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Tools to simulate changes in hydraulic flow systems in complex geologic settings affected by tunnel excavation

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Abstract

Geotechnical problems during and after tunnel construction are often related to groundwater circulation. In tunnelling projects, however, groundwater flow systems are often only partly known. This uncertainty is manifested by the typically scarce hydraulic data that limits the understanding of subsurface hydrogeological processes. In particular, there is a general lack of data documenting groundwater flow changes caused by tunnelling. The present paper presents a concept involving an iterative understanding of subsurface hydrogeological systems influenced by tunnelling. A major challenge of our approach consists of integrating complex geological geometries from a 3D geological model (GOCAD) into a numerical groundwater flow model (COMSOL Multiphysics). The starting point is a 3D geological model representing a regional tectonic system located in the Jura Mountains in Switzerland. This geological model is transferred into regional and local-scale groundwater flow models. Due to the lack of hydrogeological data, a 3D view of geological–hydrogeological systems is often required to respond to groundwater-induced geotechnical problems in tunnelling. Numerical groundwater flow models make it possible to perform sensitivity analysis and to test how boundary conditions and hydraulic property distributions influence calculated groundwater flow regimes. In addition, our approach enables testing the effects of changes of hydraulic regimes due to tunnel excavation at different scales.

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Notes

  1. Parasolid is a geometric modelling kernel for use in 3D computer graphics (Siemens PLM software).

  2. ACIS is a geometric modelling kernel (spatial corporation).

  3. STEP (standard for the exchange of product model data), ISO standard for the computer-interpretable representation and exchange.

  4. IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification), file format that allows the digital exchange of information among computer-aided design (CAD) systems.

  5. VDA-FS is a CAD data exchange format for the transfer of surface models from one CAD system to another.

  6. A tessellation of a flat surface is the tiling of a plane using one or more geometric shapes, with no overlaps and no gaps.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Prof. Dr. Einstein for his constructive comments and advice during the project. This research was funded by the Swiss Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) under project no. FGU 2012/002.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Applied and Environmental Geology, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 32, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Stefan Scheidler, Peter Huggenberger & Horst Dresmann

  2. Division of Engineering Geology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Geosciences (AGW), Kaiserstrasse 12, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany

    Christoph Butscher

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  1. Stefan Scheidler
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  2. Peter Huggenberger
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  3. Christoph Butscher
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  4. Horst Dresmann
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Correspondence to Stefan Scheidler.

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Scheidler, S., Huggenberger, P., Butscher, C. et al. Tools to simulate changes in hydraulic flow systems in complex geologic settings affected by tunnel excavation. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78, 969–980 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-017-1113-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-017-1113-5

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