Abstract
The effects of an underwater explosion on a tunnel buried below submerged ground were studied through a combination of physical model tests, utilizing a geotechnical centrifuge, and numerical model analyses, using an explicit dynamic hydrocode program. Centrifuge tests conducted at on reduced-scale physical models were used to assess the effects of 0.9 t of explosives on a 5.5-m-diameter prototype tunnel. The numerical model was subject to a two-stage validation process to compare the pressures in water and strains on the tunnel by comparing with theoretical and experimental results, respectively. The strains in the tunnel were found to increase with water level above the ground surface; this continued up to a certain point, after which the strains remained constant. The point after which the strains remained constant was found to depend on the mass of explosives. As expected, the strains were found to increase with reduction of soil cover above the crown. This approach may be useful in designing new underwater tunnels and in evaluating mitigation measures for existing tunnels.
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Acknowledgments
The research was funded by the Geomechanics and Geomaterials Program under Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) Division of the National Science Foundation (NSF) through grants CMMI-0226864 and CMMI-0928537. This support is gratefully acknowledged. The centrifuge tests were conducted with the assistance of the technical staff of the Geotechnical Centrifuge Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 5 • May 2017
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©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 10, 2015
Accepted: Aug 23, 2016
Published online: Jan 25, 2017
Published in print: May 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Jun 25, 2017
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