and lining

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Modern Tunnel Construction Methods:
 Drill and blast
 Mechanical drilling/cutting
 Cut-and-cover
 Immersed tunnels
 Tunnel boring machines (TBMs)
 New Austrian Tunnelling Method
(NATM)

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Road headers