A parametric study is performed to investigate the parallel tunnel interaction. Three dimensional finite element analyses were performed to determine the effects of soil stiffness, pillar width and advancement level of the second tunnel on the behaviour of displacement, bending moment and shear force of the previously constructed tunnel. In the analysis PLAXIS 3D Tunnel geotechnical finite element package was used. This program allows the user to define the actual construction stages of a NATM tunnel construction. In the analysis, construction stages are defined in such a way that firstly one of the tunnels is constructed and the construction of the second tunnel starts after the construction of the first tunnel. The mid-length section of the first tunnel is investigated in six different locations and at seven different advancement levels in terms of displacement, bending moment and shear forces. It is found that, displacement and bending moment behaviour are more related with soil stiffness and pillar width than the behaviour of shear forces. While the level of advancement of the second tunnel causes different type of responses on the shear force behaviour, level of advancement does not affect the type of behaviour of displacements and bending moments. Another finding of the research is that pillar width has an evident influence on the behaviour of displacements and bending moment than the soil stiffness. It is also found that the interaction effect may be eliminated by increasing the pillar width equal or larger than an approximate value of 2.5 &ndash / 3.0 D (diameter) for an average soil stiffness value.

Drilling operation expanded through deep water environments starting from mid-1980. As water depth increased, hydrate bearing formation in the shallow ocean floor is observed and that started to cause problems during drilling and production operations. Problems due to hydrate dissociation and forming during operations are also reported by the companies working in those environments many times. Although there are several factors affect the dissociation of shallow hydrate bearing sediments, heat flux from deeper sections of the well through shallower section during the operation is the major one. In order to mitigate that risk in this study, Black Sea is taken as a reference drilling environment. Hydrate phase boundary of the region is calculated via using actual temperature and pressure data gathered during drilling operations. Generic wellbore is defined and common drilling operation sequence is simulated in this defined wellbore. Heat transfer from section target depths to the shallow wellbore section is observed during simulations. Reducing effect of low inlet temperatures and a low circulation rate on wellbore temperatures are determined. In addition positive effect of riser boosting on depressing wellbore temperature in the well head is determined. Black Sea deep water hydrate stability zone is determined between 2210-2275m. Target depth limitation for generic well designed in drilling operations is determined as 4600m.

Anisotropy in engineering properties of soils occurs due to the depositional process forming the soil fabric and/or different directional stresses in soil history. This study investigates the anisotropy in undrained shear strength and drained compressibility of preconsolidated, stiff and fissured Ankara Clay. The compressibility behavior is determined using standard oedometer testing while the shear strength anisotropy is investigated through large diameter unconsolidated-undrained triaxial testing on undisturbed samples taken in vertical and horizontal directions from several deep excavation sites along the Konya Road in &Ccedil / ukurambar-Balgat Area, Ankara. According to the results achieved, Ankara Clay is slightly anisotropic in compressibility, with an anisotropy ratio between 0.72 and 1.17 in terms of coefficient of volume compressibility for several pressure ranges between 50 kPa and 1600 kPa. On the other hand, while a slight anisotropy in undrained shear strength at a ratio ranging between 0.87 and 1.19 in terms of deviator stress can be observed in Ankara Clay, considering the great variation in the test results of samples in same direction which mostly overlaps with the range of results obtained in the other direction, it has been concluded that the Ankara Clay located in this area can be regarded as isotropic in terms of shear strength for practical purposes.

The objective of this study is to investigate the stability problems in tailing (i.e. mine waste) dams. A tailing dam is an embankment dam (made of natural borrow or tailing material) constructed to retain slurry-like mining wastes that are produced as a result of operation of mines. In the last 30 years, the stability of tailing dams has drawn much attention as a significant number of tailing dam failures have been recorded worldwide. These instability problems caused significant loss of life and damage to property in addition to environmental hazards. In this study causes of failure of tailing dams and their stability problems are investigated with respect to their geometric and material characteristics. Seepage and stability of tailing dams are studied through limit equilibrium method and finite element method. The effects of uncertainties in material properties on the stability of tailings dams is investigated. Within this context, Kastamonu-Kure copper tailings dam is used as a case study and material properties are determined by laboratory tests.

published_or_final_version / Applied Geosciences / Master / Master of Science

A study of the Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme (SSDS) Stage 1 Tunnel F in Hong Kong was carried out as it is a great example of deep sub-sea hard rock TBM tunnelling through unfavourable, fault-affected ground conditions with heavy water inflows. The main objective of this study was to document events that took place during Tunnel F excavation and collate geological and geotechnical data related to the excavation, to aid future tunnel designers and contractors to assess the risk involved with such tunnelling projects. Data relevant to Tunnel F was collected from many personnel involved with the excavation, and from the Hong Kong Geological Survey (HKGS) of the Geotechnical Engineering Office. Geological maps, ground investigation data, tunnel mapping records, ground water inflow records and grouting records were reviewed and used to summarise the ground conditions and to analyse various potential relationships. Knowledge of ground conditions is the most important requirement for any tunnelling project. This dissertation addresses the differences between actual and predicted ground conditions and the consequences of lack of ground investigation data. The major difference between predicted and observed ground conditions during Tunnel F excavation was the amount of water ingress into the tunnel. Hundreds of liters per minute of water at up to 13bar pressure was encountered from a few probe and grout holes. In the Tolo Channel Fault area, low Q values and very high ground water inflows were experienced, and heavy temporary support and large grout volumes were required to complete the tunnel. / published_or_final_version / Applied Geosciences / Master / Master of Science

Die Welt wird beherrscht durch Veränderung. Von den kleinsten Elementarteilchen bis zu den größten Galaxien kann man ein Entstehen und Vergehen beobachten. Diese Regel schließt auch die lebende Materie mit ein. Wir sehen Bäume wachsen oder das Getreide auf den Feldern reifen und wir müssen erkennen, daß auch wir, die Menschen, diesem Gesetz der Veränderung, dieser Vergänglichkeit unterliegen....

This thesis presents an engineering geological and geotechnical investigation of the proposed Terrace Opencast Coalmine highwall in the Reddale Valley, Reefton. The proposed pit will target the 4-11m thick No. 4 Seam coal, which exists on the Valley floor beneath outwash gravels and Brunner Coal Measures (BCM) overburden dipping at 15-30° to the northwest. Rock coatings are providing friable sandstone units with protection from weathering in existing cut faces and may contribute to short term pit wall stability. The BCM core was divided into four geotechnical units for rock material testing purposes: unit 1 siltstone, unit 2 carbonaceous mudstone, unit 3 interbedded sandstone and carbonaceous mudstone and unit 4 loose sandstone. The average results for units 1-3 gave classifications within the medium to high porosity (9-13%) and dry density (2250-2470kg/m³) ranges, and medium to medium high slake-durability Id2 values (72-94% retained). Unit 4 (loose sandstone) recorded very low dry density (1694 kg/m³) and slake-durability Id2 (9%) average values. Strength testing confirmed that the units can be classed as weak rocks, with average UCS values of 12.8-13.7MPa for units 1-3, and for all four units Is(50) from point load testing of 0.26-0.62MPa with low cohesion values (0-6.2MPa) from triaxial testing. Friction angles from triaxial tests gave high values of 32-45°, while direct shear tests established 15° internal friction for bedding planes in carbonaceous mudstone and 37° for a high angle defect in interbedded sandstone/carbonaceous mudstone. The average Young's modulus values ranged from 0.82 to 10GPa, and Poisson's ratio between 0.39 and 0.50. Eight scanline defect surveys established that the major discontinuities in existing cut faces consist of high angle tension joints, shallow dipping bedding, and faults related to regional uplift. The defect orientations from the scanlines located in the southwest were significantly different from those in the northeast, and may be due to the faults that cross the Valley. In general the majority of defects displayed low persistence (less than 3m), were clean and tight, and had low joint roughness coefficients (JRC less than 6). Joint wall compressive strengths gave an average of 32MPa, but were affected by case-hardening on weathered faces. The results from the 8 drill holes analysed show that 37% of core was within the excellent rock quality designation class (RQD = 90-100%), while 29% was in the very poor quality rock (RQD = 0-25%). A semi-confined aquifer in the outwash gravels that will drain into the proposed pit was found to have a transmissivity of 58m²/day and hydraulic conductivity of 3.1 x 10⁻⁵ m/s. Kinematic feasibility assessment determined an optimum highwall orientation of 65° dip to 120° (dip direction), which is within at least 20° of the coal seam strike. The likelihood of planar, wedge or toppling failure depends on whether the structural conditions are similar to those encountered in the southwest or northeast scanlines, as well as the persistence of the defects present. The occurrence of small scale (less than 1m offset) 'step-up' normal faults, and the three larger faults that cross the valley, all of which are related to regional uplift, will also affect which failure mode will be kinematically feasible. Other crucial slope stability considerations include groundwater inflow from the saturated overburden and bedding parallel failures on the footwall dip slope of the pit. An investigation into case hardening on existing cut faces identified three interconnected rock coatings: iron films, lithobiontic (biological) and clay-dominated crusts. Jarosite was found at sites with abundant pyrite and the oxidation of iron may have been aided by microbial activity. A green algae inhabiting pore spaces approximately 1mm below the surface was noted beneath an iron film and it is suggested to be similar to that found in arid environments. Although lithobiontic and clay-dominated crusts did not provide the weathered surface with any additional strength, they were observed to form relatively quickly (from months to less than 5 years) and will aid short term stability by providing the batters with protection from weathering processes. This project concluded that the overburden material in the proposed highwall can be expected to behave like weak rock and in some cases (such as the loose sandstone) can be expected to have soil characteristics. Highwall stability is more likely to be affected by substantial inflows of groundwater than highly persistent joint sets. Establishment of the highwalls in their final position in the early mining stages will enable development of rock coatings that are expected to aid short and long term stability.

This study discusses the results of numerical modeling aspect of aggregate pier foundations (aggregate piers) in soft, compressible soils. FLAC 2D (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua), a finite difference code is utilized in the analyses. Use of axisymmetry enabled to visualize a three dimensional model throughout this research. The primary objective of this research is to make comparisons for stress concentration ratio &lsquo / n&rsquo / , and settlement reduction ratio b for given variables consisting of length, diameter, elastic modulus of the aggregate piers, and foundation pressures. Analyses have been carried out with 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 m long piers with diameters of 60 cm, and 80 cm, placed under a circular footing in 1.30 m diameter. Two values for elastic modulus of the piers have been used to reflect the effect of pier stiffness on settlement behavior. Analysis and design methodology have been carried out in three stages. The first stage consists of modeling the matrix soil with an elastic constitutive model and exerting foundation pressures to first check the accuracy of the mesh by comparing the effective vertical stress and settlement values by analytical methods. Once satisfactory results are achieved, modeling of a rigid foundation is carried out. Consequently, aggregate piers are modeled and loaded. For foundation pressures, a range of values consisting of 25, 50, 75, and 100 kPa have been chosen to see the behavior of piers under variable foundation pressures. There are solid outcomes of this study. It concludes by stating that the settlement behavior of piers having L/d ratios greater than 3.75, are alike. Thus, there is almost no additional settlement improvement achieved with piers longer than 3 m with 60 cm pier diameter.

This study aims to determine the safe and sustainable development and management of groundwater resources in Ergene River Basin located in northwestern Turkey. A numerical groundwater model was developed for the Sandy Complex aquifer, which is the most productive and the most widespread aquifer in the basin. The finite difference model with 5900 cells was used to represent the steady and unsteady flow in the aquifer. The model was calibrated in two steps: a steady state calibration by using the observed groundwater levels of January 1970, followed by a transient calibration by using the observed groundwater levels for the period of January 1970 and December 2000. The resulting model was used to develop groundwater pumping scenarios in order to predict the changes in the aquifer system under a set of different pumpage conditions for a planning period of 30 years between January 2001 and December 2030. A total of eight pumping scenarios were developed under transient flow conditions for the planning period and the results were evaluated to determine the safe and sustainable yields of the aquifer. The results, presented in the form of a trade-off curve, demonstrate that the continuation of the present pumping rates exceeds both the safe and the sustainable yields of the aquifer system.