Multi Attributed Selection of Excavation Methods in Tunneling Construction Milad Foroughi ...

148 Pages·2016·6.58 MB·English

by  Concordia University

Multi Attributed Selection of Excavation Methods in Tunneling Construction

Milad Foroughi Masouleh

A Thesis
in
The Department
of
Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Master of Applied Science (Building Engineering) at
Concordia University
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Oct 2015
© Milad Foroughi Masouleh
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES
This is to certify that the thesis prepared
By: Milad Foroughi Masouleh
Entitled: Multi-Attrubited Selection of Excavation Methods in Tunneling
Construction

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Masters of Applied Science (Building Engineering)
Complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to
originality and quality.
Signed by the final examining committee:
Dr. A. Bagchi, Chair
Dr. A. Hammad Examiner to Program
Dr. A. Bagchi Examiner
Dr. Z. Zhu Examiner
Dr. O. Moselhi Thesis Supervisor

Approved by:
November 04, 2015

ii
Abstract
Multi Attributed Selection of Excavation Methods in Tunneling Construction
Tunneling construction operations are considered dynamic and complex processes. The success
of tunneling construction projects is affected by essential factors. Various methods have been
developed in the past, such as simulation models that facilitate and improve the tunneling
construction processes and consequently mitigate potential time and cost overruns. Proper
selection of excavation method is among the most important factors in tunneling project success.
Current practices in selecting the best possible technique for excavation are based on the highest
productivity rate as well as the availability of resources. Many of these techniques neglect the
interdependencies and concurrency of influencing factors in selecting the best possible
excavation method.
In this research, a new method for selecting the most efficient excavation method for tunnels is
developed. The method considers a series of significant factors in tunneling construction -
namely length, cross-sectional area, geotechnical characteristics depth of the tunnel, and level of
water table - and a variety of excavation methods, such as different types of TBMs, Road-header,
and drilling and blasting. The factors used in the developed method were constructed based on
knowledge extracted from literature and gained from interviews with experts and an online
survey. The survey gathered data on the relative importance of the set of selection factors for
different soil and project conditions. The collected information was used as input to a developed
MCA model (AHP, TOPSIS) that ranked the methods based on their respective suitability for the
project at hand to select the most appropriate equipment. The developed method is applied to
real case studies to demonstrate its use and highlight its essential features. Also a sensitivity
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analysis was carried out on each of the case studies, to identify and analyze the most sensitive
tunneling variables affecting equipment selection. Based on sensitivity analysis geotechnical
condition is the most sensitive factors among all effective variables in both case studies. In the
Montreal-Laval Metro Extension, the selected method was Road Header, and in the Spadina
Subway project EPB Mixed Shield was selected as the most favorable method of excavation.
These results confirm the actually selected excavation methods on the two projects, and indicate
that the developed method is reliable.

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Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I am very grateful to God for keeping me blessed and granting me the ability
to follow through and achieve my goal.
This thesis would not have been possible without the generous support and encouragement of my
supervisor, Professor Osama Moselhi. I have been truthfully lucky to have him as my mentor. He
inspired me with both his wisdom and his patience. I would like to express my sincerest
appreciation and gratitude to him for his guidance, motivation, unconditional help and support,
and for always believing in me during the last year. I thank my colleagues for sharing their
knowledge and for their constructive and practical comments, for sustaining the joyful
environment, and the memories that I will cherish.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents, Naser and Parirokh, and my brothers, for
their unconditional love, support, and for always being there for me. I would like to express my
deepest gratitude to my family for teaching me how to live.
Finally, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my parents.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... XI
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... XIV
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF TUNNELING ............................................................... 3
1.3 RESEARCH MOTIVATION ...................................................................................................... 3
1.4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................... 4
1.5 THESIS ORGANIZATION ........................................................................................................ 7
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................... 8
2.1 TUNNELING CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES ............................................................................. 8
2.2 TUNNELING EXCAVATION .................................................................................................... 8
2.3 DRILLING AND BLASTING METHOD ..................................................................................... 9
2.4 ROAD-HEADER .................................................................................................................. 11
2.5 TUNNEL BORING MACHINE (TBM) ................................................................................... 13
2.5.1 Minimum Specifications for TBMs............................................................................ 15
2.5.2 Statistics of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ............................................................. 15
2.5.3 EPB Shield ................................................................................................................ 17
2.5.4 Mix Shield TBM ........................................................................................................ 20
2.5.5 Single Shield TBM..................................................................................................... 24
2.5.6 Gripper TBM ............................................................................................................. 26
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2.5.7 Productivity of Tunnel Boring Machines .................................................................. 29
2.6 MATERIALS HANDLING PROCESSES ................................................................................... 31
2.6.1 Logistical Processes.................................................................................................. 32
2.6.2 Transportation Systems ............................................................................................. 33
2.6.3 Basic Transportation ................................................................................................ 33
2.6.4 Special Muck Transporting Systems ........................................................................... 35
2.6.5 Vertical Material Handling....................................................................................... 37
2.7 TUNNEL SUPPORT SYSTEMS ............................................................................................... 37
2.7.1 Primary Support........................................................................................................ 38
2.7.2 Final Lining .............................................................................................................. 38
2.8 COMPARISON OF MINING METHODS FOR A DEEP AND SURFACE EXCAVATION .................. 39
2.9 COMPARISON OF TBM AND D&B METHOD ....................................................................... 41
2.9.1 Tunneling Minimum Cross size for TBM .................................................................. 43
2.10 GEOTECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: .................................................................................. 44
2.10.1 Soil And Rock Description .................................................................................... 45
2.10.2 The Soil Classification .......................................................................................... 46
2.10.3 Geological Classification of rock ......................................................................... 47
2.11 HYDRAULIC CHARACTERISTICS CONSEQUENCE ON EXCAVATION PERFORMANCE ........ 49
2.12 TUNNELING CONSTRUCTION RISK ASSESSMENT ............................................................ 49
2.13 PROBABILISTIC MODEL OF RISK ASSESSMENT IN TUNNELING CONSTRUCTION ............. 51
2.14 PRODUCTIVITY OF EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT ............................................................. 54
2.15 CRITERIA FOR TUNNELING EXCAVATION EQUIPMENT SELECTION ................................. 55
2.16 ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS (AHP) ................................................................... 56
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2.17 TOPSIS ......................................................................................................................... 58
2.18 SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS .................................................................................................. 59
2.19 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 60
CHAPTER 3 PROPOSED METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 61
3.1 GENERAL ........................................................................................................................... 61
3.2 TUNNELING EXCAVATION TECHNIQUES ............................................................................ 63
3.3 FACTORS AFFECTING TUNNELING EQUIPMENT SELECTION ............................................... 63
3.4 QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN ................................................................................................... 65
3.4.1 Questionnaire Distribution ....................................................................................... 66
3.4.2 Survey Participation ................................................................................................. 66
3.5 SURVEY ANALYSIS AND THE FINDINGS ................................................................................ 68
3.5.1 Tunnel Length ........................................................................................................... 69
3.5.2 Tunnel Cross Section ................................................................................................ 70
3.5.3 Tunnel Depth ............................................................................................................. 71
3.5.4 Geotechnical Conditions ........................................................................................... 71
3.5.5 Water Table Level ..................................................................................................... 73
3.6 APPLYING MULTI-CRITERIA ANALYZES (MCA) ................................................................ 74
3.6.1 Applying Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) ........................................................... 74
3.6.2 Discussion application of Analytical Network Process (ANP) ................................. 77
3.6.3 Applying TOPSIS ...................................................................................................... 78
3.7 APPLYING SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS TO SELECT THE MOST SENSITIVE FACTORS ................... 80
3.8 APPLYING DIFFERENT SCENARIOS ON CASE STUDIES ........................................................ 80
3.9 SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 81
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CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS AND IMPLEMENTATION ON CASE STUDIES ..................... 82
4.1 MONTREAL-LAVAL METRO EXTENSION CASE STUDY (1): ................................................ 82
4.1.1 Project Geotechnical Condition ............................................................................... 84
4.1.2 Excavation Methods .................................................................................................. 85
4.1.3 Montreal-Laval Metro extension project statistic ..................................................... 87
4.2 APPLYING THE AHP MODEL ON MONTREAL- LAVAL METRO EXTENSION .......................... 88
4.3 APPLYING TOPSIS ON MONTREAL-LAVAL METRO EXTENSION ......................................... 91
4.4 SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS MONTREAL –LAVAL METRO EXTENSION ...................................... 92
4.5 TORONTO-YORK SPADINA SUBWAY EXTENSION CASE STUDY (2) ..................................... 93
4.5.1 Site Geology and Subsurface Conditions .................................................................. 96
4.5.2 Spadaina Subway Extension Project Statistics ......................................................... 96
4.5.3 Applying AHP on Spadina Metro Extension Case Study .......................................... 97
4.5.4 Applying TOPSIS on Spadina Metro Extension Case Study ..................................... 99
4.6 SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS ON FACTORS AFFECTING ON SPADAINA SUBWAY EXTENSION .... 100
4.7 COMPRESSION OF AHP RESULTS, THE TOPSIS RESULTS, AND ACTUALLY SELECTED
ALTERNATIVES ........................................................................................................................ 101
4.8 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 105
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION .................................................................. 107
5.1 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 107
5.2 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 108
5.3 CONTRIBUTIONS .............................................................................................................. 110
5.4 LIMITATIONS .................................................................................................................... 110
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5.5 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE WORK ....................................................................... 111
REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 112
APPENDIX I (THE QUESTIONNAIRES) ............................................................................ 117
APPENDIX II (SCORES OF ALTERNATIVE) ................................................................... 121
APPENDIX III (FACTORS INFLUENCES WEIGHT)....................................................... 122
APPENDIX IV (TOPSIS WEIGHTED STANDARDIZED DECISION MATRIX) ......... 129

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