The Løren road tunnel is a part of a major project at Ring road 3 in Oslo, Norway. The rock part of the tunnel is 915 m long and has two tubes with three lanes and breakdown lanes. Strict water ingress restriction was specified and continuous rock mass grouting was, therefore, carried out for the entire tunnel, which was excavated in folded Cambro-Silurian shales intruded by numerous dykes. This paper describes the rock mass grouting that was carried out for the Løren tunnel. Particular emphasis is placed on discussing grout consumption and the challenges that were encountered when passing under a distinct rock depression. Measurement while drilling (MWD) technology was used for this project, and, in this paper, the relationships between the drill parameter interpretation (DPI) factors water and fracturing are examined in relation to grout volumes. A lowering of the groundwater table was experienced during excavation under the rock depression, but the groundwater was nearly re-established after completion of the main construction work. A planned 80-m watertight concrete lining was not required to be built due to the excellent results from grouting in the rock depression area. A relationship was found between leakages mapped in the tunnel and the DPI water factor, indicating that water is actually present where the DPI water factor shows water in the rock. It is concluded that, for the Løren tunnel, careful planning and high-quality execution of the rock mass grouting made the measured water ingress meet the restrictions. For future projects, the DPI water factor may be used to give a better understanding of the material in which the rock mass grouting is performed and may also be used to reduce the time spent and volumes used when grouting.
Rock bolts are one of the main measures used to reinforce unstable blocks in a rock mass. The embedment length of fully grouted bolts in the stable and competent rock stratum behind the unstable rock blocks is an important parameter in determining overall bolt length. It is required that the bolt section in the stable stratum must be longer than the critical embedment length to ensure the bolt will not slip when loaded. Several series of pull tests were carried out on fully grouted rebar bolts to evaluate the pull-out mechanics of the bolts. Bolt specimens with different embedment lengths and water/cement ratios were installed in either a concrete block of one cubic meter or in steel cylinders. Load displacement was recorded during testing. For some of the bolts loaded beyond the yield load, permanent plastic steel deformation was also recorded. Based on the test results, three types of failure mechanisms were identified, corresponding to three loading conditions: (1) pull-out below the yield strength of the bolt steel; (2) pull-out between the yield and ultimate loads, that is, during strain hardening of the steel; and (3) steel failure at the ultimate load. For failure mechanisms 2 and 3, it was found that the critical embedment length of the bolt included three components: an elastic deformation length, a plastic deformation length and a completely debonded length due to the formation of a failure cone at the borehole collar.
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