Case study on influence of step blast-excavation on support systems of existing service tunnel with small interval

Abstract

During the construction of newly built tunnel (NBT) adjacent to the existing service tunnel (EST), stability of the EST with small interval is affected by vibration waves which are caused by blasting load. The support structures of the EST will be cracked and damaged, while the unreasonable blast-excavation methods are adopted. Presently, the studies on behavior of support structure in the EST under blasting load are not totally clear, especially for the bolts system. Besides, the responses of support structure on blasting load are lacking comprehensive research. In this paper, New Zuofang tunnel is taken as a study case to study the influence of step blast-excavation in NBT on support structures of the EST through field experiment and numerical simulation. Some data, such as blasting vibration velocity (BVV) and frequency of support structures, are obtained through field measurement. Based on these data, the formula of BVVs is obtained. Research on stability of tunnel support structures affected by step blast-excavation is conducted using numerical simulation method. The dynamic-plastic constitutive model is adopted in the software ABAQUS to assess safety of support structures. The range and degree of damage for the support structures are obtained. In addition, change laws of axial force and stress with time for the bolts are analyzed. © 2013 Shaorui Sun et al.