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Groundwater control and curtain grouting for tunnel construction in completely weathered granite

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Abstract

During tunnel construction, groundwater inrush from completely weathered granite strata is a significant challenge to geotechnical engineers. Up to the present, prevention of water inrushing hazards is almost exclusively based on the experience of engineers. This paper presents a coupled seepage–erosion water inrush model to investigate the characteristics of seepage–erosion properties. The proposed model is based on classical theories of solute transport and fluid dynamics in porous media. In the model, changes of porosity link permeability with the accumulation of particle loss in the seepage–erosion process. The coupled seepage–erosion model was applied to examine the influence of curtain grouting thickness on the seepage–erosion process. The results showed that the seepage–erosion process was attenuated as thickness increased. The results also showed that the porosity and permeability visibly changed and the water inflow clearly exceeded the acceptable engineering criterion when the thickness was less than 6 m. However, with a further increase in thickness, the seepage–erosion process was suppressed and little changes of the relative parameters were showed. The numerical results demonstrated that a curtain grouting thickness of 6 m was suitable for curtain grouting in completely weathered granite. Field investigation of Cenxi tunnel verified the effectiveness of the thickness determined by the proposed model.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the China National Basic Research Program, the “973 Program” (No. 2013CB036006), and the China National Natural Science Foundation of Youth Fund Project (No. 51509246).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, Hubei, China

    Jinquan Liu, Weizhong Chen, Jingqiang Yuan, Changjun Li, Qingyan Zhang & Xiaofei Li

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Jinquan Liu, Changjun Li, Qingyan Zhang & Xiaofei Li

  3. Geotechnical and Structural Engineering Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, Shandong, China

    Weizhong Chen

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  1. Jinquan Liu
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Correspondence to Jinquan Liu.

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Liu, J., Chen, W., Yuan, J. et al. Groundwater control and curtain grouting for tunnel construction in completely weathered granite. Bull Eng Geol Environ 77, 515–531 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-017-1003-x

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