<p>The main purpose of the thesis work has been to improve the existing prediction models and to provide a toolbox for the TBM tunnelling industry (project owners, consultants, contractors, manufacturers, etc.) to be used through all phases of a project:</p><p>• Preliminary and feasibility studies</p><p>• Project design and optimisation</p><p>• Site investigations</p><p>• Tendering and contract</p><p>• Construction</p><p>• Possible disputes or claims.</p><p>The various reports of the thesis treat various subjects of TBM tunnelling. Combined with other estimation models published in the Project Report Series from the Department of Building and Construction Engineering, the reports of the thesis provides a reliable and practical tool to be used for:</p><p>• Estimating net penetration rate and cutter life</p><p>• Estimating construction time and costs, including risk or uncertainty</p><p>• Assessing risk with regard to deviation or variation in estimated rock mass boreability, machine parameters and tunnelling performance</p><p>• Designing auxiliary systems such as ventilation, muck transport, etc.</p><p>• Establishing and managing price regulation in contracts</p><p>• Verifying machine performance</p><p>• Back-mapping and verification of the geological conditions</p><p>• Collecting, normalising and analysing of rock samples, machine performance data and cutter wear data.</p><p>The thesis work has not been focused on basic principles, theoretical modelling or laboratory experiments of rock cutting with disc cutters, although observations and results from field studies are presented and analysed in [11]. Several other researchers and institutions have covered those topics. To be mentioned here is the prominent and comprehensive research done at Colorado School of Mines in the USA and at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. Both institutions have a series of publications ranging over three decades in this area.</p> / This thesis consists of 10 volumes. Only volume one is available for download. See http://www.tunnel.no/ for more information or contact the author: amund.bruland at ntnu.no

The main purpose of the thesis work has been to improve the existing prediction models and to provide a toolbox for the TBM tunnelling industry (project owners, consultants, contractors, manufacturers, etc.) to be used through all phases of a project: • Preliminary and feasibility studies • Project design and optimisation • Site investigations • Tendering and contract • Construction • Possible disputes or claims. The various reports of the thesis treat various subjects of TBM tunnelling. Combined with other estimation models published in the Project Report Series from the Department of Building and Construction Engineering, the reports of the thesis provides a reliable and practical tool to be used for: • Estimating net penetration rate and cutter life • Estimating construction time and costs, including risk or uncertainty • Assessing risk with regard to deviation or variation in estimated rock mass boreability, machine parameters and tunnelling performance • Designing auxiliary systems such as ventilation, muck transport, etc. • Establishing and managing price regulation in contracts • Verifying machine performance • Back-mapping and verification of the geological conditions • Collecting, normalising and analysing of rock samples, machine performance data and cutter wear data. The thesis work has not been focused on basic principles, theoretical modelling or laboratory experiments of rock cutting with disc cutters, although observations and results from field studies are presented and analysed in [11]. Several other researchers and institutions have covered those topics. To be mentioned here is the prominent and comprehensive research done at Colorado School of Mines in the USA and at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. Both institutions have a series of publications ranging over three decades in this area. / This thesis consists of 10 volumes. Only volume one is available for download. See http://www.tunnel.no/ for more information or contact the author: amund.bruland at ntnu.no

<p>Masonry made from Light Expanded Clay Aggregate (LECA) concrete blocks is by far the most popular manufactured masonry in Norway. LECA is a lightweight aggregate (LWA).</p><p>The main objective of this study is to expand the knowledge about the material properties of LECA masonry to enable more accurate structural analysis and design of such masonry. The thesis comprises largely of experimental studies on the material behaviour of LECA masonry. Due to the relatively limited knowledge on the material properties of LECA masonry compared to that of concrete, a wide range of properties of LECA masonry has been studied in this thesis. </p><p>Because restrained shrinkage cracking is a major cause of damage to LECA masonry, mapping the behaviour of masonry with obstructed shrinkage is selected as an example. To be able to determine the deformation process of restrained LECA masonry, an identification of material properties of particular interest has been carried out. The identification was based on a restrained shrinkage cracking example. A summary of the material properties studied in this thesis work is given in Table 1. For comparison, design values of Eurocode 6 are also included in Table 1.</p><p>By determining a relatively wide range of important material properties, this thesis study has been largely instrumental in expanding the knowledge about the material behaviour of LECA masonry. While also the composition and the properties of the raw materials of the LECA blocks are documented, the study may form an important basis for further structural analysis of performance and further development of such masonry.</p><p>Even though a restrain shrinkage example was taken as a basis for the identification of interesting material properties, the experimentally obtained properties is relevant also for application of other structural problems. The validity of the properties is, however, limited to the LECA block quality of “3/770” only.</p><p>In order to pave the way for finite element analysis and design of LECA masonry structures, experimental determination of relevant material/model parameters were carried out in this thesis study. A micro-modelling can be restricted to account for the quasi-brittle material behaviour of the LECA and the average in-situ properties of the applied mortar. By applying generic material models in DIANA, the current test of LECA masonry subjected to uniaxial tension and compression/shear, this approach gave satisfactory results (see Høiseth and Kvande (2000) and Høiseth (2000b)).</p><p>Although the average stiffness and strength of mortal is usually somewhat higher than for the LECA units, a macro-modelling based on the LECA block properties should in general give sufficiently accurate results in global analysis of real structures. It must however be emphasised that the open perpend joint of LECA masonry makes the compound behaviour highly anisotropic. This anomaly represents discontinuity planes, which may be accounted for by interface elements representing predefined discrete cracks. </p>

Masonry made from Light Expanded Clay Aggregate (LECA) concrete blocks is by far the most popular manufactured masonry in Norway. LECA is a lightweight aggregate (LWA). The main objective of this study is to expand the knowledge about the material properties of LECA masonry to enable more accurate structural analysis and design of such masonry. The thesis comprises largely of experimental studies on the material behaviour of LECA masonry. Due to the relatively limited knowledge on the material properties of LECA masonry compared to that of concrete, a wide range of properties of LECA masonry has been studied in this thesis. Because restrained shrinkage cracking is a major cause of damage to LECA masonry, mapping the behaviour of masonry with obstructed shrinkage is selected as an example. To be able to determine the deformation process of restrained LECA masonry, an identification of material properties of particular interest has been carried out. The identification was based on a restrained shrinkage cracking example. A summary of the material properties studied in this thesis work is given in Table 1. For comparison, design values of Eurocode 6 are also included in Table 1. By determining a relatively wide range of important material properties, this thesis study has been largely instrumental in expanding the knowledge about the material behaviour of LECA masonry. While also the composition and the properties of the raw materials of the LECA blocks are documented, the study may form an important basis for further structural analysis of performance and further development of such masonry. Even though a restrain shrinkage example was taken as a basis for the identification of interesting material properties, the experimentally obtained properties is relevant also for application of other structural problems. The validity of the properties is, however, limited to the LECA block quality of “3/770” only. In order to pave the way for finite element analysis and design of LECA masonry structures, experimental determination of relevant material/model parameters were carried out in this thesis study. A micro-modelling can be restricted to account for the quasi-brittle material behaviour of the LECA and the average in-situ properties of the applied mortar. By applying generic material models in DIANA, the current test of LECA masonry subjected to uniaxial tension and compression/shear, this approach gave satisfactory results (see Høiseth and Kvande (2000) and Høiseth (2000b)). Although the average stiffness and strength of mortal is usually somewhat higher than for the LECA units, a macro-modelling based on the LECA block properties should in general give sufficiently accurate results in global analysis of real structures. It must however be emphasised that the open perpend joint of LECA masonry makes the compound behaviour highly anisotropic. This anomaly represents discontinuity planes, which may be accounted for by interface elements representing predefined discrete cracks.