Tunnel Design
Soft Ground Tunneling
Mixed Rock Tunneling Hard Rock Tunneling
(Soft Ground Tunneling)
Shallow Ground Relatively Deep Numerical modeling can Reduced Rock Head Rock cover Rock cover
(low in-situ stress) Ground (Less than one tunnel span) about one tunnel span much greater than one span
also be used but the
(High in-situ stress)
construction method/
In-situ Stress is generally low, Mohr-coulomb failure criteria sequence have to be
the ground movement controls can be used for stress analysis Ground movement & Stress Ground movement & Stress Stress-induced failure
the tunnel design. change in foundation is change in foundation is around Tunnel is critical
Stress change in foundation is needed to be considered needed to be considered
Stress change in foundation is needed to be considered Complicated by the scale
needed to be considered Numerical method can be Numerical method & Q- effect and relative block
used system size of joints and opening
Kinematic and stress failure Relevant theory: Failure Mechanisms
may be possible Arching theory, NATM depend on Relative Stress
method and Strength Ratio of Rock
Mass
Affected by Ductility and
Stress Strain Behaviour of
Rock Mass
Q-system and Numerical
method not easy to be used
Factors controlling Failure
Mechanisms
In-situ Stress/Ko Rock mass strength Rock mass Characteristic Shape of opening/location
properties e.g UCS around opening
Joint Characteristic
RMR/GSI
Failure modes classification
by Derek Martin
Low in-situ stress High in-situ stress
Stress-induced failure Kinematic and stress-
Intermediate in-situ induced Failure are Kinematic failure controls
controls
stress possible;difficult to analyze
Kinematic Failure controls Kinematic Failure & Stress-induced Failure
(Wedge/ Block failure) Stress-induced Failure controls
(Sliding and Rotation)
Scale effect -> diificult to get
the intact behavior
use UNWEDGE use UNWEDGE & Numerical model- Numerical modeling
ing with caution if there are a few set
of joint since the numerical model
cannot change the stiffness/open up
crack during analysis. Therefore, it is Check Mogi's line
hard to predict the propagation of i.e. sigma 1> 3.4 sigma3
failure No
Yes
Brittle failure is expected Ductile Behavior is expected
if the rock block is small Hoek and Brown Criteria is
compared to the structure, it not applicable Not the case in HK
can assume isotropic and
homogeneous, Hoek and Rock bursting problem is
Brown Criteria is applicable expected
Moderate good rock
with limited movement
Drill & Blast TBM tunnel with EBP
and use of Ground Convergence - and use of lining support
Support Reaction is applicable
Numerical modeling of tunnel
Modeling based on Modeling based on soil-structure
Structural approach interaction approach
step 1
Spring Constant Max in-situ stress Different Load [Link] amount of tunnel wall
Wall load/Crown
for soil and rock in vertical and Pattern and deformation prior to support installation
load obtained by
obtained by RMR horizontal Combination
Q-system
direction (Ko)
Use 2D FEM software (Plan Strain Condition) Use 3D FEM software Field oberservation
with empirical equations
(e.g. Vlachopulos and Diederichs - plastic
ground)
Check M&N curve
for tunnel lining
Model set up
Determine internal pressure that yields
the amount of tunnel wall deformation at
the point of the support installation
Assessment of Boundary Material Failure
In-situ stress Condition Properties. Criteria/
e.g. E, v Material type
Add the lining properties with definition at
the stage when the wall deformation is
Use Q-system to get Geological
equal to the deformation prior support
strength Index and then to obtain
installation
parameter for Hoek & Brown failure
envolope
Determine whether the tunnel lining
A1.1 Determine the radius of plastic zone step 2.1 meets the FoS requirements
at end stage and the maximum wall lining
deformation structural
design
a1.2 Use Vlachopoulos and Diederichs
method to determine the tunnel deformation
before support installation according to the
span of the design tunnel
step 2.2 Design for Ground
Covergence- Support
Reaction
Plot the ground convergence curve by For a support with a know stiffness, Plot
using the maximum wall deformation in the support curve starting from the
multiple stage with different load reduction determined tunnel wall deformation at the
factor point of the support installation
Intersection between ground convergence
Check the serviceability requirement curve and the support curve gives the
portion of pressure taken by the support
and the total wall deformation required.
