Literature Survey of Underground Construction Methods for Application to Hardened Facilities
Abstract
This report is a survey of current literature dealing with underground construction practices and will provide the Army with information for comparing the advantages and disadvantages for methods for constructing hardened facilities that can resist threat forces and are safe, cost effective and energy efficient. Current procedures and problems in underground construction were evaluated in the areas of cut and cover methods, deep shafts, tunneling, ground water control, security and survivability, costs, and energy savings. An example building was then taken for underground siting to compare the applicability of the alternative construction techniques described in the literature. The example related the choice of construction method to security/ survivability potential and ground water control methods. The study showed that underground buildings can be more economical than conventional above-ground buildings over a 20- to 30-year life cycle because of energy savings. Since adequate technology is available to construct hardened underground facilities under virtually any ground conditions, the main constraint in construction projects remains economic viability rather than technical feasibility. In Europe, where security and survivability are important in facility design and construction, many NATO military facilities are built either underground or in the sides of mountains. Many of the installations are tunneled into rock in the mountainsides which is relatively fault-free and is not prone to flooding during construction. Often, the rock is so strong that the tunnel walls do not have to be lined.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA155212
Entities
People
- A. Kao
Organizations
- Southwest Research Institute