School of Civil

Engineering
Engineering
Campus

SUBSURFACE CHARACTERIZATION
FOR NATM TUNNEL EXCAVATION
UNDER RIVER CROSSING WITH
SHALLOW OVERBURDEN
21st November 2013
By:

Dr Mohd Ashraf Mohamad Ismail

www.eng.usm.my

Background of the study

UG
opening

UG
opening

Underground space
environment
Increase of overburden depth

Increase of tunnel depth

Ground
surface

Soil mass / rock

mass
Fractured rock
mass
Groundwater
Underground
Excavation
Stress
redistribution
GW changes

Underground space

Long deep tunnel

Shallow tunnel

Potential hazard
Excavation
disturbed/damage zone
GW ingress
Rock
displacement/deformation
2
Ground settlement

Method of tunnel prediction

Exploration hole
(Core boring)

Geophysical method

Probe hole (Drill logging)

Seismic Reflection

Pilot hole (Core boring/BTV)

3

TBM

Location
of the
Location
of the Pahang
Selangor Raw
Project
Water Transfer Tunnel Project

World Longest Tunnel

Name

Location

Length(m)

Type

Year

Comment

1.

Delaware Aqueduct

New York state,

United States

137,000

Water supply

1945

NY City's main water

supply, solid rock

2.

Pijnne Water Tunnel

Southern Finland,
Finland

120,000

Water supply

1982

16 m2 cross section

3.

Dahuofang Water Tunnel

Liaoning Province,
China

85,320

Water supply

2009

8 m in diameter

4.

OrangeFish River Tunnel

South Africa

82,800

Water supply

1972

longest aqueduct
(22.5 m2 )

5.

Bolmen Water Tunnel

Kronoberg/Scania,
Sweden

82,000

Water supply

1987

8 m2

Gotthard Base Tunnel

LeopontineAlps/Switzl
and

57,072

Railway

2017?

Twin tube

7.

Seikan Tunnel

Tsugaru Strait, Japan

53,850

Railway

1988

longest railway tunnel,

74 m2

8.

elivka Water Tunnel

Czech Republic

51,075

Water supply

1972

5 m2

9.

Channel Tunnel

English Channel,
UK/France

50,450

Railway

1994

longest underwater
section, (245 m2 )

10.

Seoul Subway: Line 5

Seoul, South Korea

47,600

Metro

1995

longest metro/rapid
transit tunnel

11.

Pahang Selangor Raw Water

Transfer Tunnel

Pahang, Selangor,
Malaysia

44,600

Water supply

2014?

Under construction

12.

Aitufvevo - Bulvar Dmitriva

Donskogo

Moscow Metro,
Russia

41,500

Metro

19832002

13.

Metro Madrid L-12:

Madrid, Spain

40,900

Metro

19992003

14.

Tocho-mae ShiodomeHikarigaoka(Toei Oedo Line)

Tokyo, Japan

40,700

Metro

19912000

15.

Krahnjkar
Hydroelectric Power
5
plant

Austurland, Iceland

39,700

Hydroelectric

20032007

6.

7.2-7.6 m in diameter
72 km

Longitudinal Profile of Proposed Tunnel

Prediction of NATM Excavation

Tunnel
alignment
under the river
crossing

Sg.
Kera
u

Shallow
overburden
= 12 m
With
approximately 4
m rock cover

Sudden Groundwater Ingress

Kerau River
F.Z.

impermeable

Tunnel advance

Fracture zone
8

Sudden Groundwater Ingress

Face collapse

After mucking

Tunnel face
collapse after
excavation
10

Objectives
To
identify

To
develop

Main geological and engineering properties that

controls the behaviour of shallow tunnel under
unfavourable ground condition.

Subsurface model for the shallow tunnel based on

the input of geological and engineering properties
data.

Geological condition based on developed

subsurface model
Types of soil/rock
To
Groundwater condition
predict
Rock mass condition

Methodology - Overview
Define parameter for
subsurface
characterization

Lithology, Groundwater Table, Rock

mass Weathering Grade, RQD and
Lugeon Value from boreholes

Subsurface modeling

Spatial modeling Inverse Distance

Weighted (IDW)

Tunnel filtered model

Solid Modeling Algorithm

Excavation Risk

Groundwater Ingress and tunnel

roof/face collapse comparison with
Electrical Resistivity Survey

Proposed
Countermeasure

Forepolling, Pre-grouting, etc

Location of Borehole and Tunnel Alignment

From Google Earth

17 boreholes with single and multi packer

Luegon Test

3-Dimensional Borehole Location

Model
Tunnel
Alignment

Spatial Analysis - IDW

Lithology
Groundwater Table
Rock Mass
Weathering
RQD
Lugeon Value

A value for each grid node is calculated by examining surrounding

data points that lie within a user-defined search radius
The node value is calculated by averaging the weighted sum of all
the points.

Lithology

Subsurface model
Borehole
Strip Logs

Rock mass Weathering

Grade

Spatial
Interpolati
on - IDW

Lugeon Value

Test carried out:

Rock Coring Inspection
Lugeon Test

Location of Tunnel Filtered Model

Solid Modeling
Algorithm

Tunnel Filtered Model

Rock mass Weathering
Grade

Lugeon Value

Excavated
Tunnel with 5.2
m diameter

3D Rock Mass Weathering Grade

Model

Rock Mass Weathering Grade

Subsurface Profile

Rock mass weathering grade aect the bearing capacity of the rock
and the quality of the rock in general.
Important to determine the suitability of the tunnel supports used
after excavation such as rock bolt, shotcrete and steel rib.

Tunnel Filtered Model

- Rock Mass Weathering Grade
Grade IV & III
Under Kerau
River

Grade II

Tunnel Filtered Model

- Rock Mass Weathering Grade

Under Kerau
River

53.3% Weak Rock

Soil Mass
Weathering
Grade

Volume (m3)

Percentage
(%)

Grade 4

156.69

8.3

Grade 3

850.06

45.0

Grade 2

881.125

46.7

Total Filtered
Volume:

1887.875

100

3D Lugeon Value Model

Lugeon Value Subsurface Profile

High Lugeon value (high permeability) shown under the Kerau River.
Extra attention must be done for the tunnel excavation under the
Kerau River.

Tunnel Filtered Model Lugeon Value

Under Kerau
River

Lugeon value
5-15

Lugeon value
1-5

Lugeon value
15-50

Tunnel Filtered Model - (Lugeon Value1550)

Under Kerau
River

71.7 % > 5 Lu
Lugeon
Value
<1
1-5
5-15
15-50
Total
Filtered
Volume

Permeabil
ity
m/sec
< 1x10-7
1x10-76x10-7
6x10-72x10-6
2x10-66x10-6

Volume
(m3)

Percenta
ge (%)

544

28.36

897.875

46.81

476.25

24.83

1918.125

100

Rock mass joint Lugeon Value

Lugeon Test

Lugeon Value Joint

Opening

Q
Lugeon
Range

Classificati
on

<1

Very Low

1-5

Low

Hydraulic
Conductivi
ty Range
(cm/sec)
< 1x10-5
1x10-5-

Condition
of Rock
Mass
Opening
Very tight

Reporting
Precision
(Lugeons)
<1

Tight
6x10
6x10-5-2x10-5

5-15

open

2x10
15-50

Few partly

Moderate
-4

Medium

Some open
-6x10
6x10-4

-4

50-100

High

Many open
-1x10

>100

Very High

-3

> 1x10-3

Open
closely
spaced or
voids

>100

Electrical Resistivity Survey

Elevation (m)
Survey
Line

Array
Type

Survey
Length
(m)

Electrode
s Spacing
(m)

L-1

Dipoledipole

200

2.5

ty
i
v
ti
s
i
s

Re e
lin

ve
r
Su

Sg.
Kera
u

Depth
of
Penetra
tion
(m)

Top

Bottom

80

Electrode
80
25
arrangement with
jumper attached to
the cable (2.5m
spacing)

Main cable
connected to the
main equipment

Electrical Resistivity Result

Electrical Resistivity Result

The resistivity value is in
low to moderate
resistivity value zone
Indicated this zone is in
critical zone of probable
high water content in
the rock mass
Electrical Resistivity subsurface
profile
Both subsurface profile
shown critical zone
Similarily result shown
correlated between
these two methods.
Lugeon value subsurface
profile

Conclusion
Overall Rock Mass Condition along the critical Tunnel
Alignment

High percentage of
granite grade III
(weak rock) occurred
at tunnel crown (53.3
% weak rock)
High permeability of
rock mass occurred
under Kerau River
along the tunnel
alignment (71.7% >
5 Lu).

Proposed Probe Drilling

Kerau River

Probe drilling

Tunnel
advanced
Tunnel face

Proposed Pre-grouting
Kerau River

Pre-grouting

Tunnel
advanced
Tunnel face

Proposed Forepoling

Schematic
View

Side View

Acknowledgement

Ministry of Energy, Green

Technology and Water

UNIVERSITI SAINS
MALAYSIA SHORT TERM
RESEARCH GRANTT

SNUI JV

Thank You