Tunnel and Road Cutting

Geological Condition
Necessary
hout
for Construction of
Tunnels
PRELIMINARY SURVEYS
• THE GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY
• THE LITHOLOGY
THE HYDROLOGICAL CONDITIONS
The hydrological conditions in the
area, such as depth of water table, possibility of
occurrence of major and minor aquifers of
simple type and of artesian type and the likely
hydrostatic heads along different possible routes
or alignments.
THE STRUCTURAL CONDITION

The structural condition of the rock,
that is, extent and attitude of major structural
features such as folding, faulting,
unconformities, jointing and shearing planes, if
developed.
Existence of buried valleys are also

established during the preliminary surveys which
constitute the area.
DETAILED SURVEYS
• Bore-Hole Drilling
Bore-hole drilling along

proposed alignments and up to desired
depths; the number of bore-holes may
run into dozens, scores or even
hundreds, depending upon the length
of the tunnel; rock samples obtained
from bore holes are analyzed for their
mechanical and geo-chemical
properties in the laboratories;
• Drilling Exploratory
Drilling shafts and adits, which
allow direct approach to the desired tunnel
for visual inspection in addition to the usual
advantages of drilling;
• Driving Pilot Tunnels
Driving pilot tunnels which are
essentially exploratory in nature but could
better be used as a main route if found
suitable by subsequent enlargement. The
actual number of bore holes and shafts
and adits and their depth and length are
decided by the length and location of the
proposed tunnel.
GEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN TUNNELLING
Rocks may be broadly divided into two categories in relation to tunneling:

1. Consolidated
2. Unconsolidated or soft ground.
CONSOLIDATED ROCKS
Tunnel design, method of its excavation and stability are greatly influenced by
following geological conditions: lithology, geological structures and ground water
conditions.
LITHOLOGY
It has already been mentioned that information regarding mineralogical
composition, textures and structures of the rocks through which the proposed tunnel is
to pass is of great importance in deciding
• the method of tunneling

• the strength and extent of lining and, thus the cost of the project.
6
HARD AND CRYSTALLINE ROCKS
• These are excavated by using conventional

rock blasting methods and also by tunnel
boring method
• In the blasting method, full face or a

convenient section of the face is selected for
blasting up to a pre-selected depth
• These are loaded with predetermined

quantities of carefully selected explosives of
known strength.
• Rocks falling in this group include granites, diorites, syenites, gabbro,
basalts and all the related igneous rocks, sandstones, limestones,
dolomites, quartzites, arkose, greywackes and the like from
sedimentary group and marbles, gneisses, quartzites, phyllites and
slates from the metamorphic groups.
• When any one of these rocks is stressed, such as during folding or

fractured as during faulting, tunneling in these rocks proves greatly
hazardous.
• Rock bursts which occur due to falling of big rock blocks from roofs or
sides due to release of stresses or falling of rock block along
fractures already existing in these rocks often cause many accidents.
SOFT ROCKS
• This group includes shales, friable and poorly
compacted sandstones, chalk and porous varieties of
limestones and dolomities, slates
• Their excavation cost, volume for volume, might be

lower than those in hard rocks.
• Hence, temporary and permanent lining becomes

necessary that would involve extra cost and
additional time.
• Rocks like clays, shales, argillaceous and

ferruginous sandstones, gypsum bands and
cavernous limestones have to be viewed specially
with great caution during tunneling
GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURES DIP AND STRIKE
These two quantitative properties of rocks determine the attitude

(disposition in space) of the rocks and hence influence the design of
excavation (tunnel) to a great extent.
Three general cases may be considered.
• Horizontal Strata
• Moderately Inclined Strata.
• Steeply Inclined Strata

HORIZONTAL STRATA
When encountered for small tunnels or for short

lengths of long tunnels, horizontally layered rocks might
be considered quite favourable.
In massive rocks, that is, when individual layers

are very thick, and the tunnel diameter not very large, the
situation is especially favourable because the layers
would then over bridge flat excavations by acting as
natural beams
But when the layers are thin or fractured, they

cannot be depended upon as beams; in such cases,
either the roof has to be modified to an arch type or has to
be protected by giving a lining.
MODERATELY INCLINED STRATA
Such layers that are dipping at angles up to 45

may be said as moderately inclined.
The tunnel axis may be running parallel to the dip

direction, at right angles to the dip direction or inclined to
both dip and strike directions.ither the roof has to be
modified to an arch type or has to be protected by giving a
lining.
The arch action where the rocks at the roof act

as natural arch transferring the load on to sides comes into
maximum play.
Even relatively weaker rocks might act as self-

supporting in such cases. It is a favourable condition from
this aspect.
STEEPLY INCLINED STRATA
In rock formations dipping at angles above

45, quite complicated situations would arise when the
tunnel axis is parallel to dip or parallel to strike or
inclined to both dip and strike directions.
In almost vertical rocks for example, when the

tunnel axis is parallel to dip direction, the formations
stand along the sides and on the roof of the tunnel as
massive girders.
An apparently favorable condition, of coarse,

provided all the formations are inherently sound and
strong
GEOLOGICAL
CONDITION
NECESSARY FOR
CONSTRUCTION
OF ROAD
CUTTING
Chiera Joyce Badjao

INTRODUCTION
In Civil Engineering, a cut or cutting is where soil
or rock from a relative rise along a route is removed. Cuts are
typically used in road, rail, and canal construction to reduce the
length and grade of a route. In civil engineering, a cut or cutting is
where soil or rock from a relative rise along a route is removed.
The term is also used in river management to speed a waterway's
flow by short-cutting a meander. Cuts are typically used in road,
rail, and canal construction to reduce the length and grade of a
route.
ROADS AND HIGHWAYS
Their planning, designing, construction and maintenance are among the
major duties of civil engineers the world over.
Geological investigations play important role in the design, stability and

economical construction and maintenance of the roads.
Such investigations are aimed at providing full details regarding

topography of the area, lithological characters of the rocks or soil,
geological structures and the ground water conditions.
LITHOLOGICAL CHARACTER
They cannot be simply cut out or dug out, Once cut, especially if they are free from
joints and fractures and un favorably inclined bedding planes, these rocks stand erect for year
without much maintenance.
GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURES
The structural features of rocks, especially in those of sedimentary and metamorphic origin,
have very important bearing upon the design of cuts as well as on the stability of the road as
a whole.
A given rock might be quite hard and otherwise sound for a cut as road foundation.
But, if in the same rock some planes of weakness (such as bedding planes, joints, foliation,
cleavage) are present in such a way that these are inclined towards the free side of the valley,
the rock could likely fail along these planes
JOINTS
These influence the stability of the cuts in the same way as the bedding
planes. When present in great abundance, joints reduce even the hardest rock to
a mass of loosely held up blocks on the side of a cut which could tumble down on
slight vibrations.
FAULTS
Faulting generally leads to the crushing of the rock along the fault planes and shear
zones. Such a condition is, of course, very unfavourable for a cut when it happens to form
upper or lower slope or even base of the cut. It worst type of planes of potential failure.
– TOPOGRAPHY
– GROUNDWATER CONDITION
GEOLOGICAL PROBLEMS AFTER ROAD CONSTRUCTION
The geological factors are to be considered prior to road construction as

these greatly influence the final alignment of the road.
(a) Frost Action:

In cold humid regions, road surface fails due to freezing of water within the
voids of the subsoil below. The freezing starts, in cold weather, from surface
downwards and extends from the larger voids to the capillary zone below.
The treatment of frost action lies in:

(i) Removing the porous soil susceptible to capillary freezing and replacing it with
non-porous, uniformly mixed soil.
(ii) Lowering down of water-table by providing adequate drainage.

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Geological Condition

• THE GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY

THE STRUCTURAL CONDITION

Existence of buried valleys are also

Bore-hole drilling along

Rocks may be broadly divided into two categories in relation to tunneling:

• the method of tunneling

• These are excavated by using conventional

• In the blasting method, full face or a

• These are loaded with predetermined

• When any one of these rocks is stressed, such as during folding or

• Their excavation cost, volume for volume, might be

• Hence, temporary and permanent lining becomes

• Rocks like clays, shales, argillaceous and

These two quantitative properties of rocks determine the attitude

Three general cases may be considered.

• Moderately Inclined Strata.

• Steeply Inclined Strata

When encountered for small tunnels or for short

In massive rocks, that is, when individual layers

But when the layers are thin or fractured, they

Such layers that are dipping at angles up to 45

The tunnel axis may be running parallel to the dip

The arch action where the rocks at the roof act

Even relatively weaker rocks might act as self-

In rock formations dipping at angles above

In almost vertical rocks for example, when the

An apparently favorable condition, of coarse,

Chiera Joyce Badjao

Geological investigations play important role in the design, stability and

Such investigations are aimed at providing full details regarding

The geological factors are to be considered prior to road construction as

(a) Frost Action:

The treatment of frost action lies in:

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