Introduction

The idea of using compressed air in the construction of subaqueous tunnels dates back to the late 19th century. The Blackwall Tunnel in London, England, for example, was constructed under the River Thames in the 1890’s using a tunneling shield together with compressed air. Also, compressed air caissons were used in the construction of the pier foundations for the Brooklyn Bridge in New York in the 1870’s (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia). The compressed air helps with controlling the ingress of water and mud into the tunnel during construction.

The objective of this introductory example is to illustrate how the AIR/W product of GeoStudio can be used to simulate this effect by the compressed air.