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R.H.B. Rijkers
TNO-NITG/Netherlands Institute of Applied Geosciences, Delft, The Netherlands
B. Hemmen
GeoDelft, Delft, The Netherlands
N.M. Naaktgeboren
Ministry of Transport and Public Works/HSL-Zuid, Utrecht, The Netherlands
H. Weigl
Kombinatie Middelplaat Westerschelde, Terneuzen, The Netherlands
ABSTRACT: In the Netherlands the Westerscheldetunnel will be constructed with two tunnel bore machines
and 26 connecting cross passages. The cross passages are built between the two main bored tunnels by using
artificial ground freezing. During the construction phase of the cross passages an extensive monitoring program is carried out: (1) ground stress conditions and ground deformation and (2) deformation of the tunnel
constructions by measuring temperatures, frost heave loads and deformation. Measurements are taken in three
different orientations: perpendicular, parallel and vertical to the cross passage with stress-monitoring stations
and extensometers. Significant differences have been observed in loads and deformations, which are explained
by different soil conditions. A significant variation in ground stresses has been monitored between the perpendicular and parallel direction with respect to the orientation of the freezing tubes. All separate phases of the
construction activities of the cross passages (freezing, excavation, lining, thawing) are recognised clearly in
the data.
2 WESTERSCHELDETUNNEL
The Westerscheldetunnel is located in the southwestern part of the Netherlands below the estuarine
river that connects to the port of Antwerpen (Belgium).
In order to increase safety at the Westerscheldetunnel
the two lanes in each direction are designed as separate
tunnel tubes. These two parallel tunnel tubes are bored
with inner diameters of 10.10 m. The total length of
each bored tunnel tube is 6.6 km. To increase safety
in the tunnel two bored tubes are connected with 26
cross connections at every 250 m. The cross passages
are built from the inner side of the main tunnel tubes
by using artificial ground freezing in order to make
underground excavations possible. Artificial ground
freezing techniques are used for both sandy soils and
Boom clay because stiffness and permeability of all
soil units in the trajectory is not considered to be
sufficient for open excavation.
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Copyright 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
body of frozen
soil approx. 2m
Airpipe
2200
door
ency
Emerg
Train
Frozen ring
Kabelkanaal
Frozen ring
Figure 1. Situation of the western tunnel tube with the connection of frozen soil. The emergency door is opened after
evaluation of the (frozen) ground temperature.
2.2
The 26 cross passages will be constructed in different ground conditions. Nine cross passages are made
in sand, 11 in the stiff clay and 6 in mixed (sandy)
soils. The cross passage has an elliptical reinforced
concrete lining with an thickness of 400 mm, height of
2.75 m and width of 2.5 m. Outside these lining there
is temporary shotcrete of 300 mm thickness.
In the main tunnel tubes five specials rings have
been designed with a previously fixed and unchangeable sequence. In the middle ring steel segments
replace two concrete segments. In these special
enlarged steel segment the safety doors to the cross
connection are constructed (Fig. 1). Twenty two freezing pipes are bored through special watertight connections in the specially prepared ring segments (Fig.
2). After closing the period of soil freezing (a minimum thickness of 2 m frozen ground) the excavation
is started by the NATM-method. During the last phase
the concrete lining of the cross passage is built and the
freezing machine is stopped eventually for thawing the
soil. During the excavation period the emergency door
can be closed when a unsafe situation occurs.
2.3
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= freezing tube
Table 1.
Location
Geotechnical unit
Lithology
Geological formation
Age
Z1
BK1, BK2
SAND
CLAY, silty
Naaldwijk Formation
Rupel Formation (Boom clay)
Holocene
Oligocene
SOIL CONDITIONS
4
3.1
In sand the water contents shall freeze almost instantaneously due to the high percentage of free water. Clay
shows a different behaviour in frozen state due to the
strongly bonding forces between water and clay minerals. In clay a percentage of water will unfrozen at
temperatures of 35 C. The grain size distribution
also controls consequently differences in frost heave
and strength development.
4.1
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GEOMECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR OF
FROZEN SOIL
Figure 3. Soil profile with the position and depth of the cross passage DV1 and DV2. Soils of units Z1, BK1 and BK2 have
been frozen during the construction of cross passages DV1 and DV2.
4.2 Creep
Creep theoretically decreases frost heave stresses that
have developed in an initial stage in a ground freezing
project. Assur (1963) states that creep of frozen soil
is defined by temperature, time, load and material
characteristics of soil. Creep processes are expected
to occur in the frozen soils bodies at DV1 and DV2.
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Copyright 2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
MONITORING PROGRAM
Table 2.
BK1
BK2
Lithology
NEN5104
Fine SAND
Silty CLAY
%
%
0
100
81.2
18.8
Silty CLAY
with sand layers
62.2
37.8
Water contents w
wet
dry
Porosity p
Permeability kvertical
Permeability khorizontal
kvert. /khor.
Wp plasticity limit
Wl liquidity limit
Ip plasticity index
%
kN/m3
kN/m3
%
m/s
m/s
%
%
(22)
25.3
19.4
23.8
19.3
15.5
41
1.31.9E-4
50
1.5E-92.4E-11
2.7E-105.8E-8
30
30
91
61
50
(0.17E-9)
25
76
51
kN/m2
Cl mg/l
34006600
220
200013000
100
<1000
Table 3. In-situ total stress and water pressure u at cross passages DV1 and DV2 measured by SM1 and SM4
(stress monitoring stations) before artificial ground freezing. The values between brackets are theoretically values
based on depth and volumetrical unit weights of the soil column; K0 = 0.5.
vertical
[kN/m ]
horizontal
// cross passage
[kN/m2 ]
horizontal
cross passage
[kN/m2 ]
u water
pressure
[kN/m2 ]
204 (309)
175 (153)
170 (151)
172 (168)
310 (607)
289 (299)
291 (296)
279 (278)
3
frost heave rate h [mm/day]
Soil properties
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
perpendicular and vertically with respect to the freezing tubes. The inclinometers have also been installed,
but results are not discussed in this paper.
Extensometers are located at the top of the each
cross passage and consist of four packers at different depth levels. The packers are fixed in the soil and
6.1
Monitoring results
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Stress monitoring station 1 (SM1) Absolute ground- and waterpressure versus Temperature
and Date
15
330
Air release
Water release
T = 0C
T = 0 C
Cover
310
Excavation
10
Freezing
290
5
270
-5
230
Temperature [C]
Stress [kPa]
-SM1-5 temperature
250
-10
210
-15
190
-20
SM1-4 waterpressure
150
-25
4/9
4/23
5/7
5/21
6/4
6/18
7/2
7/16
7/30
8/13
8/27
9/10
9/24
10/8
10/22
11/5
11/19
12/3
12/17 12/31
1/14
Date
15
Repair
Breakdown
T = 0 C
T = 0 C
1400
Cover
Excavation
10
1000
600
Temperature = 0 C
400
-5
-SM4-5 temperature
200
SM4-4 waterpressure
0
5/26
6/9
6/23
7/7
7/21
8/4
8/18
9/1
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1/19
2/2
2/16
3/2
-10
3/16 3/30 4/13
Temperature [C]
Freezing
1200
Stress [kPa]
Temperature = 0 C
14
Air release
Water release
13
T = 0 C
10
12
Freezing
11
5
10
-VW1-1 temperature
-5
7
6
Temperature [C]
Shortening [mm]
Temperature = 0 C
-10
EX2-1
5
4
EX2-2
-15
EX2-3
-20
EX2-4
1
0
-25
4/9
4/23
5/7
5/21
6/4
6/18
7/2
7/16
7/30
8/13
8/27
9/10
9/24
10/8
10/22
11/5
11/19
12/3
12/17 12/31
1/14
Date
Repair
T = 0 C
15
Breakdown
Excavation
50
Cover
Freezing
EX3-2
Temperature = 0 C
30
-TE2-2 temperature
-5
EX3-3
20
EX3-4
-10
10
-15
0
5/26
-20
6/9
6/23
7/7
7/21
8/4
8/18
9/1
9/15
Date
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1/5
1/19
2/2
2/16
3/2
3/16
3/30
4/13
Temperature [C]
5
EX3-1
40
Shortening [mm]
Table 4.
Characteristics and orientation of monitoring data of cross passage DV1 and DV2.
Cross passage DV1
Data type
Orientation
Station
Data record
Soil unit
Station
Data record
Soil unit
Tangential stress
Axial stress
vertical
parallel to
freezing tubes
perpendicular to
freezing tubes
vertical
SM1
SM1
SM1-1
SM1-2
Z1
Z1
SM4
SM4
SM4-1
SM4-2
BK2
BK2
SM1
SM1-3
Z1
SM4
SM4-3
BK2
SM1
EX2
Z1
Z1
SM4
EX2
VW1
Z1
TE2
SM4-4
EX3-1 to
EX3-4
TE2-2
BK2
BK1
SM1-4
EX2-1 to
EX2-4
VW1-1
Radial stress
Water pressure
Deformation of soil
above cross connection
Temperature
leads to a decrease in radial and axial stresses. An overall radial stress release leads to an overall tangential
stress increase. After the fast increase the temperature
stabilises causing a stabilisation of all stresses.
Finally, ground freezing stops and temperatures
start to increase in the direction of the freezing point.
The same process as freezing with a lower capacity
recurs. There is one difference. Radial stress increases
immediately after shutting the freezing apparatus. This
reaction is probably caused by the redistribution of
stresses over the frozen soil, with this difference that
the total distribution of stiffness over the frozen soil is
different as it was during the previous period of temperature increase. The final tangential stress increased
with respect to the starting value. This is a result of
the installation procedure of stress monitoring stations. The vertical stress after installation is less as the
original vertical in-situ stress (Table 3). Probably
because soil has been excavated via a pulse boring
to install this type of instrument.
values. In the upper parts of the graphs main construction phases of the cross connections are given, such as
freezing, excavation and covering.
6.2
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BK1
to a fast tangential stress increase, caused by the redistribution of stresses and stiffness deviations in the
cylindrical frozen soil body. The axial stress decreases
also due to the redistribution of stresses over in the
meantime covered cross connection. Finally, thawing
does the same to the tangential stress as freezing with
lower capacity. Tangential stress increases rapidly and
due to a combination of creep and thawing the tangential stress is reduced to its original starting level. The
axial and vertical stresses decrease by thawing. The
total expansion stops and stresses decrease. The water
pressure finds its original level at a temperature just
below the freezing point.
6.6
6.7
The average temperature evolution was the same as calculated for both cross passages. However, at the connection between the main tunnel tube and the frozen
ring the temperature drops slower than expected. At
the steel segments it is clear that the conduction of
heat is high that proper insulation was necessary. At
cross connection DV1 dry-ice was eventually used to
maintain low temperatures at the connection between
the steel segments and the frozen ring.
For drainage during soil freezing a borehole was
used to control the water pressure inside the frozen
body. Water expands when it is frozen, so in an
undrained situation water pressure rises when the
frozen ring is watertight (Fig. 9, point B). In the
first part the increasing water pressure (Fig. 9, point
A) gives an indication that the ring of frozen soil is
watertight. In our case at DV1 monitored temperatures through the tunnel segments gives that soil was
not frozen directly behind the segments. Another test
was conducted with opening and closing the drainage
tap (Fig. 9). Because the water didnt stopped we
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3
B
Waterpressure [bar]
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
5/6
5/13
5/20
5/27
6/3
6/10
6/17
6/24
7/1
7/8
date
CONCLUSIONS
Frost heave loads and soil deformations have successfully been measured in (frozen) soil bodies of sand
and clay during an artificial ground freezing activities. Frost heave pressures differ significantly between
frozen sand and frozen clay bodies. All phases of construction of the cross passage are recognized clearly
in the data.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the organizations of KMW and COB for the
permission publishing this paper. We also thank Andr
Koers and Roel van de Kraan of TNO for preparing the
drawings.
Figure 10. Measured (maximum) frost heave pressures at
DV1 and DV2 versus permeability (adapted from Kofoed &
Doran, 1996).
LITERATURE
Assur, A. (1963) Creep of frozen soils. Proc. 1st Permafrost
Int. In: Conf. Nat. Acad. Sci. Pucbl. Vol. 1287, pp. 339
Hass, H.R. Jagow-Klaff & H.W. Seidel (2000) Use of brine
freezing for the construction of the traverse galleries.
In: ISGF2000 Frost action in soils (ed. J.F. Thimus),
Louvain-la-Neuve, pp. 289294
Kofoed, N. & S.R. Doran (1996) Storbaelt Eastern Railway Tunnel, Denmark, Ground Freezing for tunnels and
cross passages. In: Geotechnical Aspects of Underground
Construction in Soft ground, Balkema Rotterdam 1996,
pp. 391398
Konrad, J.M. & N.R. Morgenstern (1981) The segregation potential of a freezing soil, Cndn Geotech. J . 18,
pp. 482491
Penner, E. & T. Ueda (1977) The dependance of frost heaving
on load application preliminary results. In: Proc. Int.
Symp. Frost Action in Soils, Lulea, Vol. 1, pp. 92101
Rijkers, R.M. Naaktgeboren, H. Ct, J.-F. Thimus,
M. Visschedijk (2000) Soil behaviour during artificial
freezing Part 2: Application in bored tunnels, In:
ISGF2000 Frost action in soils (ed. J.F. Thimus),
Louvain-la-Neuve, pp. 237242
During freezing activities tunnel convergence and offset of tunnel segments was measured (in the bored
tunnel tube). Deformation and convergence of the
main tunnel construction has been monitored during
the freezing period. At cross passage DV1 (in sand)
a maximum offset of tunnel segments of 4 mm was
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