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Numerical analysis of steady-state groundwater inflow into Tabriz line 2 metro tunnel, northwestern Iran, with special consideration of model dimensions

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Abstract

In order to prevent problems like casualties, delays in tunneling procedure, and increasing tunneling costs, predicting groundwater inflow into tunnels and designing an efficient drainage system are necessary. Several analytical solutions exist in the literature, but they cannot accurately estimate groundwater inflow due to simplifying assumptions. Numerical methods, however, are increasingly used to predict groundwater inflow with higher accuracy. This study is aimed at predicting the steady state groundwater ingress into Tabriz line 2 metro tunnel (TML2: a shallow urban tunnel) by considering model dimensions as critical factors in the numerical analysis process. A 2-D numerical finite element analysis of steady state groundwater inflow was performed along the tunnel based on geological and geotechnical investigations. Water inflow into TML2 was then estimated based on optimum model dimensions. The total amount of groundwater inflow into TML2 was estimated to be 7013.6 l/min. The maximum cumulative water inflow into the tunnel was also predicted to occur between 15.55 and 16.25 km in the tunnel with a 4754 l/min inflow rate, which demands an effective drainage program. Finally, for validation of the methodology groundwater inflow values obtained through 2D finite element analysis were compared to those calculated with a well-known inflow evaluation method (Raymer solution).

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the support of the mining and metallurgical engineering department of Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic). The technical support given by the Tabriz Urban Railway Organization (TURO) is acknowledged. The authors also would like to thank the great and sincere cooperation of Rasoul Aftabi in TURO. Finally, many thanks to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Hafez Ave., P.O. Box 44113-15875, Tehran, Iran

    Arash Nikvar Hassani, Homayoon Katibeh & Hadi Farhadian

  2. Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Applied and Environmental Geology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Hadi Farhadian

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  1. Arash Nikvar Hassani
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  2. Homayoon Katibeh
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  3. Hadi Farhadian
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Correspondence to Homayoon Katibeh.

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Nikvar Hassani, A., Katibeh, H. & Farhadian, H. Numerical analysis of steady-state groundwater inflow into Tabriz line 2 metro tunnel, northwestern Iran, with special consideration of model dimensions. Bull Eng Geol Environ 75, 1617–1627 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-015-0802-1

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