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Consistency Index and Its Correlation with EPB Excavation of Mixed Clay–Sand Soils

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Abstract

The behavioural properties of excavated ground have significant influence on the excavation process performed by an Earth Pressure Balance Machine (EPBM), as they are among the main factors responsible for maintaining the pressure ahead of the face, which affects face stability. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of the excavated material along with its flow behaviour is essential for a successful EPB tunnel drive. In scenarios involving the excavation of fine-grained soils containing clay minerals, the consistency index has been widely used as a guideline to define the ideal state of the excavated material. However, there are certain restrictions for the use of this index, the first of which are the Atterberg limits. These limits become more restrictive when mixed soils are involved. This study presents a brief review of the application of the consistency index and Atterberg limits in order to predict the performance of an EPB excavation. This study presents the results of a laboratory testing campaign with artificially mixed clay–sand soils by using a flow table as a preliminary flow assessment of cohesive soils.

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Notes

  1. When working with fine-grained soils, it is essential to correctly differentiate between clay as a clay grain size and clay as a clay mineral. For additional detail, see Bergaya and Lagaly (2013), Baille (2014) and several publications of the CMS—Clay Mineral Society (i.e. Grim 1952; Rosenqvist 1960; Brindley 1966; CSM-Clay Minerals Society 1991; Guggenheim and Martin 1995).

  2. If the soil is completely filling the cone on its base, then it is possible to consider the inner diameter of the cone as m0, which in this case was 100 mm.

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Acknowledgements

Support for this research comes from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canada and funding from Queen’s University. The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Collaborative Research Centre SFB 837, “Interaction Modelling in Mechanized Tunnelling”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), as well as the laboratory team at TLB, at Ruhr-University Bochum. Special thanks to Dr. Wiebke Baille, from Ruhr-University Bochum, for the valuable discussions regarding the Flow Table results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L3N6, Canada

    Daniela G. G. de Oliveira & Mark S. Diederichs

  2. Institute for Tunnelling and Construction Management, Ruhr Universität Bochum, 44780, Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

    Daniela G. G. de Oliveira & Markus Thewes

  3. Normet International Ltd., 6331, Hünenberg, Switzerland

    Lars Langmaack

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  1. Daniela G. G. de Oliveira
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Correspondence to Daniela G. G. de Oliveira.

Appendix: Reconstituted Soil Samples

Appendix: Reconstituted Soil Samples

SeeTables 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Table 1 Main characteristics of each component of the soils
Full size table
Table 2 Samples with Bentonite clay and sand and respective Atterberg limit values
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Table 3 Samples with Friedland and Kaolinite clays plus sand, along with respective Atterberg limit values
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Table 4 Combination for samples with sieved sand and with respective Atterberg limit values
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de Oliveira, D.G.G., Thewes, M., Diederichs, M.S. et al. Consistency Index and Its Correlation with EPB Excavation of Mixed Clay–Sand Soils. Geotech Geol Eng 37, 327–345 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-018-0612-x

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