Unit - 5 Geological Investigation in Civil Engineering: Geological Conditions Necessry For Construction of Dams
Unit - 5 Geological Investigation in Civil Engineering: Geological Conditions Necessry For Construction of Dams
Unit - 5 Geological Investigation in Civil Engineering: Geological Conditions Necessry For Construction of Dams
Folding
Folds signify bends and curvatures and a lot of strain energy stored in the rocks. Their
influence on design and construction of tunnels is important from at least three angles:
Firstly, folding of rocks introduces considerable variation and uncertainty in a sequence of
rocks so that entirely unexpected rocks might be encountered along any given direction.
This situation becomes especially serious when folding is not recognized properly in
preliminary or detailed surveys due either to its being localized or to misinterpretation.
Secondly, folding of rocks introduces peculiar rock pressures.
In anticlinal fold, loads of rocks at the crest are transferred by arch action to a great extent
on to the limbs which may be highly strained
These conditions are reversed when the folds are of synclinal types. In such cases, rocks of
core regions are greatly strained.
Again, the axial regions of folds, anticlinal or synclinal, having suffered the maximum
bending are more often heavily fractured.
The alignment of a tunnel passing through a folded region has to take these aspects in full
consideration.
When excavations are made in folded rocks, the strain energy is likely to be released
immediately, soon after or quite late to tunnelling operations, very often causing the
dreaded rock bursts.
Thirdly, folded rocks are often best storehouses for artesian water and also ideal as aquifers.
When encountered during tunnelling unexpectedly, these could create uncontrollable
situations.
The shattered axial regions being full of secondary joint systems are highly permeable.
As such very effective drainage measure are often required to be in readiness when
excavations are to pass through folded zones.
Application of Geological Investigations: Faulting
FAULTING
Similarly, fault zones and shear zones are highly permeable zones, likely to form easy
avenues for ground water passage.
Inclined fault planes and shear zones over the roof and along the sides introduce additional
complications in computation of rock pressure on the one hand and of rock strengths on
the other.
This discussion leads to a general conclusion: wherever tunnel is intersected by fault planes
or shear zones, it is to be considered as passing through most unsafe situations and hence
designed accordingly by providing maximum support and drainage facilities.
Ground Water Conditions
Determination of ground water conditions in the region of tunnel project is not to be
under-estimated at any cost.
In fact ground water level via tunnel axis is a major factor governing computations of
overhead loads on tunnels and also in the choice of method of tunnelling.
Groundwater conditions effect the tunnel rocks in two ways
Firstly, through its physico-chemical action, it erodes and corrodes (dissolves) the
susceptible constituents from among the rocks and thereby alters their original properties
constantly with the passage of time.
It might have already done much of this type of job when the tunnel is excavated through
such water-rich rocks.
Secondly, it effects the rock strength parameters by its static and dynamic water heads.
Such an action may become highly pronounced when an artesian acquifer is actually
intercepted by tunnel excavation.