Abstract
The most effective, safe and controlled way to perform tunnel excavations is through the use of Tunnel Boring Machines. This technology often requires the injection of chemicals to modify the soil properties, enhancing the control on the pressure applied at the front-face and consequently reducing the risks related to unexpected surface settlements, to excessive abrasion of the excavation tools and to clogging phenomena inside the working chamber. Since the reuse of the excavated soil is rapidly gaining importance, studies focused on the effect of these chemicals on soil properties, from both the geotechnical and environmental points of view, begin to be carried out more frequently in support of the design. This study addresses the evaluation of the effects of chemicals on the physical and mechanical properties of fine-grained soils: laboratory measurements of the effects on soil plasticity and on the associated variations in compressibility and undrained and residual strength of several samples of fine-grained soils from real tunnelling projects are presented. The results provide interesting insights on the interaction between the soil and the injected chemical, useful to better understand the most suitable use and dosage of the chemical and to consider its effects when reusing the conditioned soil.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Caracciolo AB, Cardoni M, Pescatore T, Patrolecco L (2017) Characteristics and environmental fate of the anionic surfactant sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) used as the main component in foaming agents for mechanized tunnelling. Environ Pollut 226:94–103
Feng QL (2004) Soil conditioning for modern EPBM drives. Tunnels Tunn Int 36(12):18–20
Mitchell JK (1976) Fundamentals of soil Mechanics. Wiley, New York, NY, p 422
Peña M (2003) Soil conditioning for sands. Tunnels Tunn Int 35(7):40–42
Quebaud S, Sibai M, Henry J-P (1998) Use of chemical foam for improvements in drilling by earth pressure balanced shields in granular soils. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 13(2):173–180
Sebastiani D, Passeri D, Belardi G, Miliziano S (2016) Experimental study of coarse soil properties influencing soil abrasivity. Procedia Eng 158:9–14
Taylor KC, Nasr-El-Din HA (1998) Water-soluble hydrophobically associating polymers for improved oil recovery: a literature review. J Petrol Sci Eng 19(3–4):265–280
Terzaghi K, Peck RB (1967) Soil mechanics in engineering practice. Wiley, New York
Thewes M, Budach C, Bezuijen A (2012) Foam conditioning in EPB tunnelling. In: Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground - Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Geotechnical Aspects of Underground Construction in Soft Ground, pp 127–135
Thewes M, Budach C (2010) Soil conditioning with foam during EPB tunnelling/. Konditionierung von Lockergesteinen bei Erddruckschilden. Geomech and Tunn 3(3):256–267
Wang D, Zentar R, Abriak NE, Xu W (2012) Shear strength behavior of cement/lime-solidified Dunkirk sediments by fall cone tests and Vane shear tests. Geotech Test J 36(1):155–162
Zumsteg R, Plötze M, Puzrin A (2013a) Reduction of the clogging potential of clays: new chemical applications and novel quantification approaches. Géotechnique 63(4):276
Zumsteg R, Plötze M, Puzrin AM (2013b) Effects of dispersing foams and polymers on the mechanical behaviour of clay pastes. Géotechnique 63(11):920
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Andrea Di Biase, Maurizio di Biase and Francesco Stelitano for the fundamental support to the experimental activities conducted in the geotechnical laboratory of DISG and Giorgia Puglisi and Chiara Cerocchi for performing some of the laboratory tests.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Sebastiani, D., de Lillis, A., Di Giulio, A., Miliziano, S. (2020). Effects of Thickeners Polymers Used in Tunnelling on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Fine-Grained Soils. In: Calvetti, F., Cotecchia, F., Galli, A., Jommi, C. (eds) Geotechnical Research for Land Protection and Development. CNRIG 2019. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering , vol 40. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21359-6_72
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21359-6_72
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-21358-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-21359-6
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)