Construction of a tunnel through Shirasu ground under the surface of ground water

T. Sakai Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation M. Nakashima Okumura Corporation

ABSTRACT: Since about 90% of tunnel is under Shirasu ground (sediment of pumice flow), which is vulnerable to erosion, under the surface of ground water, it was estimated that collapse and fluidization of excavation facing would occur in tunneling. Therefore, in consideration of economy, workability in the tunnel, emergency measures, etc., the well point method was adopted for lowering the ground-water level, by which the excavation of tunnel was completed without problem. 1. INTRODUCTION The Kyushu Shinkansen Kagoshima route (126 km between Yatsushiro in Kumamoto pref. and Kagaoshima city in Kagoshima pref.) received approval for a construction plan in 1991, and the route is scheduled to open in 2003. The Kagoshima Route passes through a Shirasu tableland at 100 to 150 m above sea level up to 20 km from the urban area of Kagoshima City. The tunneling section in the Shirasu tableland has been planned at 19 sites in total (14 km in total), and at present it is under construction. (See Fig. 1.1) Construction site of No.1 Satsuma Tunnel and other tunnels (total in 2,560 m) is at the alluvial bottom land along dissected narrow valleys caused by small rivers forming the Shirasu tableland and hilly terrains at about 150 m above sea level. There are farmland and housing lots on the Shirasu tableland, and the dissected valleys are mainly used as paddy fields. For this reason, construction consists of tunnels (five tunnels in 1,629 in total) on the Shirasu tableland and of viaducts and bank base courses (931 in total) in the dissected valleys. Problems in the construction are to stab ilize the facing when drilling the tunnel due to the ground-water level being high in the tunnel section and to stabilize the bank due to the Shirasu in the open air section. Among the measures to stabilize the facing when tunneling, we report the results of work execution by a method of lowering the ground-water level.

SHIN-YATSUSHIRO

80km

85km

SHIN-MINAMATA IZUMI
90km

SENDAI STATION
95km

Miyazaki Pref

Kagoshima Main Line

100km 105km

SENDAI

ROUTE 3

HIGASHI-ITIKI-CHO
110km 115km

NISHI-KAGOSHIMA STATION
125km

NISHI-KAGOSHIMA
Kagoshima Pref

120km

IJUIN-CHO MATSUMOTO-CHO

KAGOSHIMA-CITY

Figure.1.1 Location map

2. FEATURES OF SHIRASU GROUND 90% of the geological structure of this construction site is made up of Irito pyroclastic flow Shirasu, and new period andesite appears between the second tunnel and the third tunnel in remaining 10%. Shirasu is a light brown or gray white sediment of pumice flow (pyroclastic flow) generated from Aira volcano, which is distributed mainly in south Kyushu. (See Figs. 2.1 and2.2) Shirasu is classified into the primary Shirasu and the secondary Shirasu. The primary Shirasu means the sediment of pumice flow and is called ordinary Shirasu or natural ground Shirasu. The secondary Shirasu means the secondary sediment layer of the primary Shirasu. The Shirasu of this construction site is mainly the primary (natural ground) Shirasu. The natural ground Shirasu is extremely vulnerable to the intrusion of water, and slope collapse is common. Because of these features, Shirasu is specified as one of the most typical special soils in Japan. On the other hand, the natural ground Shirasu has high strength as soil that is not eroded by water, enabling it to remain upright for several ten meters. The physical and dynamic properties of middle hardness Shirasu in natural ground Shirasu are: unit volume weight 16kN/m3, cohesion 0kN/m2, internal friction angle 35, modulus of deformation 50MN/m2, and coefficient of permeability 10-3 to 10-4cm/sec.

Figure.2.1 Shirasu distribution areas GROUND -WATER LEVEL IN TUNNELING WORK 3.1 Applicability of well point method Shirasu is very vulnerable to the intrusion of water and raises problems in tunneling that the excavation facing becomes unstable and collapses or fluidizes, and the excavation ground becomes muddy. Fig.3.1.1 shows the relationship between the water content and index hardness of Shirasu near the ground-water surface. The index hardness also means the value that was measured by a soil hardness meter, and an index hardness of 30 is approximately
te ou aR im sh s go rk Ka wo wo en s rt an he nk ot hi nd uS sh la yu ne un fK aT to um in o ts Sa dp En .1 No

Longitudinal geological map

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m 40 m8 4k 11

Total length of work site No.1 Satsuma Tunnel 115km200m

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m 00 m4 7k 11

No.2 Satsuma Tunnel 116km531m

No.3 Satsuma Tunnel 116km661m No.4 Satsuma Tunnel 116km990m ko No.5 Satsuma Tunnel 117km276m hp c

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Ground-water level
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Sediment of Irito pyroclastic flow (Shirasu)

Andesite

Sediment of Irito pyroclastic flow (Shirasu)

Total length of No.2 and No.3 Satsuma Tunnels

Total length of No.1 Satsuma Tunnel L=880m L=339m

Total length of No.2 and No.3 Satsuma Tunnels

L=410m

Figure .2.2 Longitudinal geological map 3. M E T H O D O F L O W E R I N G T H E of 60. From

equivalent t o N-value

the figure, there is a tendency that the water content increases rapidly from about 1m under the surface of ground water and, in the mean time, the index hardness decreases (strength decreases) rapidly. Judging from the above tendency, it can be said that the ground-water does not give influence on tunneling if the ground -water level is 1m or more under the tunnel excavation ground level. Although there are many methods for lowering the ground-water level, we adopted the well point method considering economy, workability in the tunnel, emergency measures, etc. 3.2 Drilling of well point The well point drilling method is to lowers the ground water level by pumping up the ground-water forcibly by a vacuum suction unit. Generally, the allowable range for lowering the water level per one stage is about 5.0 m at maximum. In No.1 Satsuma Tunnel, when the ground -water level was higher than the upper half excavation ground, the upper half well points (L=13.5m @10.0m facing eight pieces) were drilled on the front of the facing. And, before the excavation of lower half and invert, the lower half well points (L=8.1m @3.0m one well in right and left) and the invert well points (6.5m @3.0m one well in right and left), were drilled. Then, after the water level had got low, excavation works were executed. (See Figs. 3.2.1 through 3.2.2) A crawling-type percussion was adopted for drilling a well point, and advance drilling was executed up to the predetermined depth by 110mm double-tube method, and then the well point tube and riser pipe were inserted into the outer tube after extracting the inner tube. The well points of L=2.7m were used for upper half, and L=1.8m for lower half and invert, and VP tube of 40mm, for the riser pipe.
Upper half

2.1

Distance from ground-water surface (m)

1.8 1.5 1.2 0.9 0.6 0.3 0 -0.3

m i

5 0

4 0 3 0 2 0 @i j Water content (%) dx i m mj w W

Index hardness (mm)

1 0

Figure -3.1.1Typical measurements of index hardness and water content of Shiras near the ground-water surface A correlation was found between index hardness and water content

-1

Well points were prepared throughout No.1 Tunnel. A maximum of eight sets of well point plants were installed for facing (right and left: one unit for each), for lower half (right and left: two units for each) and for invert (right and left: one unit for each). See Photo 3.2.1 and Fig. 3.2.4.) The actual execution of well point in No.1 Satsuma Tunnel is as follows. Upper half well point 302 points (L=4,077.0m) Lower half well point 536 points (L=4,341.6m)
Upper half
k=13.500m (Strainer:2.700m) @

500 500 2,000 rk rk | 1 . 0 500 500

2,000

5,
500 500 500 500

05

0R

12 5

10,000

6 1
3,721

9,90

6 1

13,5 00

2,70

0 90 0

1,500 1,500 1,500

1,500 1,500

1,500 1,500

Upper half well point k=13.500m(Strainer:2.700m)

Figure 3.2.1 Drilling of upper half well point

3,721 500

500

Upper half bed

| P DO rk

Invert

12
Upper half 2,600 rk Lower half
5, 05 0R

2,600

7,650R

2,900
0 6,50
75

125

4,848

0 4,62

6,50

20 K Invert well point

20 K

1,80

k=6.500m(Strainer:1.800m) 3 Filling of filter material(0.06m /well)

Figure 3.2.2 Drilling of lower half well point Invert well point 566 points (L=3,679.0m) Total 1,404 points (L=12,092.6m) The average pumping volume per well point was: 9.5 litter /min. in the upper half well point, 3.5 litter /min. in the lower half well point and 2.1 litter /min. in the invert well point. 3.3. Water level observation The water level was verified at the water level observation hole installed outside the pits where pre-research was conducted. Furthermore the water level observation holes were installed at 20 m pitches to determine the timing of drilling the well points and to verify the lowering state of water level in the pit after the execution of well point.

Figure .3.2.3 Drilling of invert well point

Photo 3.2.1 Working condition of well

140
Hight of upper half excavation Hight of lower half excavation Hight of invert half excavation Initial water level Observed water level U h excavation position p a p l e f

135

True heightm

130

125
Invert e

L h excavation position

75

1,706

Invert

2,142

1,000

5 4,62

0 1,80

120

115

110 0 129 205 280 355 430 520 610 730 850

Distance from mouthm

Figure 3.3.1 Result of water level observation

Well point drilling cycle

Plan view
k

PTO

ROO

PTO

Drilling cycle

Well point:Qsets

Well point:Ssets

Well point:Qsets

Excavation of upper half oV oT oR oP

Invert

Lower half

Upper half

Drilling of upper half well point

Drilling of lower half well point

oW

oU

oS

oQ Installation of upper half lock bolt

DO R

DO R

DO R

Excavation of lower half

Longitudinal view
k

Installation of lower half lock bolt k

PTO

ROO

PTO
Drilling of invert well point

Well point:Qsets

Well point:Ssets

Well point:Qsets

Invert
o o
Invert bed

Lower half
o
Lower half bed

Upper half
o

Excavation of invert

Upper half bed

PO DO DO R DO R DO R

Figure 3.2.4 Well point drilling cycle

4 Influence and effects of lowering the ground-water level The saturation line which had been about 3m at maximum above the upper half excavation ground became lower than the upper half ground level in about half a day after the upper half well points were drilled, and the facing and excavation ground became almost dry and free from collapse or fluidization. There was no flow of Shirasu from the well points either. According to the results of measurement in No.1 Satsuma Tunnel, the crown settlement was 3 to 5mm after completing the excavation of upper half, 10 to 12mm after completing the excavation of lower half, and 13 to 15mm after completing the excavation of invert. There was also almost no indication of horizontal displacement either. In this construction, it had been predetermined to install reinforcing lock bolts on the arch section if the final crown settlement was predicted to be 10mm or more. As the result, installation of reinforcing lock bolts was required. At the early stages of construction, the upper half well points were drilled immediately after the excavation of half upper ground, regarding it as important to stabilize the facing by lowering the ground-water level of upper half as soon as possible. According to the result of measurement, the crown settlement was large in the lower half excavation. So, we thought it one of the causes that the ground-water level did not completely fall in the lower half excavation. Then we changed the work procedure in which the lower half well points were drilled after the upper half excavation, and then the upper half well points were drilled. As the result, the final crown settlement was reduced by about 3mm on average. 5. CONCLUSION Though the Shinkansen tunnels are on the way of construction through a site with high ground-water level in Shirasu ground, we have reached a conclusion that the adoption of well point method is successful in lowering the ground-water level, leading us to complete the stabilization of tunnel excavation ground without problem. 6. REFERENCES Hiroshi Fujii et al. "Research and study on the method of constructing a tunnel on Shirasu ground" Japan Tunnel Technology Association, 1986, p.48