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FULL FACE SLURRY TBM in South Africa

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TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine)

1. Mechanical-support TBM
2. Compressed-air TBM
3. Slurry shield TBM
4. Earth pressure balance machine
5. Mixed-face shield TBM

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1- Mechanical Support TBM

 A mechanical-support TBM has a full-face
cutterhead which provides face support by
constantly pushing the excavated material
ahead of the cutterhead against the
surrounding ground.

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2- Compressed-Air TBM
 A compressed-air TBM can have either a full-
face cutterhead or excavating arms.
Confinement is achieved by pressurizing the
air in the cutter chamber.

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3- Slurry Shield TBM

 A slurry shield TBM has a full-face
cutterhead. Confinement is achieved by
pressurizing boring fluid inside the
cutterhead chamber.

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4- Earth Pressure Balance

Machine
 An earth pressure balance machine has a
full-face cutterhead. Confinement is achieved
by pressurizing the excavated material in the
cutterhead chamber.

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5- Mix-Face Shield TBM

 Mix-face shield TBMs have full-face
cutterheads and can work inclosed or open
mode and with different confinement
techniques.

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EFFECT of GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURES

to TUNNEL EXCAVATION

 Effect of soil layers: horizontal, vertical and

inclined layers have different kinds of
loading conditions for tunnels.

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 Effect of faults: the relation between the

fault slope direction and the tunnel
direction, width of the fault zone, type and
thickness of the fill material and the
hydrostatic pressures in both sides of the
fault are some problems in the tunnelling.

Relation between the fault zone and the tunnel

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 Tunnel excavations in the slopes: the

discontinuities (layers, fissures) inclined
inside or outside of the slope are very
important regarding the stress and strength
of the tunnel.

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 Effect of the folds: While tunnel is excavated

in an area that contains folded rocks, different
stresses and conditions may occur depending
on the fold type.

Fold axis and the tunnel direction is parallel

Fold axis and the tunnel direction is vertical

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Engineering rock mass classification

 Engineering rock mass classification systems have been widely used
with great success in Austria, South Africa, the United States, Europe,
and India for the following reasons:
 1. They provide better communication between planners, geologists,
designers, contractors, and engineers.
 2. An engineer’s observations, experience, and judgment are correlated
and consolidated more effectively by an engineering (quantitative)
classification system.
 3. Engineers prefer numbers in place of descriptions; hence, an
engineering classification system has considerable application in an
overall assessment of the rock quality.
 4. The classification approach helps in the organization of knowledge
and is amazingly successful.
 5. An ideal application of engineering rock mass classification occurs in
the planning of hydroelectric projects, tunnels, caverns, bridges, silos,
building complexes, hill roads, rail tunnels, and so forth.

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Shear Zone Treatment in Tunnels
 A shear zone is a zone in which shearing has
occurred so that the rock mass is crushed and
brecciated.
 A shear zone is the outcome of a fault where the
displacement is not confined to a single fracture, but
is distributed through a fault zone.
 A method has been developed at the Norwegian
Geotechnical Institute (NGI) for assessing support
requirements using the Q-system for rock masses
affected by shear zones (Grimstad & Barton, 1993).
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 The strike direction (θ) and thickness of the

weak zone (b) in relation to the tunnel axis is
important for the stability of the tunnel;
therefore, the following correction factors
have been suggested for the value of b.
 if θ = 90–45 to the tunnel axis, then use 1b
 if θ = 45–20, x3 then use 2b in place of b
 if θ = 10–20, then use 3b in place of b
 if θ < 10, then use 4b in place of b

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Material characteristics of rocks

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Rock mass conditions

under the Hoek-Brown
failure criterion.

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Rock mass classification

 Terzaghi’s Rock Load Height Classification

(Terzaghi 1946)
 Lauffer’s Classification (Lauffer 1958)
 Deere’s Rock Quality Designation (RQD) (Deere
1964)
 Rock Structure Rating (RSR) Concept (Wickham et
al 1972)
 Geomechanics System (Bieniawski 1973) and
 NGI-Q system (Barton, 1988)

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ROCK QUALITY DESIGNATION

DIRECT METHOD
For RQD determination, the International Society for Rock
Mechanics (ISRM) recommends a core size of at least NX (54.7
mm) drilled with double-tube core barrel using a diamond bit.

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Correlation between RQD and Rock Quality

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where Si is the average joint

spacing in meters for the ith joint
set and J is the total number
of joint sets except the random
joint set.
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Classification of Volumetric Joint Count (Jv)

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WEIGHTED JOINT DENSITY

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Typical problems with RQD are

 The limiting length of 10 cm is arbitrary
 The limiting length of 10 cm is an “abrupt
boundary.”
 RQD is biased by orientation of
measurement. Some approximate
corrections are available to remove these
effects.
 RQD is influenced by drilling equipment, size
of equipment, handling of core, experience of
the personnel, and so forth.

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RQD has also been used to estimate

the deformation modulus of the rock
mass.

 where Ed and Er are the deformation moduli

of the rock mass and the intact rock,
respectively.

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RMR
 The geomechanics classification or the rock mass rating (RMR)
system was initially developed at the South African Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) by Bieniawski (1973)
on the basis of his experiences in shallow tunnels in
sedimentary rocks
 The following six parameters (representing causative factors)
are determined for each structural unit:
 1. Uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of intact rock material
 2. Rock quality designation (RQD)
 3. Joint or discontinuity spacing
 4. Joint condition
 5. Groundwater condition
 6. Joint orientation

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Rock Mass Rating (RMR)

 The Rock Mass Rating (RMR) or Geomechanics system uses

five basic parameters for classification and rock mass
properties evaluation. A sixth parameter helps further assess
issues of stability to specific problems.
 The RMR uses six parameters that are easily determined in the
field.
 Uniaxial compressive strength of the intact rock.
 Rock Quality Designation (RQD).
 Spacing of discontinuities.

RMR   R i
 Condition of discontinuities. 5
 Ground water conditions.
 Orientation of discontinuities. i 1

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Calculation of RMR
 Let us consider, an out crop of rock mass is slightly weathered
quartzite with a major joint set dipping at 40o opposite to slope
 Index testing and numbers gives typical point load strength
index values of 9 MPa respectively.
 Joints per m3 counted on rock outcrop Jv = 15.
 The joint surface is rough and slightly weathered with a
separation of < 1 mm.
 Joints are spaced at less than 200 mm. Generally, joints are not
filled and found to be continuous up to 8 m.
 The outcrop is found to be wet even in the month of Poush
(December).
 Estimate the RMR value for this kind of slope.

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 Point load index is 9 Mpa, rating from Table R1 = 12

 Rock Quality Designation (RQD = 115 - 3.3×15 =
65%) rating from Table, R2 = 13
 Spacing of discontinuities is less than 200 mm,
rating from Table 7.0065, R3 = 8
 Condition of discontinuities, is rough and slightly
weathered, rating from Table 7.0065 with
refinement from Part E of Table 7.0065, the rating is
the sum of: 2 (3-10 m discontinuity length), 4
(separation <1 mm), 5 (rough), 6 (no infilling) and 5
(slightly weathered) gives total R4 = 22
 Ground water conditions, site is wet, rating from
Table 7.0065, R5 = 7

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 Now, Total RMR with out orientation correction is RMRt =R1+

R2+ R3+ R4+ R5 = 12+13+8+22+7 = 62
 For test of orientation of discontinuities, consider first for
tunnel, the strike of major joint is perpendicular to tunnel axis,
so from Part F of Table 7.0065, the orientation is favorable for
dip 40o. So rating from Part B of Table, R6 = -2.
 Thus, final RMR for tunnel = RMRt + R6 = 62 + (-2) = 60. This is
Class III of RMR value thus the rock is fair rock for tunnel and
need supports within 1 week even for 5 m span (see Part D of
Table).
 Similarly, for foundation rock mass rating is (R6 = -7) because
of discontinuities orientations observed on surface is fair.
Thus, final RMR for foundation = RMRt + R6 = 62 + (-7) = 55.
 Likewise, for slope rock mass rating is (R6 = -7) because of
discontinuities orientations observed on surface is fair.
 Thus, final RMR for slope = RMRt + R6 = 62 + (-25) = 37.

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The RMR System: Guidelines for Classification of

Discontinuity Conditions

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Groundwater Condition

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APPLICATIONS OF RMR
 Average Stand-up Time for an Arched Roof

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