The application of "Decision Aids for Tunneling (DAT)" to the Sucheon tunnel in Korea

Abstract

The Decision Aids for Tunneling (DAT) allow engineers to simulate tunnel construction considering uncertainties in geology and construction processes for a given tunnel project and to obtain, as a result, distributions of the total cost and duration of tunnel construction. The DAT can be applied to every tunnel situation and can deal with any condition regarding a particular tunnel. The research presented in this thesis demonstrates the applicability and suitability of the DAT for the Sucheon tunnel in Korea. For this study, several developments or modifications of the program, SIMSUPER (the computer code of the DAT) were made and many simulations were run with several case studies and some parametric studies. The different time-cost distributions and other results reflecting differences in tunnel construction were analyzed. A new development of the DAT in form of calendars in SIMSUPER was made to be able to keep track of specific and real calendar dates. This study on the DAT application to the real tunnel project in Korea can be a model for the future DAT applications in tunnel projects and this will also lead and accelerate further applications of the DAT to other tunnel projects.