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Engineering geological properties of altered rocks and implications for railway construction in the Sanjiang orogenic belt, Southwest China

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Abstract

The Yunnan-Tibet Railway, currently under construction, crosses five altered rock zones in the Sanjiang orogenic belt, southwestern China. They are mainly montmorillonitized rock zones formed by hydrothermal alteration. Based on field investigation and laboratory tests, this paper presents the geological characteristics and engineering properties of the altered rocks encountered during the construction of the railway. Being characterized by a high montmorillonite content, high degree of alteration, high physico-chemical activity and high swelling potential, these rocks always lead to engineering geological problems. The concept of “alteration coefficient” is put forward; the greater the alteration coefficient, the higher the alteration degree and swelling potential. Countermeasures are proposed to tackle the engineering problems during tunnel construction caused by the altered rock.

Résumé

La ligne de chemin de fer Yunnan-Tibet, actuellement en cours de construction, traverse cinq zones de roches altérées de la ceinture orogénique de Sanjiang, dans la Chine du sud-ouest. Il s’agit principalement de zones de roches transformées en montmorillonite par altération hydrothermale. Sur la base de travaux de terrain et d’essais de laboratoire, cet article présente les caractéristiques géologiques et les propriétés géotechniques des roches altérées rencontrées pendant la construction de la ligne. Caractérisées par une forte teneur en montmorillonite, un fort degré d’altération, une activité physico-chimique élevée et un fort potentiel de gonflement, ces roches conduisent toujours à des problèmes techniques. Le concept de « coefficient d’altération » est proposé; plus grand est ce coefficient, plus fort est le degré d’altération et le potentiel de gonflement. Des mesures particulières sont définies afin de faire face aux problèmes de géologie de l’ingénieur qui apparaîtront pendant la construction du tunnel en rapport avec ces roches altérées.

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Acknowledgments

This research is financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China (grant No. 40672207), China Ministry Railway Scientific and Technological Project (grant No. 2008G027-B) and China Geological Survey (grant No. 1212010541404).

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Correspondence to Yongshuang Zhang.

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Zhang, Y., Guo, C., Qu, Y. et al. Engineering geological properties of altered rocks and implications for railway construction in the Sanjiang orogenic belt, Southwest China. Bull Eng Geol Environ 70, 143–152 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-010-0294-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-010-0294-y

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