42066 Planning, Field Investigation and Monitoring for Tunnels
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 120 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Degree owned by FEIT OR 120 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Honours Embedded Degree owned by FEIT OR 120 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Degree owned by FEIT OR 120 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Honours Degree owned by FEIT OR 120 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Degree co-owned by FEIT OR 120 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Honours Degree co-owned by FEIT
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses. See access conditions.
Recommended studies:
Engineering Geology, Soil Mechanics, Solid Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
Description
The aim of this subject is to develop students' technical competence in the site investigation and monitoring of tunnel and underground space structures as well as enhance professional practice-oriented skills.
Students recognise that completion of this subject supports them to work in national and international tunnel infrastructure projects. Students learn how to critically review engineering documents, critique needs of site investigation depending on type and importance of tunnel and underground space infrastructure, project reports, and disciplinary research and professional skills. Students learn about various methodologies involved in site investigation, geospatial analysis, statistical approach, also frequently used standards and industry recommended guidelines.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Apply methods of subsurface exploration and geophysical investigations for tunnel projects, under a variety of external loadings, geological, hydrogeological and geotechnical conditions. (D.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Discuss project topics and disseminate information among team members to achieve a common goal. (E.1) |
| 3. | Recommend and justify appropriate subsurface exploration methods for a given underground engineering context and useful practical correlations. (C.1) |
| 4. | Reflect on the knowledge gained in planning, construction, and monitoring of tunnels for examining possible solutions and improvements in the context of student’s own professional practice and industry. (F.1) |
| 5. | Evaluate safety in tunnel and underground construction to manage risks in underground construction. (B.1) |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):
- Socially Responsible: FEIT graduates identify, engage, and influence stakeholders, and apply expert judgment establishing and managing constraints, conflicts and uncertainties within a hazards and risk framework to define system requirements and interactivity. (B.1)
- Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design thinking and decision-making methodologies in new contexts or to novel problems, to explore, test, analyse and synthesise complex ideas, theories or concepts. (C.1)
- Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply theoretical, conceptual, software and physical tools and advanced discipline knowledge to research, evaluate and predict future performance of systems characterised by complexity. (D.1)
- Collaborative and Communicative: FEIT graduates work as an effective member or leader of diverse teams, communicating effectively and operating autonomously within cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural contexts in the workplace. (E.1)
- Reflective: FEIT graduates critically self-review their own and others' performance with a high level of responsibility to improve and practice competently for the benefit of professional practice and society. (F.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
This subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies:
- 1.3. In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.
- 1.4. Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline.
- 1.6. Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline.
- 2.1. Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.
- 2.2. Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.
- 3.2. Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.
- 3.4. Professional use and management of information.
- 3.5. Orderly management of self, and professional conduct.
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject comprises lectures and collaborative learning sessions involving assessment in form of assignments, group projects and a reflective presentation. The group research/practical project allows students to learn critical review of engineering documents, research/investigation project reports and disciplinary research skills.
The class meets once a week for 3 hours. This subject integrates online and face-to-face experiences. Students first gain exposure to new material outside of class. Students are expected to read the materials prepared for each session including lecture notes, video clips, worked examples and conceptual questions on the topic, before attending the class. Class time is used to integrate that knowledge, through strategies such as problem-solving and discussion on the conceptual questions, methodologies, and technical aspects of the tunnel and underground construction.
Students undertake a major project that runs throughout the subject. The aim of this project is to develop research and design skills through experience of applying the course material, critically reviewing available information in literature, and analysing data to a practical design situation or research focused modern trends.
Content (topics)
- Planning stages
- Fundamental mechanical behaviour of rock/soil surrounding a tunnel including rock mass rating (RMR), Q-System and tunnel support systems
- Geological-geotechnical survey
- Site investigation for tunnels and underground structures including Hydrogeological investigation methods
- Site contamination and remedies
- Field instrumentation
- Geophysical surveys in tunnel exploration
- Geospatial analysis for site investigation
- Geostatistical methods and applications
- Seismicity and environmental considerations in tunnels and underground structure
- Review of modern site investigation practices in tunnels and underground structure
- Safety in tunnels and excavation
- Dusts and silica control in tunnels
- Legal requirements and recommended practices
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Research Project Report
| Intent: | To encourage students to critically review recent practices in Australia and/or overseas, pertaining to the topic covered in the research project. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 3 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, C.1, D.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Literature review |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Half page or 100 words limit for Proposal. 20 pages or 5000 words limit for Final report. |
Assessment task 2: Site Investigation Report
| Intent: | To engage with methods of site investigations employed in practice and to encourage students to critique findings in site investigation data and become practice oriented lifelong learners. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2, 3 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, C.1, D.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Design/drawing/plan/sketch |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | Half page or 100 words limit for Proposal. 15 pages or 3000 words limit for the Final report. |
Assessment task 3: Exercise Sets
| Intent: | In this assessment task, students apply empirical and mechanistic analysis skills to classify, formulate and problem solve different scenarios for tunnel projects |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): C.1 and D.1 |
| Type: | Exercises |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 5 pages each |
Assessment task 4: Reflective Presentation
| Intent: | In this assessment task, students will reflect on their knowledge derived from research project and site investigation report |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 2, 4 and 5 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, E.1 and F.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 10% |
| Length: | The total length of the video recording should not exceed 5 minutes. |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Recommended texts
Australian Standard AS 1726 (2017) Geotechnical site investigations.
Australian Standard AS 4482.1 (2005) Guide to the investigation and sampling of sites with potentially contaminated soil.
References
A set of course notes will be provided together with a copy of the main slides used in lectures. No references will be made to specific textbooks so students will not find it necessary to purchase a book; however, any of the following books would constitute a suitable reference book for the subject:
Attewell, P. B. (1995). Tunnelling Contracts and Site Investigation. CRC Press.
Bell, F. G. (2007). Engineering Geology. Elsevier.
Celada, B., & Bieniawski, Z. T. (2019). Ground Characterization and Structural Analyses for Tunnel Design. CRC Press.
Chapman, D. N., Metje, N., & Stark, A. (2017). Introduction to Tunnel Construction. CRC Press.
De Vallejo, L. G., & Ferrer, M. (2011). Geological Engineering. CRC press.
Gratchev, I. (2020). Rock Mechanics through Project-based Learning. CRC Press.
Hemphill, G. B. (2012). Practical Tunnel Construction. John Wiley & Sons.
Hencher, S. (2013). Practical Engineering Geology. CRC Press.
Kolymbas, D. (2005). Tunnelling and Tunnel Mechanics: A Rational Approach to Tunnelling. Springer Science & Business Media.
Kuesel, T. R., King, E. H., & Bickel, J. O. (2012). Tunnel Engineering Handbook. Springer Science & Business Media.
Look, B. G. (2022). Earthworks: Theory to Practice-Design and Construction. CRC Press.
Other resources
Canvas Dashboard (uts.edu.au): https://canvas.uts.edu.au
A copy of lecture slides will also be available on Canvas together with a copy of assignments and tutorials questions. In addition, all important announcements will be posted on Canvas. Students are encouraged to set up a student forum for discussion about their major project or any other topics related to Planning Field Investigation and Monitoring for Tunnels on Canvas. All students are expected to check this site frequently for any material and announcements. It is therefore imperative that students ensure that their current UTS e-mail address is registered.