AGS (HK)

1-day Seminar on Grouting and Deep Mixing

7 June 2014
Pre-Excavation Grouting in Hard Rock Tunnelling

By Knut F. Garshol

Headlines of this Presentation:

1. Why Ground Water Control?
2. Selection of Grout Mix
3. Pre-Excavation Grouting, Execution Steps
4. Special Aspects of PEG
5. Project Reference HATS 2A
1. Grouting Results
2. Summing Up HATS2A

6. CONCLUSION

Why Ground Water Control?

Groundwater Movement in Rock

Rock material is impermeable
GW contained in discontinuities
GW is migrating on conductive channels
Fault Zone

Massive
Rock
Jointed Rock

Conductivity contrast is an important factor in

GW control considerations
4

Effects of GW Ingress

Surface Settlement
Underground Safety
and Working Conditions
Environmental Impact

Water in-rush at tunnel face

1 ton

Avoid such situations

Small lake became

smaller

Back to normal

14 km Gardermoen Tunnel,
Oslo, Norway

Experience from HATS Stage 1

1st Joint Venture: Excavated 5% of 24.5 km

Stopped by Water ingress
Settled in Court
New tender process
Stage 1 finished by the new Contractors, BUT.
With substantial delays

Stage 2A: Drastically changed

compared with Stage 1

Manual handling of drill rods & packers

HATS Stage 1
9

Avoid Post Grouting!

HATS Stage 1

10

D&B Advantage: Drill Jumbo

HATS Stage 2A
Probe hole hitting 15 bar water channel
11

Benefits of GW-Control:

Risk of major water in-rush practically eliminated

Gives basically dry working conditions in tunnels
Substantially improved stability in poor ground
Less water to pump to surface
Improved conditions for permanent lining works

12

Selection of Grout Mix

Purposes of Grouting
Ground water control
Ground stability improvement
Sometimes: A combination of the above
Requirements for success:

A suitable grout must be injected into the ground,

penetrating a sufficient ground volume to achieve
the targeted effects

14

Basic Grouting Problem in rock

15

Selection of Grout-Mix

Traditionally, locally available OPC

w/c-ratio 3.0 to 1.0 mostly with Bentonite
Unstable grout that needs "grout to refusal
Low-quality and poor durability grout
Today, use of micro cement
w/c-ratio 1.0 and lower
Stable and thixotropic grouts (no bleeding)
Bentonite replaced by admixtures

16

Traditional Technology Disadvantages

High w/c-ratio gives lots of water to pump

High bleeding requires "pump to refusal"
Gives extreme materials spreading, locally
No cement enters finer cracks in first step, due to
clogging before pressure increase
Practically complicated (variation of w/c-ratio)
Conclusion: Time consuming

17

New Technology Advantages

Stable, low viscosity, fixed w/c-ratio grout

Allows dual stop criteria for injection
Maximum pressure or
maximum quantity per hole
Allows high output and pressure from start
Gives simultaneous penetration of
small and large cracks and openings
Conclusion: Time saved

18

Generally about Cement

Always the Primary grout material

Used as a suspension in water
w/c-ratio typically between 0.45 1.5 (by weight)
Wide range of additives and admixtures
Wide range of cement types and properties
Permeation capability depends on:
Particle size of the cement used
Viscosity (and cohesion) of the suspension
Pressure stability of the suspension

19

Marsh Funnel Viscosity

20

Mud Balance

21

Water-Cement Ratio

W/C-ratio = 1.0 mix

Control by Mud Balance

22

Pressure Stability

23

Other important properties

Initial and final set time

Strength development
Final strength of injected grout

Stability and durability in the ground?

17 projects, 59 km of tunnel:
Average 37% ingress reduction (during 10 years)

24

Pre-Excavation Grouting
Execution Steps

Drill & Blast with PEG

After every 4th blast (typically)

Probe Ahead

Measure Water Inflow

Temporary Support

Pre-Excavation
Grouting

Scaling, Mucking
and Geological Mapping

Blasting

26

Execution Steps

Systematic Probe Drilling PEG if triggered

Minimum 5 m overlap (more in poor ground)
Grouting Stop Pressure 60-80 bar
If not reached Stop on Quantity
Stable Micro Fine Cement Grout, Only
Colloidal Silica (where needed)
Overlap provides tight bulkhead
for next probe drilling and PEG fan

VERY important

27

Grout Hole Pattern

Probe Holes
Grout Holes
Control Holes

Number of holes depend on

tunnel span (1-1.5 m c/c).
Grout hole length (15 to 33 m).
Lookout distance (5.5 m).

Schematic Layout of Drilling Pattern

28

Tunnel CrossSection

Construction Method Drill & Blast + PEG

Advance
approx. 4 m

29

29

Automatic Rod Handling

(EXAMPLE) Tamrock TRH rod-handling-system
Compared with manual
rod handling:
Double drilling output
AND
Improved Safety

Rod Magazine

30

Equipment Set-up - Simplified

Electronic Flow and
Pressure Recording

Packer

High-Pressure
Grout Pump

Colloidal
Mixer

31

Agitator

The Real Deal

Contract 24
AMV / Hny

Contract 23
Unigrout Atlas Copco

3 Pumps and 3 Grout Lines Each

32

Grouting Materials
Microfine Cement
Colloidal Silica

Microfine Cement
Pressure: 60-80 bar
Volume 2000 L
Colloidal Silica
Pressure: 40 bar
Volume 750 L

0.1
mm

Grouting Stop Criteria

MC
0.03 mm
CS
0.016 m

Colloidal Silica

Microfine Cement

33

Colloidal Silica

OPC
0.1mm

Special Aspects of PEG

Safety of PEG works

Hydraulic
working
basket

Packers
secured by
chain
Disposable Packer
designed for 100 bar

35

Disposable Packers & Lances

36

Use of Standpipes in Poor Rock

37

Bag Packers in Poor Rock

38

Project Reference - HATS2A

Sub-Sea Sewage Conveyance Hong Kong

Harbour Area Treatment Scheme Stages 1 and 2A

Stonecutters
Island

Sai Ying Pun

North Point

Aberdeen
LEGEND
Outfall Tunnels (Completed)
HATS Stage 1 Sewage Tunnels (Completed)
HATS Stage 2A Sewage Tunnels

40

HATS 2A Overview
North Point
Contract 24
Sai Ying Pun
Contract 23
Victoria
Habour

Stonecutters
Island

41

Vertical shafts:
13
Total Tunnel Length: 20 km

Settlement Sensitive Reclaimed Land

North Point
Sai Ying Pun

HONG KONG ISLAND

Aberdeen
LEGEND
Coastline of Year 2005
HATS 2A Tunnels

42

Depth Below Sea Level

North Point to Aberdeen
Sai Ying Pun
North Point

Wan Chai East

Aberdeen

Cyberport

Central

Appx. 120 msl

Appx. 150 msl

Wah Fu

Sandy Bay

Appx. 70 msl

To Stonecutters Island

Crossing of Victoria Harbour

Stonecutters Island

Sai Ying Pun

Victoria Habour
LEGEND
Sea
Soil
Rock

43

Appx. 140 msl

Major Rock Types Encountered in HATS 2A Tunnels

Volcanic Rock
34% of tunnel length
Predominantly Volcanic Coarse
Ash Crystal Tuff with
subordinate Fine Ash Tuff
50-percentile UCS = 240 MPa
Highly variable joint intensity
and orientation

Granitic Rock
66% of tunnel length
Medium Grained Granite
50-percentile UCS = 180 MPa

Granite 66%

Granite/Tuff
Contact Zone

Granite
Tuff
Tuff 34%

Geological Map of Hong Kong (CEDD/GEO 2006)

44

Granite/Tuff Contact Zone

G
T
45

Distribution of Residual Ingress Limits

In granite

In tuff

50.0

Percent of Tunnel Length

45.0
40.0
35.0
30.0
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
5

15

30

L/min/100 m tunnel

46

50

Grouting Results

Residual Ingress to Excavated Tunnels

Rock Type

Granite

Tuff

Avg L/min/100 m

Avg L/min/100 m

Maximum Ingress Limit

30.2

16.9

Actual Residual overall

ingress

6.5

7.5

Sections within limit (92%)

4.5

6.0

Sections failed (8%)

45.3

21.6

Average values Weighted against tunnel length

48

In Granite: Very Wet & Very Dry Sections

LEGEND
HATS 2A Alignment

Tunnel section 413 m long:

Measured ingress from all 1st stage
grout holes:
= 9,200 L/min/100 m tunnel
Measured after excavation:
About 1.0 L/min/100 m
(= 99.99% reduction)
Cement Consumption: 1549 kg/m
(= 5.7 X the granite average)

Tunnel section about 1500 m:

Almost dry
(hardly any PEG required)
Cement Consumption < 50 kg/m

49

Probe Drilling in the Wet section

1200 L/min
15 bar pressure

50

Filled Open Joints

51

Filled Open Joints - Detail

20 MPa UCS

52

Practically Dry Tunnel

13 September 2013
53

Summing Up HATS2A

Summing Up HATS2A
Micro Fine Cement ONLY, supplemented by Colloidal Silica
Verification of result by Control Holes before further excavation
Tight face bulkhead is a Must especially in soft ground
27% of tunnel length required < 5 L/min/100 m tunnel
92% of excavated tunnels well below ingress limits
The Tuff required 78% more drilling ahead
AND 3.7 X more Colloidal Silica than in Granite

Two Main Reasons for the Success:

55

D&B excavation
Modern PEG technology
+ Re-measurable quantities for payment

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

In Hard Rock Tunnelling:

Technology for Ground Water Control by PEG
for Practically Dry Tunnels is currently available

Very Strict Ingress Limits will require:

Excavation by Drill and Blast
Micro Fine Cement
Colloidal Silica

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knut.garshol@gmail.com