Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Numerical study of water inflow into tunnels in stratified rock masses with a dual permeability model

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Stratification planes form an anisotropic structural setting in the stratified rock mass, and strongly influence the water inflow into tunnels. However in the numerical simulation studies, the equivalent porous model pays little regard for the anisotropic structural setting and the discrete fracture network model costs too much computing power. In this study, a dual permeability model is utilized to calculate the water inflow into tunnels and the anisotropic flow behavior with finite element numerical simulations. The dual permeability model takes the stratification planes into artery fractures, and consider the rock matrix with other fractures as an equivalent isotropic medium. Parameters including the piezometric head above the tunnel center, the artery fracture angle, and the artery fracture spacing are studied and discussed. It is shown that both the piezometric head above the tunnel center and the artery fracture spacing affect the water inflow a lot. In this research, the influence of the artery fracture spacing on water inflow is larger than that of the piezometric head above the tunnel center when the artery fracture spacing < 4.62 m, and it is opposite when the artery fracture spacing > 4.62 m. What is more, the artery fracture angle affects the water inflow slightly but it controls the flow direction. The water inflow case of the Huangjiagou Tunnel is used to verify the proposed model. The results show that the dual permeability model could give good predictions to the Huangjiagou Tunnel and describe the anisotropic flow behavior in stratified rock mass tunnels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig.1
Fig.2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amadei B, Swolfs HS, Savage WZ (1988) Gravity-induced stresses in stratified rock masses. Rock Mech Rock Eng 21:1–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Ando K, Kostner A, Neuman SP (2003) Stochastic continuum modeling of flow and transport in a crystalline rock mass: Fanay-Augeres, France, revisited. Hydrogeol J 11:521–535

    Google Scholar 

  • Comsol A (2005) COMSOL multiphysics user’s guide. Version: September 10:333

  • Dunning C (2004) Simulation of ground-water flow, surface-water flow, and a deep sewer tunnel system in the Menomonee Valley, Milwaukee. DIANE Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • El Tani M (2003) Circular tunnel in a semi-infinite aquifer. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 18:49–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Etheridge M, Wall V, Vernon R (1983) The role of the fluid phase during regional metamorphism and deformation. J Metamorph Geol 1:205–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Fanchi JR (2006) Directional Permeability. SPE Res Eval Eng 11:565–568

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez G, Moon J (2010) Excavation-induced hydraulic conductivity reduction around a tunnel–Part 1: Guideline for estimate of ground water inflow rate. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 25:560–566

    Google Scholar 

  • Fortsakis P, Nikas K, Marinos V, Marinos P (2012) Anisotropic behaviour of stratified rock masses in tunnelling. Eng Geol 141:74–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao B (2019) Fracture network modeling and water sealing parameters optimization of underground oil storage caverns. Shandong University

    Google Scholar 

  • Gattinoni P, Scesi L (2010) An empirical equation for tunnel inflow assessment: application to sedimentary rock masses. Hydrogeol J 18:1797–1810

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerke HH, Van Genuchten MT (1993) A dual-porosity model for simulating the preferential movement of water and solutes in structured porous media. Water Resour Res 29:305–319

    Google Scholar 

  • Golob R, Štokelj T, Grgič D (1998) Neural-network-based water inflow forecasting. Control Eng Pract 6:593–600

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman RE, Moye DG, Van Schalkwyk A, Javandel I (1964) Ground water inflows during tunnel driving. University of California

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo H, Adhikary D, Craig M (2009) Simulation of mine water inflow and gas emission during longwall mining. Rock Mech Rock Eng 42:25

    Google Scholar 

  • Harr ME (1963) Groundwater and seepage. Soil Sci 95:289

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang Y, Yu ZB, Zhou ZF (2011) Simulating groundwater inflow in the underground tunnel with a coupled fracture-matrix model. J Hydrol Eng 18:1557–1561

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang N, Jiang YJ, Liu RC, Li B (2019a) Experimental and numerical studies of the hydraulic properties of three-dimensional fracture networks with spatially distributed apertures. Rock Mech Rock Eng 3:1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang N, Jiang YJ, Liu RC, Li B, Sugimoto S (2019b) A novel three-dimensional discrete fracture network model for investigating the role of aperture heterogeneity on fluid flow through fractured rock masses. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrmms.2019.03.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyman JD, Karra S, Makedonska N, Gable CW, Painter SL, Viswanathan HS (2015) dfnWorks: a discrete fracture network framework for modeling subsurface flow and transport. Computers Geosci 84:10–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Illman WA, Liu XY, Takeuchi S, Yeh TCJ, Ando K, Saegusa H (2009) Hydraulic tomography in fractured granite: Mizunami Underground Research siteJapan. Water Resourc Res 45:7

    Google Scholar 

  • Indraratna B, Ranjith P, Gale W (1999) Single phase water flow through rock fractures. Geotech Geol Eng 17:211–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Jerbi C, Fourno A, Noetinger B, Delay F (2017) A new estimation of equivalent matrix block sizes in fractured media with two-phase flow applications in dual porosity models. J Hydrol 548:508–523

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiao YY, Zhang HQ, Tang HM, Zhang XL, Adoko AC, Tian HN (2014) Simulating the process of reservoir-impoundment-induced landslide using the extended DDA method. Eng Geol 182:37–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Jin X, Li Y, Luo Y, Liu H (2016) Prediction of city tunnel water inflow and its influence on overlain lakes in karst valley. Environ Earth Sci 75:1162

    Google Scholar 

  • Karlsrud K, Kveldsvik V. Control of water leakage when tunnelling under urban areas in the Oslo region. In: Planning and Engineering for the Cities of Tomorrow. Second International Conference on Soil Structure Interaction in Urban Civil EngineeringSwiss Federal Inst of Technology, Zurich; European Commission COST; Swiss Federal Office for Education and Sciences; Swiss Society for Soil and Rock Mechanics; Norwegian Geotechnical Inst; CDM Consult AG; Mott MacDonald; SKANSKA; Bilfinger Berger; Alpine, 2002.

  • Katibeh H, Aalianvari A (2009) Development of a new method for tunnel site rating from groundwater hazard point of view. J Appl Sci 9:1496–1502

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolymbas D, Wagner P (2007) Groundwater ingress to tunnels–the exact analytical solution. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 22:23–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee H, Cho T (2002) Hydraulic characteristics of rough fractures in linear flow under normal and shear load. Rock Mech Rock Eng 35:299–318

    Google Scholar 

  • Li P, Qian H (2018) Water resource development and protection in loess areas of the world: a summary to the thematic issue of water in loess. Environ Earth Sci 77:796

    Google Scholar 

  • Li T, Mei TT, Sun XH, Lv YG, Sheng JQ, Cai M (2013) A study on a water-inrush incident at Laohutai coalmine. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 59:151–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Li ZQ et al (2017) Deformation features and failure mechanism of steep rock slope under the mining activities and rainfall. J Mountain Sci 14:31–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Long J, Remer J, Wilson C, Witherspoon P (1982) Porous media equivalents for networks of discontinuous fractures. Water Resour Res 18:645–658

    Google Scholar 

  • Louis C (1974) Introduction à l’hydraulique des roches. Introduction to rock hydraulics. Bur Rech Geòl Min 4:283–356

    Google Scholar 

  • Maleki MR (2018) Groundwater Seepage Rate (GSR); a new method for prediction of groundwater inflow into jointed rock tunnels. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 71:505–517

    Google Scholar 

  • Min K-B, Rutqvist J, Tsang C-F, Jing L (2004) Stress-dependent permeability of fractured rock masses: a numerical study. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 41:1191–1210

    Google Scholar 

  • Moon J, Fernandez G (2010) Effect of excavation-induced groundwater level drawdown on tunnel inflow in a jointed rock mass. Eng Geol 110:33–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Nœtinger B, Jarrige N (2012) A quasi steady state method for solving transient Darcy flow in complex 3D fractured networks. J Comput Phys 231:23–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan DD, Li SC, Xu ZH, Lin P, Huang X (2019) Experimental and numerical study of the water inrush mechanisms of underground tunnels due to the proximity of a water-filled karst cavern. Bull Eng Geol Environ 3:1–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Park KH, Owatsiriwong A, Lee JG (2008) Analytical solution for steady-state groundwater inflow into a drained circular tunnel in a semi-infinite aquifer: a revisit. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 23:206–209

    Google Scholar 

  • Salamon MDG (1968) Elastic moduli of a stratified rock mass. Internat J Rock Mech Mining Sci Geomech Abstr 6:519–527

    Google Scholar 

  • Samardzioska T, Popov V (2005) Numerical comparison of the equivalent continuum, non-homogeneous and dual porosity models for flow and transport in fractured porous media. Adv Water Resour 28:235–255

    Google Scholar 

  • Su K, Zhou YF, Wu HG, Shi CZ, Zhou L (2017) An analytical method for groundwater inflow into a drained circular tunnel. Groundwater 55:712–721

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang XT, Li SC, Xu ZH, Lin P, Hu J, Wang WY (2019) Analysis of factors influencing floor water inrush in coal mines: A nonlinear fuzzy interval assessment method. Mine Water Environ 38:81–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu ZJ, Wong LNY (2014) Extension of numerical manifold method for coupled fluid flow and fracturing problems. Int J Numer Anal Meth Geomech 38:1990–2008

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu J, Zhou ZF, Li MW, Chen M (2019) Advance on the methods for predicting water inflow into tunnels. J Eng Geol 27:890–902

    Google Scholar 

  • Xue YG et al (2018) Analysis of factors influencing tunnel deformation in loess deposits by data mining: a deformation prediction model. Eng Geol 232:94–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuan J, Chen W, Tan X, Yang D, Wang S (2019) Countermeasures of water and mud inrush disaster in completely weathered granite tunnels: a case study. Environ Earth Sci 78:576

    Google Scholar 

  • Zarei H, Uromeihy A, Sharifzadeh M (2013) A new tunnel inflow classification (TIC) system through sedimentary rock masses. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 34:1–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L, Franklin J (1993) Prediction of water flow into rock tunnels: an analytical solution assuming an hydraulic conductivity gradient. In: International journal of rock mechanics and mining sciences and geomechanics abstracts. Elsevier

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang JC, Shen BH (2004) Coal mining under aquifers in China: a case study. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 41:629–639

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang DS, Fan GW, Liu YD, Ma LQ (2010) Field trials of aquifer protection in longwall mining of shallow coal seams in China. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 47:908–914

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao X, Yang XH (2019) Experimental study on water inflow characteristics of tunnel in the fault fracture zone. Arab J Geosci 12:399

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu DL, Li QF (2000) Methods for predicting water inflow into tunnels. Geotech Invest Surv 3:18–55

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Much of the work completed for this study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (grant numbers 41877239, 51422904, 51379112 and 40902084). Authors would also thank Editage (www.editage.cn) for English language editing.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

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

    Kai Zhang, Yiguo Xue, Zhenhao Xu, Maoxin Su, Daohong Qiu & Zhiqiang Li

Authors
  1. Kai Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yiguo Xue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhenhao Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Maoxin Su
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Daohong Qiu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Zhiqiang Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yiguo Xue.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declared that they have no conflict of interests to this work.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, K., Xue, Y., Xu, Z. et al. Numerical study of water inflow into tunnels in stratified rock masses with a dual permeability model. Environ Earth Sci 80, 260 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09550-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09550-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation