Theoretical and experimental studies on influence of electrode variations in electrical resistivity survey for tunnel ahead prediction

Abstract

Variety of tunnel ahead prediction methods have been performed for safe tunnel construction during tunnel excavation. Pole-pole array among the electrical resistivity survey, which is one of the tunnel ahead prediction method, has been utilized to predict water-bearing sediments or weak zone located within 5 times of tunnel diameter. One of the most important processes is the estimation of virgin ground resistivity and it can be obtained from the following process: 1) calculation of contact area between the electrodes and the medium, and 2) assumption of the electrodes as equivalent spherical electrodes which have a same surface area with the electrodes. This assumption is valid in a small contact area and sufficient distance between the electrodes. Since the measured resistance, in general, varies with the electrode size, shape, and distance between the electrodes, it is necessary to evaluate the influence of these factors. In this study, theoretical equations were derived and experimental tests were conducted considering the electrode size, shape, and distance of cylindrical electrodes which is the most commonly utilized electrode shape. Through this theoretical and experimental study, it is known that one should be careful to use the assumption of the equivalent