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Tunnelling in Weak Rock

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Soft Rock Mechanics and Engineering

Abstract

The methodology and design procedures for tunnelling within weak rock are nontrivial in nature. Prior to determining the proper tunnelling technique and ground/rock support method, a tunnel design engineer must utilize the data obtained from the site investigation, rock classification and characterization. This chapter summarizes key components associated with weak rock tunnelling. It also includes practical design considerations associated with a Case Study of the Driskos Twin Tunnel as part of the Egnatia Odos Motorway that was constructed in Northern Greece. A section on numerical modelling highlights the challenges and state of the art of such analyses. Finally, a state-of-the-art fiber optic strain sensing technique is included in order to highlight its potential use in future tunnel design, operation and maintenance considerations as warranted by the Observational Method.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the following industrial as well as governmental sponsors: Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Department of National Defense, The members of the GeoMechanics Group at Queen’s University, MITACS, Yield Point Inc. and the Royal Military College (RMC) Green Team.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Nicholas Vlachopoulos

  2. Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    Bradley Forbes

  3. Arup, London, UK

    Ioannis Vazaios

Authors
  1. Nicholas Vlachopoulos
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  2. Bradley Forbes
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  3. Ioannis Vazaios
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Correspondence to Nicholas Vlachopoulos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Polytechnical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Milton Kanji

  2. State Key Laboratory for GeoMechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Tongji University, Beijing, China

    Manchao He

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Luís Ribeiro e Sousa

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Vlachopoulos, N., Forbes, B., Vazaios, I. (2020). Tunnelling in Weak Rock. In: Kanji, M., He, M., Ribeiro e Sousa, L. (eds) Soft Rock Mechanics and Engineering . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29477-9_21

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