Manual Tunnel Description¶

Use this dialog to define manual tunnel descriptions or tunnel blocks. Tunnel blocks can be used for both parametric and manual tunnel descriptions.

Where to Find the Dialog¶

In the toolbox, select SFI Properties..., go to the Tunnel tab, and choose Edit... for manual tunnel description or tunnel blocks.

Using the Dialog¶

The dialog is used for two main tasks:

Manual tunnel description
Tunnel blocks

The dialog mainly contains the same options for both tasks, but for tunnel blocks, the rotation table is disabled since the blocks follow the tunnel's rotation table.

The dialog has a dedicated preview window and allows you to change which profile is displayed.

Note

It is not possible to zoom in the preview window. In cross-section editing, you also get a preview directly in the cross-section, where you can zoom and, for example, measure distances. Material types are also updated when editing the table.

Manual Tunnel Description¶

You can create a manual tunnel description in several ways:

Import a description from XML (Import/Export tab)
Retrieve standard tunnel profiles defined in Handbook N500
Enter values manually. You can type values, digitize in the cross-section, or paste from Excel (remember to also copy the column headers in Excel)

Tip

When entering values manually, it is recommended to use unrotated layers in the contour table and let the rotation table control the rotation.

Contours from standard tunnel profiles are always unrotated. The same applies when converting a parametric tunnel or digitizing in the cross-section.

Defining a Contour (Tunnel Profiles with Multiple Layers)¶

A contour can contain several layers, for example:

30: Tunnel profile
31: Tunnel blasting profile
32: Driving box

Each layer is described with surfaces from left to right. A surface can consist of a line or arc element. The tunnel profile can be retrieved from the handbook or entered manually, while the blasting profile is usually a parallel to the tunnel profile. The traffic space is defined with a driving box.

Theoretical Tunnel Profile¶

Procedure

Click in the Contour column, left-click, and enter the name of the contour.
Select the contour, right-click, and choose Get contour from standard...
Select the desired standard and click OK. The program creates layer 30: Theoretical tunnel profile and retrieves values for the standard tunnel profile symmetrically around the centerline.

Tip

If the centerline, for example, is at the shoulder edge, you must shift the description. Click the column header for Distance and Height to access functions for adding values.

Alternatively, you can enter the tunnel profile manually or digitize in the cross-section. Start with surface 1.01 at the bottom left and proceed to the right with consecutive numbering 2.01, 3.01, etc.

Example

Figure: A = Surface, B = Distance, C = Height, D = Radius

In Norway, it is common to use radii, while in Sweden, contours are defined with ellipses as standard.

In the contour table, you can therefore choose between the codes Radius and Ellipse.

If you enter 0 in the value column, this means for both codes that it is a straight line between the points in the table.

For an ellipse, the value in the column indicates the number of radii the ellipse should be divided into. The ellipse will be approximated or represented with circular arcs in the program.

Example

In the example, we have entered the value 5 in the column. The program will then use 5 radii for both ellipses in the vault.

The radii are constructed in the cross-section and when exporting to other formats.

Tip

If you want all the radii in the table, you can use the Convert ellipses to radii option on the context menu (right-click) for the layer.

Tunnel Blasting Profile¶

Procedure

Select layer 30: Tunnel profile, right-click, and choose Copy.
Right-click and choose Paste.
Select layer 30: Tunnel profile, right-click, and choose Rename.
Select 31: Tunnel blasting profile from the list and click OK. Click New layer name... and add it if the layer is not in the list.
Select the layer, right-click, and choose Parallel shift..., enter the desired value, and click OK.

Driving Box¶

Procedure

Click in the Layer column, right-click, and choose New...
Select 32: Driving box from the list and click OK. Click New layer name... if the layer is not created.
Select the layer, right-click, and choose Get driving box from standard...
Select a standard or enter values manually, and click OK.

Layer Settings¶

The default settings for tunnel layers are:

Clip against layer
Start at: Center point
Rotation: Tunnel rotation

If you want to change these, select Settings... with the right mouse button.

Other Layers¶

Examples of other layers can be shoulder, guiding edge, and cable duct. The program comes with a template for TunnelBankett.sfi that contains three types of shoulders.

Procedure

Select contour in the list.
Choose Get layer from template... from the right-click menu.
Select the template TunnelBankett.sfi in the standard template dialog and click OK.
Select Package if the template has several.
Select the layers you want to import, and click OK.

Defining Profile Intervals¶

When the contour or contours (you can have many contours in a tunnel) are defined, you must specify where along the road alignment the different contours should be used. You do this by entering from and to profile numbers.

Procedure

Click in the Profile column, left-click, and enter the profile number.
Click in the Contour column, left-click, and select the contour from the dropdown menu.
Repeat steps 1 and 2.

Warning

Do not enter intervals outside the area covered by the centerline. You can easily find the area in the road model tab. If the table contains profile intervals outside this area, you will have problems exporting data.

Note

The contour - (undefined) is always in the list of available/defined contours. - is used to insert a break in the tunnel.

Rotations¶

When you enter values manually for the tunnel contour, it is recommended to use unrotated layers in the contour table and let the rotation table control the rotation.

If you want to rotate the contours according to the road's cross slope, you must specify this in the Rotation surface field. Here you enter which surface in the road surface the program should use to rotate the contour.

If you want to rotate the contour according to a manually entered value, you can enter a value in the Rotation field. You must then set - in the rotation surface field, which means undefined.

If both fields contain values, the sum of Rotation surface and Rotation will be used.

Interpolation Method¶

Between two different tunnel contours, the program interpolates the values. There are currently four interpolation options. All methods have this in common:

There must be the same number of points in the two tunnel contours to be interpolated, and the surface numbering must be the same in both contours.
The points in the contours (distance/height) are interpolated proportionally.
If the surface in one of the contours has a radius of 0 (zero), 0 (zero) is also chosen in the interpolated contour.

Only the radii are interpolated differently:

Bever method: The radius is interpolated so that the ratio (1/r) is proportional.
Leica method: The radius is interpolated so that the ratio (1/r²) is proportional (r² = r x r).
Linear method: The radius is interpolated proportionally.
Tangential method: Roof elements are interpolated specially so that there are no breaks in the tangent angle. All other elements are interpolated linearly (roof elements occur when the height is the same on both sides of the radius).

Example:

The figure below shows the difference between Bever interpolation (top) and Tangential interpolation (bottom).

Warning

Interpolation requires that there are the same number of elements in each contour. Point 1 is interpolated with point 1, point 2 with point 2, etc. If an extra point is added in one contour, all subsequent points will be shifted, resulting in errors.

In Gemini Terrain, the first contour is used up to the next if interpolation is not possible. If a contour contains several layers, the program considers each layer separately.

Building Trench from Layer¶

With this option, you determine how the program should build the trench.

If the option is blank, the program uses the information in road parameters (manual), with the following priority order:

Surface description for reinforcement layer
Special grading
Superstructure

If you have described closed tunnel contours, you can build the trench from these. Then select the layer in the dropdown menu.

The road surface and superstructure are built from the relevant tables in road parameters (manual) and are clipped against the tunnel blasting profile.

Tunnel Block¶

Tunnel blocks are used when you have special contours that deviate from the standard tunnel contour, for example, roof niches. The block (at its reference profile) can be inserted as many times as you want along the road alignment. In the dialog where you create the block, you can enter all the profile numbers where the block should be built.

Tunnel blocks are defined in the same way as manual tunnel descriptions. The only differences are that you must enter a reference profile for the block and specify the profile numbers relative to this profile.

The reference profile allows you to retrieve tunnel layers from the tunnel (manual or parametric description) for all contours. This provides a good starting point when defining the block.

Defining a Tunnel Block¶

How to define a tunnel block is best shown with an example. In the example below, we will define a tunnel block for a roof niche.

Figure: A = Driving direction, B = Reference profile

Procedure

Create a new contour and name it Transition (for start profile –P1 and end profile P1).
Similarly, create a contour Top (for profile -P2 and P2).
Enter relative profile number -P1 and select contour Transition.
Enter relative profile number -P2 and select contour Top.
Enter relative profile number P2 and select contour Top.
Enter relative profile number P1 and select contour Transition.
Select the profile numbers and choose Get contours from tunnel description...
Edit the layers in the contour for Top.

Editing in Tables¶

You activate a field in the table for editing by pressing [F2] or left-clicking. In edit mode, you can move between columns with [Tab] and [Shift] + [Tab]. Similarly, you can switch rows with [Up Arrow] and [Down Arrow]. Note that the arrow keys can also be used to move between fields when not in edit mode. You can also use the numeric keypad when entering data.