Basics of Tunnel
engineering
Submitted by:Pulivarthi Bhargavi
1115248
Geotechnical engineering
Contents
Introduction
History
Classification of tunnels
Size and shape of tunnel
Tunnelling methods
Case study
References
INTRODUCTION
Tunnel is an underground or underwater passageway
dug through soil/earth/rock and enclosed expect exit
and entry.
A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for
rail traffic, or for a canal.
Secret tunnels are built for military purposes.
Special tunnels, such as wildlife crossings, are built to
allow wildlife to cross human-made barriers safely.
REASONS TO BUILD A TUNNEL
When the lane encounters an obstacle such as a
mountain to avoid bypassing the obstacle
Built sometimes to overcome a water obstacle as a
replacement for building a bridge above it.
Built to connect between military posts so the
movement between them will not be visible for the
enemy
Sometimes built for infrastructure like electricity
cables, water, communication and sewerage to avoid
damage and disruption above ground
HISTORY
The first tunneling was done by prehistoric people
seeking to enlarge their caves.
First tunnel in Babylonia was a brick-lined pedestrian
passage some 3,000 feet (900 meters) long was built
about 2180 to 2160 B.C. under the Euphrates River to
connect the royal palace with the temple.
The largest tunnel in ancient times was a 4,800-footlong, 25-foot-wide, 30-foot-high road tunnel (the
Pausilippo) between Naples and Pozzuoli, executed in
36 B.C.
In 1681 gunpowder was first used for blasting the
tunnels.
HISTORY
First time the ventilation system for tunnel was
developed in 1927 in Holland tunnel
In 1952 James.S.Robbins comes up with a good idea
and designs the modern tunnel-boring machine
In 1988 Japan's 33-mile-long Seikan Tunnel, the
world's longest and deepest railway tunnel (787 feet
below sea level), connects the islands of Honshu and
Hokkaido .
In 1994 after 192 years of planning and six years of
building, the Channel Tunnel runs under the English
Channel
CLASSIFICATION OF TUNNELS:
Based on alignment
Based on purpose (road, rail, utilities)
Based on type of material (soft clay vs. hard
rock)
Based on Alignment:
Off-Spur tunnels: Short length tunnels to negotiate
minor obstacles
Saddle or base tunnels: tunnels constructed in
valleys along natural slope.
Slope tunnels: constructed in steep hills for
economic and safe operation.
Spiral Tunnels: constructed in narrow valleys in
form of loops in interior of mountains so as to
increase length of tunnel to avoid steep slopes.
BASED ON PURPOSE
Conveyance Tunnels ( transporting or
carrying something)
Traffic Tunnels
BASED ON MATERIAL
> Tunnels in Hard Rock
> Tunnels in Soft materials
> Tunnels in Water Bearing Soils
(submerged tunnels)
SHAPE OF TUNNEL
Resist pressure exerted by unsupported walls of the
tunnel excavation
Design to be done in such a way that it suits the site
conditions and functional requirements
D or segmental roof section
Circular section
Rectangular section
Egg shaped section
Horse shoe section
D or Segmental section
Suitable for sub-ways or navigation tunnel
additional floor space and flat floor for moving
equipment
Circular Section
To withstand heavy internal or external radial
pressures ,best theoretical section for resisting forces,
greatest C/s Area for least perimeter, sewers and water
carrying purposes.
D section and circular section
Rectangular Section
Suitable for hard rocks, adopted for pedestrian traffic,
costly & difficult to construct
Egg shaped Section
Carrying sewage Effective in resisting external and
internal pressures
Rectangular & egg- shaped
section
Horse shoe Section
Semi-circular roof with
arched sides and curved
invert Best shape for
traffic purposes ,most
suitable for soft rocks
and carrying water or
sewage ,most widely
used for highway and
railway tunnels
SIZE OF TUNNEL
Determined from utility aspect
Road tunnels No. of traffic lanes
Railway tunnels Gauge & No. of tracks
Thickness of lining
Provision for drainage facilities
Clear opening required for traffic
Nature of traffic
TUNNELING METHODS:
Tunnelling methods depend on
ground conditions,
the ground water conditions,
the length and diameter of the tunnel drive,
the depth of the tunnel,
the logistics of supporting the tunnel excavation,
shape of the tunnel and appropriate risk.
Most common methods of tunnelling:
Classical methods
Cut-and-cover
Drill and blast
Tunnel boring machines (TBMs)
Immersed tunnels
Tunnel jacking
Cut and cover method:
Cut and cover is a simple method of construction for
shallow tunnels where a trench is excavated and
roofed over with an overhead support system strong
enough to carry the load of what is to be built above
the tunnel.
Major principal problem to be solved in connection
with this construction method is to how to maintain
surface traffic, with the least disturbance during the
construction period. One method is to restrict traffic
to a reduced street width, another to direct traffic to a
bypassing street.
Example : Tsing Tsuen tunnel
Cut and cover
Process of cut and cover method
Drill and blast method:
Before the advent
of TBM, drilling and
blasting was the only
economical way of
excavating
long tunnels through hard
rock, where digging is not
possible . Even today, this
method is still used in the
construction of tunnels.
Example: tai lam tunnel
Tunnel boring method:
used for drilling a vast
type of tunnels.
useful in boring tunnel
where all other
methods fail.
suitable for hard rock
and hard soils.
Immersed tunnels:
This type of soil is
partly or wholly
underwater tunnels.
They do not block the
root for ships so there
is no problem of
congestion of traffic as
in case of bridges over
rivers or seas.
CASE STUDY
Project
: Handri-niva project
Place
: Katlatapalli village, Madhanapalli
mandal , Chittoor dist. AP.
Purpose
: For transporting of water
Soil type
: Hard rock
Method
: Boomer method used for tunneling in
this case. Boomer method is one of tunnel boring
method. This is easy method and used for small
projects.
REFERENCES:
Geotechnical engineering by S.K.Gulhathi , Manoj
Datta
Basics and applied soil mechanics by Gopal
ranjan,A.S.R.Rao
Bickel.(1995).Tunnel engineering handbook, 2nd
edition. CBS Publishers.
IS 15026 (2002): Tunneling Methods in Rock
Masses -Guidelines [CED 48: Rock Mechanics]
ADVANTAGES OF TUNNELING
Tunnels are more economical than open cuts beyond
certain depths
Tunnels avoid disturbing or interfering with surface life
and traffic during construction
Tunnels prove to be cheaper than bridges or open cuts to
carry public utility services like water, sewer and gas
if tunnels are provided with easy gradients, the cost of
hauling is decreased
In case of aerial warfare and bombing of cities, the
tunnels would grant better protection as compared to
bridges
REQUIRMENTS OF
TUNNEL
IT IS VERY USEFUL WHERE BRIDGE FAIL TO FULFILL
REQUIRMENTS LIKE IN SEA ,IN URBAN AREA ,AND IN
MOUNTAINS.
EFFICIENT COPARED TO BRIDGES.
IN WAR TIME IT IS MUCH DIFFICULT TO DESTROY A
TUNNEL BUT DESTRUCTION OF BRIDGE IS TOO EASY.
LOTS OF LAND AND TIME IS SAVED.
THE OTHER SIDE
Beside of many security measures ,
tunnelling is still not full proof.
Failure of automatic system will cause
deadly results as depicted in Hollywood
flick Die Hard 4.0.
High cost than bridges , but more fruitful
from previous.
