Joint design requirements for advanced TBM-tunnelling

Harald Wagner D2 Consult, Linz Davorin Kolic D2 Consult, Linz

ABSTRACT: More and more tunnels are built using Tunnel Boring Machines and precast lining segments. There are differences in regard to both the TBMs and the segments but they are being used as a system in hard rock and soft ground and every variation in between. As the ground is varying the details of the machines, the linings are varying as well. The subject deals with the details of both the radial and the longitudinal joints in between the lining segments as the design of the joints and the design of the connectors are of essential importance to the time for the installation, thus influencing the time for construction as well as construction cost. Several case histories are going to illustrate different types of joint design. A water tunnel in China has achieved approx. 300 meters / week of maximum progress, using advanced joint design, while another water tunnel for a sewer in Germany with a more conservative joint design shows progress rates in the amount of approximately 30 meters / week. The paper will also deal with the quality of the finally installed lining, showing improvements on the side of the advanced joint design. Joint connectors and gaskets are evaluated in that context.

1 INTRODUCTION Dowels as connectors and other elements that are working together in one interaction are analysed starting with the description of the basic idea, testing the structural capacity o f dowels and the water tightening level reached by dowels. Special attention has been paid on the interaction between active and reactive forces activated during installation procedure of the tunnel segmental lining. Referenced projects were designed and constructed using different dowel connectors presented in one table, including dowel application guidelines based on past experience. During last decade innovations were made in the area of connectors for segmental lining. A new understanding of connecting segmental lining was achieved. This understanding follows the development of new tunnel boring machines and segment erectors that are forced to perform continuous excavation on the tunnel face and installation of segmental lining on the rear part of the shield. Segment connections with doweled connectors have been widely used by contractors who appreciate the advantages offered by new types of connectors.

At the beginning dowel connectors were predominantly made of plastic material, but today different materials are used. Dowels are used as connecting and guiding elements in circumferential joints of segmental linings. They are mostly used with guiding rods in radial joints of segmental lining. Another innovation is using rubber-based materials with admixtures. Both products have been used on more than 100 km of segmental lining tunnels and have been proven to be a new approach to continuous TBM tunnelling. 2 ADVANCED JOINT DESIGN Advanced joint design takes into consideration the risk of cracks caused by installation such as eccentricity of thruster force via thruster shoes as well as eccentricity caused by inaccuracy of segment position. It has been the believe of some tunnel designers and owners, that segment joints have to be designed as tongue and groove with some tolerances for inaccuracies.

longitudinal joint, arranged in both joints of adjacent, neighbouring segments (see fig.2). Such plastic guidance rods are inexpensive and easy to be glued into the groove. If the segment is located shortly before reaching its final position with eccentricity, the guidance rod would smoothly help sliding the segment into final position. The radial joint has different requirement. The segment has to get help both in reaching its position while being pushed home. This is best achieved with mechanical connectors, whereas the already positioned segment should offer the hole to the segment, which contains the mechanical connector, prepared to slide into the hole. When the connector is combined and the segments are in position, the pullout strength of the connector should satisfy the requirements of the compression resistance of the sealing gasket, provided that a sealing gasket is required and specified in the design. The South Main of the Wanjiazhai Yellow River Diversion Project (WYRDPC) is taking advantage of such advanced joint design. The segments have plain joints both in longitudinal and circumferential direction with a minimum of approx. 1 mm of concrete layer on the concrete surface, in order to replace any bituminous packing or the like. The thin concrete layer in the joint is well able to prevent point loads or linear loads such uniformly distribution the loads into the segment interior. The segments are connected with plastic dowels in circumferential joints to provide compression to the gaskets. The longitudinal joints contain plastic guidance rods. There are no bolts.

Figure 1 Circumferential joint for water tunnel in rock (WYRDPC) From the experience in construction it has been shown, that tongue and groove design, may it be for circumferential j o i n t s a n d / o r m a y i t b e f o r longitudinal joints has the risk of point loads, respectively linear loads, such tending to crack. Subsequently contractors promoted to use plain joints as they did feel, having been blamed for lack of quality because of concrete cracking. This was the start of the end of tongue and groove design (see fig.1). Mathematical defined positioning of segment installation remains the target of segment erection. With sole plain joints this target is very difficult to reach. It has been found that other materials, better compatible to concrete than concrete to concrete offers an appropriate solution to the problem, which has to be seen in a different way for the longitudinal joint and for the circumferential joint.

Figure 2 Longitudinal joint for water tunnel in rock (WYRDPC) The longitudinal joint will be compressed after ring erection is completed. It would not need a special bolting, but it would need kinematic help during erection of the segments. It became common practice in Europe and Japan to use plastic guidance rods, implemented in small grooves of the

Figure 3 View of finished tunnel with plain joint design (WYRDPC)

In order to provide proper bedding conditions to the segments, grouting has been carried out from the tail end of the TBM. The crown section has not been grouted. A special train was put into operation to grout the crown section of the tunnel and has t o carry out supplementary grouting, where the water pressure tests fail. The train operates only when the TBM is stopped for repair and maintenance. 3 CONSERVATIVE JOINT DESIGN For a sewer tunnel in Germany a rather conservative joint design for the segments has been requested by the client in spite of several attempts by the joint venture and the consultant to replace the tongue and groove in the joints by an advanced joint design. Sealing gaskets are part of the design using 33 mm wide combe type neoprene profiles. This tongue and groove design is considered to be the essential structural element of the segment design.

Figure 5 Longitudinal joint for a water tunnel in soil (Germany) The longitudinal joint has been inclined for reasons of installation kinematics together with the available space for installation at the tail end of the shield. Upon achieving its final position the segment will only be moved by the thruster jacks in longitudinal direction. Segment systems with inclined longitudinal joints are arranged parallel with the tunnel axis at the inside of the shield tail and are moved until the joints in the circumferential direction are closed. At the same time, the longitudinal joint is closed automatically. It is an advantage of inclined joints that the risk of dislocated gasket is practically zero thus satisfying high requirements for water tightness. Segment installation is significantly more simple. C o m p a r i n g s e g m e n t s y s t e m s w i t h i n clined longitudinal joints, consisting of a combination of trapezoidal and rhomboidal segments, with conventional segment systems consisting of a combination of rectangular segments with trapezoidal keystone, it should be mentioned that the kinematic difference between the two systems is related to the installation. When using conventional segment systems, installation is done in a sequence of translatoric and rotatoric segment movement until the ring joint and the longitudinal joints are closed. Given tolerances are unable to be kinematically controlled.

Figure 4 Circumferential joint for a water tunnel in soil (Germany) The problem of this design is shown by the fact, that there is a contradiction between the minimum required load transmission area in the context with the sealing gasket. At the same time it contradicts with the minimum required tolerance for offsets. It has been shown that the given offset tolerance of 5 mm has been insufficient resulting in cutting off of all segments produced so far by 5 mm at the inside of the segments.

Bituminous packing could not satisfy the needs in the joints resulting from thruster jack forces, having been squeezed out of the joints. 4 QUALITY OF LINING - OVALISATION OFFSETS - TOLERANCES Ovalisation of segmental lined tunnel rings represents a very special phenomenon. For one-pass linings it is reducing the quality and progress as well. The reason can many times be identified at segment production, or at segment installation and at ring gap grouting. Figure 6 View of finished tunnel with tongue and groove design (water tunnel, Germany).

Figure 7 View of segment damage due to tongue and groove design (water tunnel, Germany) As a consequence leakages will appear in the area of the joints. Depending on project requirements, erection is followed by screwing the segments together, resulting in inefficient installation. Figure 8 Schematic view of ovalisation Joint tolerances are crucial for the quality of the segments. In the case of the mentioned project it has been shown, that the joint tolerances as defined by the client do not satisfy the needs resulting from construction. It became necessary for the contractor to adjust the joint tolerances to the real construction tolerances through time and money consuming cuts at the inside of the segments. Joint inlets usually depend on many influences such as thruster jack forces, joint tolerances, material behaviour, geometry and glue. For segment production tolerances have to be defined related to the project. Tolerances are related to allowable deviations from rotation angle, but also related to deviations from curve length and width of ring. Permanent controls should differ between moulds (mostly made of steel, sometimes on a concrete basis). They should be related as well to the finished segments. Production tolerances as reason for ovalisation can be excluded in general. More often reasons for ovalisation can be identified at segment installation. Tolerances, could be either

caused by the design e.g. tongue and groove configuration in the joints, or they can be caused by the material and type of joint connector, e.g. bolted systems.

In order to achieve necessary control of segment installation, systems have been successful allowing control of erecting segment at erected segment ring at the very moment of joining. B y t e chnological achievement of the defined location of the segment in the ring it is possible to significantly reduce the risk of design related ovalisation. Ovalisation of segmental lined ring can also happen in case of uneven bedding of the ring caused by ring gap grouting. Softer segment systems featured by screw connectors for locking of the segments are reacting with special sensitivity to uneven bedding, as their longitudinal joints may rotate and their ring joints may be at risk for offsets. There is a disadvantage sequence from ovalisation related to quality and progress as well as a risk, which is related to water tightness in both of the joints. To a certain degree ovalisations are considered to be unavoidable. The amount of unavoidable ovalisation should be indicated and specified in the contract and defined as tolerable deviation from diameter. If there is a tunnel diameter of e.g. 8 m, related ovalisation of 5 % corresponding to a tolerable maximum diameter deviation of 40 mm. 5 JOINT CONNECTORS RADIAL/LONGITUDINAL The pull-out/tension capacity of different dowels represent a range of capacity for different products that are now available in the market. A good laboratory testing is crucial in the determination of the curves.

Figure 9 Typical joint connectors In order to avoid ovalisation caused by design means and methods should be identified, allowing segment assembling with proper control. Allowable tolerances of joint design as well as related joint connectors should be related to allowable tolerances of segment manufacturing.

Figure 10 Allowable tolerances in production

STAGE 1

on the market, known as CONEX defined some limits for the maximum pull-out/tension and for the force activated by the joint gap in the range of 2-4 millimetres. Others tried to follow this capacity and some of them as BIBLOCK and especially ANEX have brittle behaviour and could be used for larger tunnel diameters as well as for smaller diameters. BUCLOCK and SOF-CLIP have lower capacity and are preferable for smaller diameter tunnels. The shear capacity testing of dowels has the same importance as the pull-out/tension testing. It is very common to show that the dowel capacity is very high even after large deformation in the tunnel radial direction. In reality such large deformations will never happen because failure of the connection will happen first. Concrete quality, thickness of the concrete cover and the reinforcement around the concrete hole are essential in obtaining the desirable shear capacity and tensile strength of the dowels.
P 140

STAGE 2

WATERTIGHTNESS OF PROFILE

Dowel CONEX
130

Dowel BUCLOCK Heavy Duty capacity: 100,0 kN max. def.: 20,0 mm

capacity: 102,0 kN max. def.: 15,6 m m

120

ELASTIC FORCE IN GASKET

110

100

Dowel ANEX capacity: 97,0 kN max. def.: 15,0 mm

PE

9 0

8 0

Force [kN]

7 0

6 0

Dowel SOF-CLIP capacity: 97,6 kN max. def.: 23,0 mm

5 0

4 0

DETAIL 1

3 0

Dowel BUCLOCK
2 0

(Standard) capacity: 60,0 kN max. def.: 20,0 mm

1 0

0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1 9 2 0 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 4 5 2

Deformation [mm] Dowel CONEX BUCLOCK (Heavy Duty) Dowel SOF-CLIP BUCLOCK (Standard) Dowel ANEX

Figure 12 Shear capacity test curves of different dowels Figure 11 Pull out / tension capacity of dowels Further, it is important to record tests of the failures, collapse of the dowel body or concrete body of the sample. Dowels made of plastic behave elastoplastic in comparison with the hard plastic or material mixture steel-plastic that will have brittle failure. The length of deformation defines the dowel and material behaviour. During installation and especially when the gasket is installed on the lining the allowable deformation will be in the range of few millimetres. The first dowel Average test curves give information about the shear capacity of different dowels and we can see that quality is similar for almost all the dowel types. However, each project requires careful design of shear capacity that should evaluate the size of tunnel diameter, lining thickness, number of connectors, quality of the concrete, details of the reinforcement and concrete cover.

6 SEALING GASKETS By the water tightening of segmental lining joints we must differentiate between the offset of joint surfaces and the relative rotation of surfaces in one joint. Both movements are reducing the capacity of the gasket. This is the most important reason to tighten the joint connection and to follow the design. This was also one of the main topics that defined the design of dowel connectors. A typical difference of water tightening of the circumferential lining joint is shown on Figure 6. The use of tongue-and-groove detail in the ring joint enables some movement between two rings in the range of 8-15 mm. This range depends on the type of the design, the size of the tunnel diameter and the thickness of the lining. This range is usually provided to place the tongue of one segment side into the groove of the other segment and should reduce the risk of joint offset cracks. At the same time, this movement allows an offset of the gasket and reduces the gasket capacity.
BOLTED LINING

larger than 3 millimeters, which gives a smooth inner surface of the tunnel and is more favorable for the water tightening of the joint. The situation at the radial joint is similar. The relative rotation of two neighboring surfaces in one joint is larger at bolted or screwed connections than using a guiding rod together with dowels in the ring joint. The main reason is that bolted and screwed connectors need a hole size in the concrete segment body that almost doubles the size of the connector. Bigger holes permit an easier placement of the tongue into the hole. Screws and bolts are of small diameter, and any incorrect segment placement has larger tolerances, provided by larger holes, which allows movements in the radial joint that result in gap opening and reduction of the gasket tightening. Doweled connections that use guiding rod in the radial joint have a more precise installation and the possibility of reducing the relative rotation from 1520% (screwed and bolted connections) to a 0-3% (doweled connections). Better tightening in the radial joint are reflected on the water tightening gasket capacity. 7 PROGRESS RATES

CONEX LINING

Figure 14 Progress rates in rock of TBM using segments with advanced joint design (Raverage = 292 m/w)

Figure 13 Water tightening capacity of gasket in the circumferential joint of segm ental lining.

Doweled connection is far more rigid because of the shear dowel capacity, and enables movements not

lining in regard to circularity while improving at the same time lining erection time as well as progress rates. In conclusion, dowel connections using push joint systems for the circumferential joints and guiding rods in the longitudinal joints are recommended for gasketed sealed tunnels both in hard rock TBM tunnels and in soft ground TBM tunnels as well. Where the experienced designer specifies required pull out f o r c e o f t h e d o w e l connector, all necessary compression of the gasket can be provided, while at the same time longitudinal joints can be completely compressed and offsets can be avoided. Spacing between the dowels corresponds with the spacing between the recesses for the connectors resulting in an easy to manage ring assembly with significantly reduced risk of damages and cracks of the concrete.

Figure 15 Progress rates in soil of TBM using segments with advanced joint design (Raverage = 29,5 m/w)

9. CONCLUSIONS Rapid TBM Tunnelling is the ultimate target of todays tunnelling industry. There is a complex influence for achievement of this target, whereas the interaction between tunnel boring machine and lining is to be considered. While substantial progress has been made in the technology of multipurpose TBM`s, there are still different opinions in regard to the design requirements for prefabricated concrete segments for tunnel linings. Both of the examples as analyzed so far have shown different design concepts primarily in regard to their joints. In regard to the gaskets, applied in both tunnels, there is no major difference. However, following significant lessons have been learned. In the case of the water diversion tunnel for the yellow river in PR of China an advanced joint design configuration has been applied, featured by plain joints while in the case of the water tunnel in Berlin, Germany, the joint design configuration was featured by tongue and groove. Plain joints with defined elevated concrete areas of approx. 1 mm to allow controlled load transfer both in the longitudinal and in the circumferential joints offer advantages in minimizing cracks and in giving better progress rates. Mechanical connectors of the dowel type in the radial joints with pull out forces of minimum ten tons and with shear forces of minimum three times the weight of the segment will increase the quality of the -

10 REFERENCES Kolic, D., Wagner, H. & A. Schulter, On design criterias for segmental tunnel linings in soft ground. 8th International Conference IACMAG West Virginia USA (1994). Kolic, D., Wagner, H & Schulter.A. Development of Dowelled Connectors for Segmental Linings, Felsbau 6/2000, pp. 3240. Wagner, H. & Schulter A., Tunnel Boring Machines T r e n d s i n d e s ign and construction of mechanized tunnelling. International Lecture Series TBM Tunnelling Trends Hagenberg, Austria. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam (1996). Wagner, H., Schulter, A. & Strohhusl, S, Sliding segments for shallow and deep tunnels. STUVA Tagung Stuttgart, Germany (1995). Wagner, H., Dowelled segments for tunnel linings. International Tunnelling Association ITA World Tunnel Congress, Amsterdam (1993).