The Belgian High-Speed Railway Soumagne Tunnel Project

Iwan Couchard1, Alain Van Cotthem2, and Servais Hick3

1 Tuc

Rail, 91 Rue de France 1070 Brussels, Belgium icd@tucrail.be Tel: + 32 2 5297850 Fax: + 32 2 5297943 2 Tractebel, 7 Avenue Ariane 1200 Brussels, Belgium alain.vancotthem@tractebel.com Tel: + 32 2 7737581 Fax: + 32 2 7737990 3 Tunnel de Soumagne, 3 Rue des Heids 4630 Soumagne, Belgium shick@tunnel-soumagne.com Tel: + 32 4 3550955 Fax: + 32 4 3581074

Abstract. This paper aims at explaining the general context in which this 6.5 km single tube tunnel was planned, designed and is today under construction with full resources on 4 simultaneous attacks. First, the tunnel is set in the general rail infrastructure network spreading from Brussels to neighbouring countries. Its location near dense urban sites has prompted specific answers to environmental and organizational problems such as spoil removal, intermediate access shafts, East and West portal configurations. An overview on the regional geology is made to emphasize the complex hydrogeological context in which the excavation must safely proceed under an urban environment. Among the challenges are the presence of old exploited coal seams, unfavourable joints orientations and karstic limestones. The relatively shallow overburden (max 120 m) has allowed extensive exploratory campaign including geophysics and some 8000 m of core drilling with in situ and laboratory tests. The next item will explain the design methodology used to deal with the rock mass heterogeneity and variability (empirical, analytical, and numerical). The design leads to a limited number of typical temporary lining cross-sections. It will be focused on a comparison between the necessary simplification used in numerical analysis and the reality of the actual situation encountered at the faces. Finally, the work organization foreseen by the Contractor will be briefly developed to emphasize the crucial impact of rational working phases on the overall performance of the excavation process. This will cover the digging phase itself down to the curing of the cast-in situ permanent concrete lining. Keywords: rock tunnel, high-speed train, railway, design, construction, Soumagne, Belgium.

1 Introduction
The Soumagne tunnel is part of the high-speed train link between Brussels and Aix-La-Chapelle in Germany, completing a dense national railway network at the
Robert Hack, Rag Azzam, and Robert Charlier (Eds.): LNES 104, pp. 475484, 2004. c Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004

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Fig. 1. Schematic tunnel layout and construction fronts

heart of Europe, operated by SNCB. Simultaneous works under Antwerp city will allow a high speed link with Amsterdam. Lige as destination requires plunging to the Meuse level at the Guillemins station from where several solutions were envisaged to ascend the 200 m climb to the Herve high ground. A direct route was chosen through the hills of Vaux-sous-Chvremont requiring the construction of a double track tunnel while minimizing impacts on this relatively densely populated area. The tunnel is about 6.5 km long including two covered trenches at each end (fig 1). For a 200km/h nominal speed, the required free section is 69 m with an average 110 m excavated section, depending on ground conditions (fig 2)

2 Geology
The tunnel crosses 3 types of rock formations, from west to east: The Westphalien shales on 3300 m, from the Herve massif The Viseen limestone on 650 m, from the Vesdre massif The Namurien shales on 1900 m, from the Vesdre massif A major overlapping fault (Magne) divides the Westphalien shale and the Viseen limestone. Several other faults are to be crossed (fig 3). The geology encountered along the route presents some important features to be taken into account for the design and the construction procedures:

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Fig. 2.Tunnel template.

Fig. 3. Geology.

The presence of old exploited coal seams in the Westphalien formation. Some of these seams are backfilled with poor materials or even not backfilled at all. The decompression caused by these works has erased any tectonically induced stresses and has lead in the past to significant amount of settlements in the region. These soft layers may induce local instabilities, a lack of arching effect while excavating or ingress of water from the upper water tables. They can generate differential settlement near the foot of steel ribs or delayed creeping effects under the invert. A positive consequence of these mining activities is the presence of old drainage gallery under the tunnel levels, limiting total flow and reducing the risk of bursting at the face.

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The tunnel direction is N 95 E while general bedding directions are mainly between N 80 E to N115 E. This combined with sub vertical dips, lead to unfavourable conditions. This is particularly the case with the following features: o Hard sandstones layers, about a meter thick, calling for local drill and blast method, while adjacent softer shales could have been excavated with road header technology. o Badly backfilled coal seams, calling for systematic forepoling or grouting, slowing down the advance rate. o Digging trough the heart of dislocated synclines and anticlines. The limestone is encountered at its contact with the shale, featuring a paleokarst profile, along with its local potential instabilities. On the other hand, these karsts are located above the aquifer and are mainly filled with cohesive materials with a sufficient standing time. Prior to the tunnel bidding process, the geology was thoroughly investigated with an extensive in situ and laboratory program, made possible by the relatively shallow depth of the project: 105 core boring totalizing 8070 m of samples. Each boring was logged with an inclinometer. The in situ campaign included geophysics near the limestone contact, Lugeon tests and dilatometers test. Each boring was permanently equipped with a piezometer. The laboratory tests included compression (with modulus and Poisson ratio measurements) and Brazilian tests, Shore and Cerchar hardness, abrasivity (FPMS, Cerchar). A 70 m long exploratory adit, 4m in diameter, was built near the Namurien/Visen interface in order to evaluate the importance of the karstic problem. To reach the level of the future tunnel, a 40 meters deep shaft was drill and blasted. For the limestone drill and blast optimum design, the ground attenuation law was derived in situ from specific unitary blasting tests. As a result, the main design characteristics of each formation were inferred as followed:
Table 1. Lithology Clayey shale Slightly sandy shale Sandy shale Sandstone Limestone Youngs Modulus (MPa) 1700 4000 3000 2300 7500 3000 7500 10 000 Intact compressive strength (MPa) 14 20 30 70 94 100 Wear factor < 0.04 < 0.1 < 0.3 12 Cerchar Abrasivity 0.1 0.1 0.6 2.6 4.6 0.7

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3 Design
3.1 Cross Section The Soumagne tunnel is the second hard rock tunnel recently build in the Liege region in the same type of shale formation, the first being the close by Cointe road tunnel. Accordingly, the basic design intended to be included in the tender documents was based on a similar approach: a three phases excavation (top heading, stross, invert) with heavy duty road headers. Drill and blast was foreseen to pass through limestones or locally massive layers of sandstones. The typical cross section is shown on fig 4.

Fig. 4. Typical cross section.

The temporary lining components are: An outer fiber reinforced shotcrete shell, 20 to 30 cm thick, including an initial 5 cm safety layer, placed immediately at the face. The amount of fiber is about 35 kg /m. Systematic bolting with Swellex-like immediate frictional expanded bolts. Steel ribs either light lattice girders or HEB heavy support in difficult conditions. This shell is considered as being part of the long-term structural lining in combination with the cast in situ concrete. Being impervious, it is designed for the shortterm effective ground pressure. The final lining is a continuous closed concrete shell made of: A cast in situ concrete shell with minimum reinforcement for practical reason A reinforced concrete invert

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Between the two shells, an impervious drainage layer is placed. In the original design this drainage was classically foreseen only down to the stross lower level with two lateral drains imbedded in the sidewalk complex. The design has been changed during construction work to allow for additional demands for fire fighting equipments. As a consequence, it has been decided to drain the whole tunnel perimeter, including the invert under which the main drains, accessible through manholes, are then relocated. As a consequence and following a new risk assessment, the accidental load cases (drainage clogging) has been reduced allowing a flat shape invert, easier to install (fig 5).

Fig. 5. Cast in situ lining original vs. final design.

The drainage complex consist of: A drainage mat, 8 mm thick on the top and side walls, 20 mm thick under the invert. A geotextile as a buffer protection for. A continuous welded 2 mm polyurethane membrane, except under the invert. Two 400 mm drains, able to absorb the drained flow for the whole 6.5 km tunnel. 3.2 Design Methodology The design was conducted according to the following methodology:

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Analysis of available information and choice of design parameters. Use of empirical methods first draft of typical profiles. Analytical methods for cross checking of main parameters. Numerical methods (continuous and discontinuous) including sensivity calculation, these methods were used for current section and in special geometrical configurations.

Analysis of Available Information and Choice of Design Parameters There is approximately one boring each 100 m, each of them reaching the tunnel level. A fairly good representation of the geology was possible, although it poses more problems in the Namurien formation, later confirmed by the difficulties encountered in that zone. From there the proportion of each rock type likely to be met was deducted, mainly focused on the heading phase that is the most critical. Laboratory test results were compiled to derive a range of design parameters. The less obvious value to infer was the modulus of deformation, at the tunnel scale, for which the following information had to be analysed: laboratory value on intact specimen, metric dilatometers value in the three sensors direction in relation with the bedding and at different stress levels, empirical values. Use of Empirical Methods The use of Bieniawski empirical method was made in order to have a preliminary set of typical lining sections (shotcrete thickness, bolts lengths and spacing, unsupported span,) in the different geological conditions encountered along the route. Although summarizing local situation by only one number (RMR, GSI) seems daring, it helped giving a limited number of options for such a complex geology and overabundant information. The method of Barton was not used due to the difficulties of characterizing all the joints types. This Rock Mass Rating was used in order to deduct the basic set of parameters characterizing the rock non linear behaviour at the scale of the tunnel; m and s values (by opposition to the soil c and ). These two parameters are input datas in todays numerical or analytical calculation tools. They are deduced either from a modified RMR value of directly through double entry abacuses. Analytical Methods The convergence confinement method was then apply to infer the order of magnitude of some basic grandeur for different excavation scenario (full face or twostages) such as the plastic or broken radius (to check bolt lengths), the initial displacement at the face (thus possible instabilities), the radial convergence and the average normal force in the lining. The main advantage of using this quick method was to be able to choose the deconfinement ratio by varying all parameters including the unsupported span. This ratio was set at 80 % (i.e.; the fraction of the overburden taken by the rock were the shotcrete lining is placed). This value was confirmed by a three dimensional calculation (FLAC 3D) that could take into account the excavation phases and the relations between the lining stiffness and the face behaviour.

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Numerical Methods Numerical analysis is essential to take into account: actual shape of the excavation and the characteristic of each lining components excavation phases three-dimensional effects at the face stress anisotropy ground heterogeneity discontinuity behaviour

Software validation was made by comparing results between Flac2D, Flac3D, and Phase. The effects of the choice of a behaviour law was made (Hoek-Brown, Mohr Coulomb) and systematic calculation was performed by varying K0, the overburden, the rock type, the rock class, the number of excavation stages and the lining components. The results given are: displacements field (face and current section) bolts tension plastic zone pattern, Bending moments and normal force in the lining, allowing for a classical concrete design according to Eurocode practice. Particular models were made to include the systematic direction and dip along most of the tunnel route (ubiquitous joint, see fig 6)and the presence of low stiffness coal seams near or through the excavation profile.

Fig. 6. Plastic zones for the ubiquitous FEM model example.

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The dimensioning of the limestone was made using discontinuous methods such as the Goodman and Shi critical block theory. By adding provision for ground treatment, the final results allow to compute all quantities and finalize the documents for tendering.

4 Construction Aspects
The contract has been awarded to the consortium Tunnel de soumagne (composed of CFE, Vinci, Eiffage et Duchne, Galre and Wayss & Freytag A.G, Bouygues TP and Bouygues Belgium). The works started on 14.05.2001 and should be completed by 08.2005. This tight schedule is made possible by starting four almost simultaneous excavation fronts (as illustrated on fig 1) and a 24 h working day, 5 days a week on each front. At full peak, the total contractors team amounted to about 330 people and 50 employees. From Vaux-sous-Chvremont, the work started upward from a covered trench which walls consist of large tangent piles closed by a flat concrete roof. The anticipated massive sandstone layers, parallel to the tunnel direction, proved from the start to be more difficult to dig out while keeping a reasonable advance rate. This situation has prompted the contractor to generalize the drill and blast technique for the whole tunnel length. From Ayneux downward, the site is located in an open field. In order to start tunneling under sufficient overburden, a deep trench has been made, later completed with a precast concrete box structure poured in place with a large sliding formwork. The site will be given back to its original aspects. At Bay Bonnet (fig 7), some 2/3 of the route, were the overburden is at its lowest, a temporary 30 m deep shaft 30 m in diameter has been build in order to start simultaneous excavation in both opposite direction. The face downward is located almost immediately at the top of the 600 m limestone formation. This site is also used as the main field office. Although ideal for construction purpose, a number of arrangements have been made due to the densely populated neighborhood such as noise reduction equipments including a full roof on the shaft and a temporary bridge to reduce traffic on the existing road. The drill and blast operation were strictly limited to daytime and none on weekends. The generalized drill and blast technique has proven to allow fast advance rate but has induced large over breaks and thus more shotcrete consumptions. On the other hand, the amount of costly ground treatment has been less necessary than initially foreseen except some systematic forepoling and a more heavy intervention at the Magnee fault crossing. Also, wherever feasible, a full section excavation was used. As a result, the financial equilibrium has been respected.

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Fig. 7. Intermediate temporary construction shaft.

The choice of each lining type (type of steel beams, thickness of shotcrete, length and spacing of bolts, excavation span, blasting pattern,) is made on a day to day basis, in close cooperation between TUC Rail and the Contractor. The basis for changes are the daily convergence measurements, water ingress observation, geological features at each face, vibration measurements at each sensitive surface building or house and the results of a number of long exploratory boring (about 30 m in length) drilled each week end at each advancing face. Geologists are mapping all features either for as build purpose, to provide information for a subsequent excavation phase or for possible delayed ground treatment needs. The other monitoring aspects include the surface settlements, the evolution of the water table ahead of the face, surface noise on the 3 sites, noise in the tunnel, methane and CO, CO2, NO, NOx contents in the tunnel. At the date of this paper, the link has been made between the Eastern Ayneux site and the Bay Bonnet temporary shaft. The two remaining fronts will meet around end of 2004. The construction of the final lining is catching up on the excavation with an advance rate of 24 m of lining each day.