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Modelling of a deep excavation in a stiff clay

Article · January 2009

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Jean Vaunat Benoit Garitte

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 X International Conference on Computational Plasticity
COMPLAS X
E. Oñate and D. R. J. Owen (Eds)
 CIMNE, Barcelona, 2009

MODELLING OF A DEEP EXCAVATION IN A STIFF CLAY

Jean Vaunat*, Benoit Garitte† and Antonio Gens*

* Department of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences
Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña
Campus Norte UPC, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: jean.vaunat@upc.edu
e-mail: antonio.gens@upc.edu
†
International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE)
Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña
Campus Norte UPC, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: benoit.garitte@upc.edu

Key words: Excavation, Callovo-Oxfordian mudstone, numerical modeling, coupled damage

elastoplasticity.

Summary. This extended abstract presents an interpretation of the response of a mudstone

during the excavation of a shaft at high depths (500m). Instrument layout and numerical
model are described. A very good agreement is observed between the field measurements and
computed values.

1 INTRODUCTION
Within the research program developed to study the safety of storing radioactive waste at
large depth in the underground, a laboratory has been built at a depth of 500 m in a formation
of stiff clay located in Northern France. For a better understanding of material field
behaviour, the response of the formation has been followed during the works realized to build
the laboratory. Particularly, the excavation of the main access shaft has been followed by an
intense instrumentation between depth 460 and 480 m1.

2 FIELD MEASUREMENTS
A layout of the instrumentation is shown in Figure 1.a. Three boreholes equipped with
extensometers (red points), one borehole with inclinometer (red squares), four boreholes with
pore pressure transducers (blue points) and four boreholes with strain gauge cells (green
points) were installed from a lateral niche previous to the excavation of the shaft at the
considered depth. Instrumentation campaign is completed by wave velocity survey, hydraulic
conductivity measurement by means of pulse tests and installation of radial extensometers
after excavation1.
 Jean Vaunat, Benoit Garitte and Antonio Gens

a) b)

Figure 1: a) experimental shaft and instrumentation layout ; b) Geometry and spatial discretization considered in
the numerical model.

3 MODEL DEVELOPED
Excavation of the access shaft has been modelled using Code_bright, a Finite Element
code that solves 3D thermo-hydro-mechanical problems in geological media. In the analyses
presented, the equations for stress equilibrium, water mass balance and solid mass balance
were solved simultaneously, resulting in a hydro-mechanical coupled formulation of a Biot
type. The mesh used is depicted in Fig. 1.b: it consists of a 2D axisymmetric mesh where the
shaft and the lateral niche are represented (the latter in an approximate manner due to the
assumption of axisymmetry). A damage/elastoplastic law that couples degradation of both
elastic modulus and strength with increasing load has been implemented and the resulting
parameters have been calibrated using laboratory tests2.

4 RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION

Values of convergence, displacements and pore pressure computed by the model at a number
of points are compared with field measurements in Figure 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. A very
good agreement can be observed. The examination of a number of modelling features
demonstrate the importance of the following points to achieve a good reproduction of field
data: vertical and horizontal values of permeability, value of Young modulus, low damage
threshold, damage evolution controlled by the energy input to the material (which takes into
account the damage in both compression and shear), increase of permeability with damage,
and modelling of the upward drainage due to the presence of the lateral niche.

2
 Jean Vaunat, Benoit Garitte and Antonio Gens

13 20
z= -467.40 m; r= 3.18 m
12 Lining relative advance
11 Base 1-8
10 10
9 Base 3-8

Relative front elevation (m)

8
Base 3-9
Convergence (mm)

7 0
6
5
Base 4-10
4 -10
Base 5-11
3 Debris relative
advance
2 Base 1-7
1 -20
0 Base 6-12
-1
-2 -30
-3
Shaft relative
-4
-5 -40
17-feb-05 08-abr-05 28-may-05 17-jul-05 05-sep-05 25-oct-05
Time (days)
Figure 2: Shaft convergence: comparison between measurements and numerical results.

2.00 10
REP_2208_ICL_01 z= -
460.79 m; r= 6.83 m
5
Lining relative advance
1.50 Angular variation (mm/m)
0

Relative front elevation (m)

Angular variation (mm/m)

1.00 -5

-10
0.50
-15
0.00
Debris relative -20
advance
-0.50 -25

-30
-1.00
-35
Shaft relative
-1.50 -40
17/02/2005 08/04/2005 28/05/2005 17/07/2005 05/09/2005 25/10/2005
Time (days)
Figure 3: Deformation close to the shaft: comparison between measurements and numerical results.

3
 Jean Vaunat, Benoit Garitte and Antonio Gens

REP2103_PRE
6
60 5 10
4
3 Lining relative distance
2
1

0
1
-1

50 -2 0
-3

-4

Relative front elevation (m)

-5

-6
5
-7
Pore pressure (bars)

-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

40 -10

Debris relative distance

30 -20

20 -30

REP2103_PRE_01: Front relative distance

z= -462.67 m; r=
10 5.16 m -40

0 -50
17-feb-05 08-abr-05 28-may-05 17-jul-05 05-sep-05 25-oct-05
Time (days)

Figure 4: Pore pressure close to the shaft: comparison between measurements and numerical results.

45 10
REP_2104_02
40 5

35 0

Relative front elevation (m)

Pore pressure (bars)

30 -5

25 -10

20 -15
Front relative distance
15 -20

10 -25

5 -30

0 -35
17-Feb-05 8-Apr-05 28-May-05 17-Jul-05 5-Sep-05 25-Oct-05
Time (days)

Figure 5: Pore pressure far from the shaft: comparison between measurements and numerical results.

REFERENCES
[1] G. Armand, K. Su, Y. Wileveau and J. Delay, J. “Expérimentation REP Résultats des
mesures après la phase de fonçage du puits entre les cotes -454 m et -480 m”. ANDRA
report DRPADPE050855A, Paris, France. (2005).
[2] K. Su. “Development and validation of the constitutive hydromechanical models for
Callovo-Oxfordian Argillites: the MODEX-REP Project”. ANDRA report, Paris, France.
(2007).

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