Journal of Engineering Geology

The position of groundwater studies in tunnel projects in Iran

massoud morsali

Tunneling in a saturated environment and the intrusion of groundwater flow into tunnels during excavation is one of the most serious problems in tunneling projects. Water ingress into the tunnel can lead to damage to tunnel construction equipment, personnel, the excavation process, etc. The hydrogeological studies of the springs along the tunnel route and the estimation of the water entering the tunnel also investigate the possibility of drying up or reducing the water level of the tunnel route. The hydrogeological studies of the springs along the tunnel route and the estimation of the water inflow into the tunnel will also examine the possibility of drying up the springs or reducing the water level of the tunnel route. On the other hand, the complications of water ingress into the tunnel and the lack of an accurate and appropriate method increase the importance of these studies. Experimental and analytical methods are available to predict water inflow into a tunnel. In this article, in addition to presenting the general process of carrying out hydrogeological studies of tunnels, the weight percentage of hydrogeological studies and the problems associated with them are discussed. On average, more than 30% of all tunnel problems are related to groundwater, but less than 5% of studies are carried out in this field. The disproportionate weight of the above two cases and its causes are among the other cases discussed in this article.

The drawdown cone of influence zone in water wells in unconfined alluvial aquifers and the influence of physical parameters of the aquifer on it

Amin Ahmadi

The zone of influence of the well is the area where the activity of the well changes the water level. The zone of influence is important in determining the protection zones; however, in this regard, reliable relationships have not yet been presented and their lack of relationship has not been confirmed; and this is due to the lack of accurate knowledge of the zone of influence in some aquifers. This study was carried out using the MODFLOW model to know the effect of aquifer physical parameters on the drawdown cone in an unconfined alluvial aquifer with a sloping water surface; and since no such research has been reported so far, the results are innovative. The results showed that although it is possible to ignore the effect of a well in parts of the aquifer due to measurement and presentation limitations, in practice the influence zone of each well will extend to the outer physical boundaries. It was found that two types of real and theoretical drawdown cones can be discussed in the influence zone and each should be analyzed separately. It was found that parameters such as hydraulic conductivity, saturation thickness, transmissivity, horizontal anisotropy, bed slope, and amount of recharge in sloping unconfined aquifers have a dual effect on the drawdown cone, and if their high values decrease the drawdown in short distances, they increase the drawdown in long distances. It was found that normal heterogeneity does not change much on the drawdown cone, and the reason is the opposite effects of hydraulic conductivity and specific yield on the drawdown value. It was found that hydraulic conductivity, horizontal anisotropy and specific yield have a strong effect, but vertical anisotropy and heterogeneity have a negligible effect on the drawdown cone.

Changes in alkaline silicate reaction (ASR) by changing the amount of silica aggregates and controlling the reaction

Mohammad Fathollahy

Aggregate is the main component of concrete and plays an essential role in the quality of concrete. Alkaline silicate reaction (ASR) is one of the most important reactions in concrete that can lead to concrete destruction. Aggregates containing active silica are responsible for this reaction, and the higher the amount, the greater the expected volume of reactions. The rate of increase of the reactions with changes in the amount of silica aggregates is part of the subject of this research. In this regard, a material was selected as the base material from the mountain quarry, and the necessary tests were performed on it by adding silica aggregates, 5, 10, 15, and 20 percent, the ASR test was performed on them according to the ASTM C1260 standard; The results showed that the expansion of the samples will increase by 0.01, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.06% respectively. Next, for the effect of microsilica on ASR, 5, 10, 15, and 20% were added to the materials and the results showed that microsilica reduced the expansion of the samples by 0.009, 0.014, 0.022, and 0.032 respectively and the increase of 20% of microsilica has reduced the expansion of the samples by 50%.

Effect of Tunnel Excavation of Tehran Metro Line 6 on Groundwater and Ali Spring in Shahr-e-Rey

Koosha Tamimi

The development of underground transportation activities in cities, such as tunnel boring, may exert short-term or long-term effects on the groundwater and springs of such areas. The construction of the tunnel of Tehran Metro Line 6 (TML6) through alluvium and carbonate rocks of Ali Spring has aroused concern due to the caused fluctuations in discharge and temporary dryness of the spring. The hydrochemical properties of the groundwater and catchment area were investigated to find a connection between the aquifers around the spring and determine the major aquifer feeding it. The estimated volume of water penetrated to the tunnel and the most greatly affected area by the water leakage into the tunnel was determined using analytical methods of water leakage into the tunnel and the DHI method. The statistics for precipitation with the changes in the discharge of the spring before and after the excavation of the metro tunnel were compared to evaluate the changes in the discharge of the spring with the precipitation in the area. The results showed that the metro tunnel excavation has dramatically affected the hydrological system of the area and discharge of the Ali Spring. Moreover, continuing the extraction may produce adverse effects on the discharge of other springs and wells and alter the flow system of the area temporarily or forever.

Study of the gradation characteristics of backfill materials in underground mines along with evaluating the gradation of construction and demolition waste aggregate

atapour

Backfill materials used to fill underground mines are a type of engineered material whose particle size distribution (PSD) directly affects their mechanical and physical properties. According to the authors' review, there is no comprehensive standard for the properties of aggregates used in underground mine backfill materials. In this paper, the particle size ranges and particle size distribution curves of various mine backfill materials, including hydraulic backfill, paste backfill and rock backfill, have been reviewed. The available data on different types of backfill materials were collected. Based on the collected data, the smallest particle size, the largest particle size and the PSD curve ranges for each type of backfill material were determined. Then the characteristics of the particle size distribution curve of each backfill material, including the mean particle diameter (D50), the uniformity coefficient (Cu) and the curvature coefficient (Cc), were calculated. The results of the analysis of the PSD curves for paste backfill, hydraulic backfill and rock backfill materials showed that the particles in rock backfill and paste backfill had the largest and smallest sizes, respectively. Finally, the particle size distribution characteristics of a new backfill material prepared from construction and demolition waste (CDW backfill) are presented and compared with the particle size distribution of each of the conventional backfill materials. The results indicate that the PSD curve of the CDW backfill lies at the upper limit of the range of the particle size distribution curve of hydraulic backfill and at the lower limit of the range of the particle size distribution curve of rock backfill.

Evaluation of the Liquefaction Potential of Bustano Beach (West of Bandar Abbas) based on Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and Risk Zoning

Hamzeh Torkamanitombeki

The purpose of the research is to investigate the risk of liquefaction risk at the beaches of Bustano in the western part of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province. The periodic stress method was used as the method to evaluate the liquefaction potential based on the data obtained from Standard Penetration Test (SPT). The acceleration of 0.35 g was chosen as the maximum acceleration of the bedrock, and cross sections were extracted using Rockwork software. From an engineering geological point of view, the characteristics of the sedimentary deposits and the collected geotechnical information were analyzed to generate geotechnical index profiles. As the study area is located at the edge of the folded Zagros, seismically it has the characteristics of the Zagros-Makran transition zone which basically exerts the most pressure on the saturated sediments of the area. Due to the strong movement of the earth in generating liquefaction, the seismic bedrock acceleration (PGA) and the maximum horizontal acceleration at the ground surface (amax) were evaluated by liquefaction analysis using LiqIT v.4.70 software. The results indicate that the sandy and silty sediments of the study area are the outcome of the weather changing processes at the northern altitudes of the region. Granular sand and silt sediments were found under favorable conditions with high groundwater level, confirming the presence of liquefaction phenomenon in the area. Zoning maps of the intensity of liquefaction were extracted at the surface and at depth were obtained in different parts of the Bustano, indicating the different classes of risk of liquefaction in the soil of this area. In general, the occurrence of liquefaction with high intensity liquefaction was predicted for the Bustano area.