Basics of Tunnel

engineering

Submitted by:Pulivarthi Bhargavi

1115248
Geotechnical engineering

Contents

Introduction
History
Classification of tunnels
Size and shape of tunnel
Tunnelling methods
Case study
References

Introduction

Tunnel is an underground or underwater passageway

dug through soil/rock and enclosed expect exit and
entry.
A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for
rail traffic, or for a canal.
Secret tunnels are built for military purposes.
Special tunnels, such as wildlife crossings, are built to
allow wildlife to cross human-made barriers safely.

REASONS TO BUILD A TUNNEL

When the lane encounters an obstacle such as a

mountain to avoid bypassing the obstacle.
Built sometimes to overcome a water obstacle as a
replacement for building a bridge above it.
Built to connect between military posts so the
movement between them will not be visible for the
enemy.
Utility tunnels for infrastructure like electricity
cables, water, communication and sewerage to avoid
damage and disruption above ground.

HISTORY

First tunnel in Babylonia was a brick-lined pedestrian

passage some 3,000 feet (900 meters) long was built
about 2180 to 2160 B.C. under the Euphrates River to
connect the royal palace with the temple.
First time the ventilation system for tunnel was
developed in 1927 in Holland tunnel
In 1952 James.S.Robbins comes up with a good idea
and designs the modern tunnel-boring machine

Delaware aqueduct tunnel

Laerdal tunnel and Gotthard

base tunnel

Snoqualmie tunnel

CLASSIFICATION OF TUNNELS:

Based on alignment
Based on purpose (road, rail, utilities)
Based on type of material (soft clay vs. hard
rock)

Based on Alignment:
Off-Spur tunnels: Short length tunnels to negotiate

minor obstacles
Saddle or base tunnels: tunnels constructed in
valleys along natural slope.
Slope tunnels: constructed in steep hills for
economic and safe operation.
Spiral Tunnels: constructed in narrow valleys in
form of loops in interior of mountains so as to
increase length of tunnel to avoid steep slopes.

BASED ON PURPOSE
Conveyance Tunnels ( transporting or

carrying something)
Traffic Tunnels

BASED ON MATERIAL
> Tunnels in Hard Rock
> Tunnels in Soft materials
> Tunnels in Water Bearing Soils
(submerged tunnels)

SHAPE OF TUNNEL

Design to be done in such a way that it suits the site

conditions and functional requirements

D or segmental roof section

Circular section
Rectangular section
Egg shaped section
Horse shoe section

D or Segmental section
Suitable for sub-

ways or navigation
tunnel
Additional floor
space
Flat floor for moving
equipment.
Example-Rennsteig
tunnel

Circular Section

To withstand heavy internal

or external radial pressures.
best theoretical section for
resisting forces.
greatest C/s Area for least
perimeter.
sewers and water carrying
purposes.
Example- kings road
subway

Egg shaped section

Carrying sewage
Effective in resisting
external and internal
pressures
Example- Westtangente
tunnel

Rectangular section

Suitable for hard rocks

adopted for pedestrian
traffic
costly & difficult to
construct
Example s-bahn tunnel

Horse shoe Section

Semi-circular roof with

arched sides and curved
invert
Best shape for traffic
purposes
suitable for soft rocks and
carrying water or sewage
most widely used for
highway and railway
tunnels
Example-Gotthard tunnel

SIZE OF TUNNEL

Determined from utility aspect

Road tunnels No. of traffic lanes
Railway tunnels Gauge & No. of tracks
Thickness of lining
Provision for drainage facilities
Clear opening required for traffic
Nature of traffic

TUNNELING METHODS DEPENDS ON:

Tunnelling methods depend on

ground conditions,
the ground water conditions,
the length and diameter of the tunnel drive,
the depth of the tunnel,
the logistics of supporting the tunnel excavation,
shape of the tunnel and appropriate risk.

Most common methods of tunnelling:

Classical methods
Cut-and-cover
Drill and blast
Tunnel boring machines (TBMs)
Immersed tunnels
Tunnel jacking

Cut and cover method:

Cut and cover is a simple method of construction for

shallow tunnels where a trench is excavated and
roofed over with an overhead support system strong
enough to carry the load of what is to be built above
the tunnel.
Example : Tsing Tsuen tunnel

Cut and cover

Process of cut and cover method

Drill and blast method:

Before the advent

of TBM, drilling and
blasting was the only
economical way of
excavating
long tunnels through hard
rock, where digging is not
possible . Even today, this
method is still used in the
construction of tunnels.
Example: tai lam tunnel

Tunnel boring method:

used for drilling a vast

type of tunnels.
useful in boring tunnel
where all other
methods fail.
suitable for hard rock
and hard soils.
Example-Gotthard
tunnel

Immersed tunnels:

This type of tunnel is

partly or wholly
underwater tunnels.
They do not block the
root for ships so there
is no problem of
congestion of traffic as
in case of bridges over
rivers or seas.
Example seikan tunnel

CASE STUDY

Project
: Handri-niva project
Place
: Katlatapalli village, Madhanapalli
mandal , Chittoor dist. AP.
Purpose
: For transporting of water
Soil type
: Hard rock
Method
: Boomer method used for tunneling in
this case. Boomer method is one of tunnel boring
method. This is easy method and used for small
projects.

REFERENCES:

Geotechnical engineering by S.K.Gulhathi , Manoj

Datta
Basics and applied soil mechanics by Gopal
ranjan,A.S.R.Rao
Bickel.(1995).Tunnel engineering handbook, 2nd
edition. CBS Publishers.
IS 15026 (2002): Tunneling Methods in Rock
Masses -Guidelines [CED 48: Rock Mechanics]