Prediction and assessment of karst-related risks - case study tunnel Albabstieg
Karst areas are considered “difficult ground” in tunnel engineering because of associated risks, such as stability problems due to large cavities and the inrush of water and sediment from such cavities. Responding adequately to karst-related risks in tunneling requires karst features to be recognized early. What makes tunneling in such ground even more difficult is the fact that karst phenomena are very heterogeneously distributed, both in terms of frequency and intensity. However, karst-related risks do not occur randomly in karst areas but are related to the evolution of the karst system. The KarstALEA method takes this into account. It is based on the idea that karst features can be predicted by an analysis of the factors that control the formation of the karst system. The lecture will illustrate the prediction of karst features and the assessment of karst-related risks based on the KarstALEA method, taking the new railway tunnel “Albabstieg” (Swabian Alb) as a case study. The predictions made by the method will be compared to the karst features encountered during tunneling. It will be shown that the method allowed an improved prediction of karst-related risks compared to predictions that were only based on an analysis of exploration boreholes. Hence, the KarstALEA method is able to improve project planning.
https://www.munich-geocenter.org/events/seminars/frontiers-in-earth-sciences-20/prediction-and-assessment-of-karst-related-risks-case-study-tunnel-albabstieg
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Prediction and assessment of karst-related risks - case study tunnel Albabstieg
Abstract
Karst areas are considered “difficult ground” in tunnel engineering because of associated risks, such as stability problems due to large cavities and the inrush of water and sediment from such cavities. Responding adequately to karst-related risks in tunneling requires karst features to be recognized early. What makes tunneling in such ground even more difficult is the fact that karst phenomena are very heterogeneously distributed, both in terms of frequency and intensity. However, karst-related risks do not occur randomly in karst areas but are related to the evolution of the karst system. The KarstALEA method takes this into account. It is based on the idea that karst features can be predicted by an analysis of the factors that control the formation of the karst system. The lecture will illustrate the prediction of karst features and the assessment of karst-related risks based on the KarstALEA method, taking the new railway tunnel “Albabstieg” (Swabian Alb) as a case study. The predictions made by the method will be compared to the karst features encountered during tunneling. It will be shown that the method allowed an improved prediction of karst-related risks compared to predictions that were only based on an analysis of exploration boreholes. Hence, the KarstALEA method is able to improve project planning.
