This article reviews past mine projects throughout the world where ground freezing was essential for successful shaft sinking and surface drift construction.
Read Morethe definitive ground freezing resource
Joseph A. Sopko, Ph.D., P.E.
Director of Ground Freezing, Keller North America, Inc.
cell: (920) 889-0190
Artificial ground freezing is a construction technique that is used in the construction of shafts, mines and tunnels to provide temporary earth support and groundwater control when other conventional methods such as dewatering, shoring and grouting or soil mixing do are not feasible. Ground freezing is also used to provide regional groundwater barriers around mining… Continue Reading
Read MoreThis article reviews past mine projects throughout the world where ground freezing was essential for successful shaft sinking and surface drift construction.
Read MoreGround freezing has been used extensively in the last ten years for the construction of transit tunnel cross passages and SEM tunnels, as well as short adits for utility tunnels. This paper discusses the design procedures related to frost action.
Read MoreDesign of frozen earth structures for shafts, tunnels, and cross passages has evolved since the publication of guidelines in 2002 by the Working Committee of the International Sym-posium on Ground Freezing. The finite element model allows more specific analysis of a frozen structure cross section and adjusting strength parameters based on temperature and time-dependent strength reduction.
Read MoreThe first documented procedures for designing frozen earth structures are over 50 years old, implemented long before the introduction of the Finite Element Method (FEM). Since that time, the development of three-dimensional models has made the traditional and often over-conservative methods relatively obsolete.
Read MoreGround freezing was used to complete a shaft excavation that had been previously attempted using a slurry diaphragm wall and jet grouting. The freezing was completed around both the damaged shaft and the existing tunnel.
Read MoreAfter groundfreezing, the joint venture was successfully able to construct a permanent access shaft structure without any of the prior leaks, soil movement, or other problems.
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