Dispersion of fine-grained soils in slurry shield tunnel excavation

J. Fillibeck, U. Schindler, R. Cudmani

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

In tunnel drives with a slurry-supported face, the excavated soil is necessarily subjected to mechanical and hydraulic actions, both in the excavation chamber and during hydraulic conveyance. Slurry shield tunnel excavation in semi-solid to solid clay and claystone environments can lead to the dispersion (slaking) of the soil aggregates. These become detached as gravel to stone size chips, but in extreme cases, they may separate further into fine particle aggregates. This raises the question of how much effort is required to remove the fines from the slurry. Large chips can be relatively easily removed, for example by sieving, but fine aggregates are much more difficult and costly to eliminate, requiring the use of, for instance, filter chamber presses and centrifuges. To date, few studies have focussed on the dispersion potential of fine-grained soils or rocks during slurry shield excavation, despite the economic urgency of this issue. Our experimental study aims to address this topic and fill the gap.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationExpanding Underground - Knowledge and Passion to Make a Positive Impact on the World- Proceedings of the ITA-AITES World Tunnel Congress, WTC 2023
EditorsGeorgios Anagnostou, Andreas Benardos, Vassilis P. Marinos
PublisherCRC Press/Balkema
Pages1249-1257
Number of pages9
ISBN (Print)9781003348030
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
EventITA-AITES World Tunnel Congress, ITA-AITES WTC 2023 and the 49th General Assembly of the International Tunnelling and Underground Association, 2023 - Athens, Greece
Duration: 12 May 202318 May 2023

Publication series

NameExpanding Underground - Knowledge and Passion to Make a Positive Impact on the World- Proceedings of the ITA-AITES World Tunnel Congress, WTC 2023

Conference

ConferenceITA-AITES World Tunnel Congress, ITA-AITES WTC 2023 and the 49th General Assembly of the International Tunnelling and Underground Association, 2023
Country/TerritoryGreece
CityAthens
Period12/05/2318/05/23

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Dispersion of fine-grained soils in slurry shield tunnel excavation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this