Digital Tunneling

Prof. Hehua ZHU, Dr. Xiaojun LI Dept. of Geotechnical Engineering, College of Civil Engineering Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Main Contents:
Introductions Research status Contents of digital tunneling Case studies Conclusions

1. Introductions

1.1 Overview of digitization for tunnel engineering

Digitization for tunnel engineering (DTE) means an effective and specific administration of data involved in exploration, design, construction, monitoring and operation process, thus providing a common information platform for construction, management, maintenance and hazard prevention of tunnel. A digital museum could be established after the real tunnel is built, which provides a digital tunnel corresponding to the real one for its whole lifetime.

1.2 The purposes of DTE

In the design phase, 3D digital strata could be used to manage the strata information, thus to provide rational suggestions of the tunnel design scheme.

In the construction phase, retrieving the tunnel design information, monitoring data and geological profile data quickly and efficiently could be very beneficial to change the construction scheme which is the important keys to ensure the construction safety.

In the tunnel maintenance phase, getting the data and information in the design and construction process is vital to lower operation cost, increase maintenance efficiency and improve the ability of hazard prevention.

2 Research status

Marte Gutierrez et al. in Virginia Tech (2003) initiated a research project AMADEUS (Adaptive Real-Time Geologic Mapping, Analysis and Design of Underground Space) which exploits new IT technologies such as digital imaging, data management, visualization and computation to improve analysis, design and construction of underground excavations. An integrated relational database for tracking rock mass data during tunneling is reported recently. GEODATA company in Austria (2004) begins a project CITYGRID whose objective is to develop a precise mapping of whole cities in form of digital city-models.
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Kenichi Soga et al. in Univ. of Cambridge (2005) begins a research project Smart infrastructure. The main objective of the research is to develop generic wireless sensor networks that allow sharing of equipment and communication tools for monitoring of multiple types of infrastructures including tunnels, bridges and water supply systems etc. Scucka Jiri et al. in Institute of Geonics, Czech Republic (2006) reported a image processing and analysis system on underground working face photographs which could be used in geological investigation and geo-monitoring. Myung Sagong et al. in Korea Railroad Research Institute (2006) developed a digital tunnel face mapping system (DiTFAMS) using PDA and wireless Network.
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3D geology model (Japan)

geology cross-section by manual mapping and deduction

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Schematic diagram for drill holes distribution of Kobe strata data bank (4000 drill holes )

Geology cross-section given by Kobe strata data bank

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Reproduced 3D strata picture using existing information of drill holes

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Geology engineering information system since 1993 and research project of 3D digital engineering geology since 1996

Beijing

Data bank of information of 100,000 drill holes Code for basic information of Urban geography

Research on integrated data bank of underground pipeline research by municipal mapping institute since 1999 Integrated planning for Shanghai underground spaces proposed in 2003
Shanghai

Taipei Shengzheng Hongkong

Build geology engineering data bank since 1990

Geosciences data bank since 1991

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Digital underground pipeline Over 40 cities in China including Guangzhou, Tsingdao, Suzhou and Zhongshan etc. have developed 2D ground pipeline network information system, and some of them are developing 3D system.

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3 Contents of digital tunneling

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3.1 Research contents of digital tunneling

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Data management for collecting and processing data in exploration, design, construction, monitoring process and etc. Modeling of 3D strata, tunnel and their attachments Digital administration in tunnel design Digitization and tunnel construction Digitization and tunnel monitoring Digitization and tunnel maintenance

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3.2 Database management

Data classification and coding Database model Database implementation

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3.2.1 Data classification and coding convention

A data organizing and classification scheme is provided both from the viewpoint of geography survey, geology investigation and the viewpoint of civil engineering. See the figure in the next page.

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Digital Underground Space and Project

Terrain (A) Earth Surface (A) Geography (B) Mine(B) Pipeline (A)

Area geology(A)

Underground stucture(F) NATM tunnel(C) Subway(D) Basic Geography (B)

Bedrock geology(B) Quaternary period geology(C) Exploration(D)

Shield tunnel(F) Project designing(1) Underground structure design ... Project constructing(2)

Prospecting(A)

In situ test(B) Laboratory soil test (C) Result data(D)

Engineering geology(C)

Project Monitoring(3) Project detecting(4) Numerical analyzing(5) Project risk evaluating(6)

Hydrogeology (D) Envionment geology(E)

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To better exchange the data and information and improve the efficiency of data utilization, the classification is encoded into simple characters. For example, the engineering geology is encoded as C, and the engineering geology investigation in its second level is encoded as CA; there are several methods in engineering geology investigation, such as the borehole whose code was defined as CAA, and so on.

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3.2.2 Database model

The database is organized with the concept of object, which is accord with the data classification mentioned above. There are many tables in the database which could be summarized as object spatial information table and its attribute tables which are linked together by an unique object ID. Because the spatial information of object is always necessary, the spatial information table is fundamental, and the attribute information table is optional. This kind of database model allows objects to be resided in different databases, and it could be seen as a distributive accessing and storing scheme which enables the model to be applied in the situation when putting all data into one database is impossible.
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3.2.3 Database implementation

The database could be implemented by a traditional relation database system, such as Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle etc. In the database implementation, it is necessary to introduce constraints such as primary key, unique key, foreign key in the designing of data table.

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Usually the information of an object is resided in several data tables. To simplify the data accessing process to the users, data of objects is accessed via a intermediate tool which groups all the relevant data automatically.
ObjectTable<Collection>

Object 1

Object N

Field<Collection>

ChildrenObjectTable 1

ChildrenObjectTable N

Field

ChildrenObject 1

ChildrenObject N

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3.3 strata modeling

Based on borehole data, a triangular prism modeling method is used to reconstruct the strata. The main idea of this method is to connect all drill points by using 2D delaunay triangular meshing according to the drill position on the plane, and then extrude the triangles vertically to create the triangular prisms, thus the strata entity is built.
k i j

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3.4 tunnel modeling

Tunnel modeling mainly involves the modeling of tunnel cross-section, planar curve and longitudinal curve of tunnel axes, tunnel body and its accessory. The modeling of NATM tunnel includes: modeling of tunnel cross-section modeling of planar curve and longitudinal curve of tunnel axis modeling of tunnel body by extruding the crosssection along its axis

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The modeling of shield tunnel includes: modeling of the segments modeling of planar curve and longitudinal curve of tunnel axis modeling of the assembling process of the segment ring

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3.5 research still to be further carried on

tunnel parametric design and its optimization digitization of tunnel construction digitization of tunnel monitoring digitization of tunnel maintenance and hazard prevention

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Currently, we are developing a remote tunneling monitoring system and a tunnel health management system separately, and we are going to integrate them into the digital tunneling system.

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4 Case studies

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4.1 Engineering Case-1 3D strata modeling and application at Shanghai Yangtse River tunnel

Strata modeling

Local drawing of the strata modeling

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03-132

Query of drill data

Query of strata

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Visualization dialog

Dynamic database edit

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4.2 Engineering Case-2 Digitization of Xiamen Xiangan subsea tunnel

The length of Xiamen Xiangan subsea tunnel is 6.05 kilometers, with 4.2 kilometers in the sea area. The tunnel is designed as a double direction six lanes highway. This is the first subsea tunnel building in the mainland of China. The Budget of this project is about 3.2 billion RMB and the construction time is limited within four years.

Xiamen-Wutong

Xiangan
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Query of drill data includes elementary drill information, whole strata description, drill strata description

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3D digital ground modeling of Xiamen Xiangan sub-sea tunnel

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Tunnel modeling

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Query of tunnel construction data

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Query of tunnel design drawing

3D spatial query of design parameters; Query of design drawings of arbitrary cross-section and modification, management and summary of design drawings.

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Strata cutting including the tunnel entity

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Strata slice

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Strata cutting

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Strata cutting including the tunnel entity

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5 Conclusions

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(1) This article puts forward a conception of digitization for tunnel engineering and applies it in largest shield tunnel in the world and the first subsea tunnel in China. (2) Data classification, coding convention and the database model are clearly defined, which provide basis for digitization modeling, data query and data management. (3) Based on borehole data, a triangular prism modeling method is used to reconstruct the strata. A tunnel modeling method is also put forwarded.
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(4) An information platform is developed, which integrates the data of exploration, design, construction, monitoring etc., and offers an information management and spatial analysis tool for the engineering. (5) Case studies show that the digitization for tunnel engineering is a very promising technology, which could be used in many aspects of the tunnel and other underground engineering.

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Thank you

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