CE5104B-QB TUNNELLING IN SOILS

ASSIGNMENT (Nov 2023)

You should submit your answers through Canvas by 1 December 2023. If you think some
information are missing in the question(s), please make appropriate assumptions. Please
ensure that you have written your name and student number on the cover page of each of
your submitted files.

Answer both questions. This assignment carries 40% of total marks.

Question 1 (40 marks)

(a) Using the joint set data from the EXCEL spreadsheet [the data actually represent the
plunge (dip) and trend (dip angle) of measured poles] and the DIPS Program, (i) plot
the concentration of the pole of each joint set with contours, (ii) determine the mean
orientation of the joint sets, (ii) determine the Fisher’s constant K of each joint set and
comment on the scatter of the joint set based on its K value.

(b) A 10-m wide tunnel will be excavated with a tunnel axis of 160o. Using the mean
orientation of the joint sets obtained from (a) and the UNWEDGE Program, determine
(i) the weight of sliding block (taking unit weight of block as 27 kN/m3), (ii) the sliding
plane(s), and (iii) factor of safety against sliding if the sliding weakness plane has
friction angle of 35o and cohesion of 10 kPa.

(c) Repeat the entire question (b) using the stereographical projection approach. (i)
Determine the bolt force required if the desired safety factor of the sliding block is 2.
(ii) If the cohesion of the sliding plane is actually 100 kPa, determine the safety of the
sliding block. Are rock bolts still required to support the sliding block.

(d) For Part (b), re-run the UNWEDGE Program to obtain the sliding block volume at
various tunnel axes. Which tunnel axis has the largest block volume?

Question 2 (60 marks)

(a) The rock quality designation of a siltstone rock mass is 40%. Geological survey reveals
that the rock mass has three joint sets plus random joints as well as unaltered rock wall
contact with surface stain only, rough, undulating and having medium water flow. The
rock overburden is relatively shallow with rock mass reasonably competent having
mainly massive rock.
(i) Determine Q value of the siltstone rock mass.
(ii) Determine the required shotcrete thickness as well as bolt length and spacing to
support a 5-m span tunnel using the Q chart.
 (iii) Determine the m and s values of the siltstone rock mass.
(iv) After tunnel excavation, the rock mass becomes poor quality, determine the mr
and sr values of the plastic zone of the rock mass.

(b) A 5-m diameter tunnel will be carried out in the siltstone rock mass stated in part (a).
Plot the rock support reaction curve for the sidewall excavation on a graph paper with
pi as the vertical axis and tunnel deformation u as the horizontal axis based on the m
and s as well as mr and sr values obtained from part (a).

The properties of the rock are given in the following table.

Properties Magnitude
7 MPa
In-situ overburden stress
30 MPa
Unconfined compressive strength
12,000 MPa
Modulus of elasticity of rock mass
0.2
Poison’s ratio of rock mass
20 kN/m3
Unit weight of broken rock

(c) The tunnel engineers can consider installing 200 mm thick shotcrete as the rock support.
The strength, modulus of elasticity, and Poisson’s ratio of shotcrete is 40 MPa, 20700
MPa, and 0.25, respectively. The initial deformation of the tunnel may be taken 5 mm
before placement of shotcrete. Draw the support reaction line on the same graph paper
as (b), and determine the capacity of the shotcrete. Can the proposed shotcrete support
the tunnel sidewall?

(d) Repeat part (c) using the EXCEL spreadsheet provided in the lecture notes. Compare
and comment the values obtained from your hand calculations versus those from the
EXCEL spreadsheet.

(e) (i) Repeat part (c) using RocSupport Computer Program. You should choose the
Carranza-Torres 2004 analysis method and Hoek Carranza-Torres Corkum Approach
for rock modulus estimation. (ii) Compare and comment the values obtained from your
hand calculations versus those from the RocSupport Program.