Formation estimation and evolution mechanism of the pressure arch for non-circular tunnels under asymmetrical stress field

The tunneling-induced stress redistribution is dependent on the tunnel shape and the in-situ stress field, and the previous arch characterization method based on the circumferential or maximum principal stresses is only suitable for the circular tunnels under the hydrostatic stress field. In this study, a unified characterization method of the pressure arch for non-circular tunnels under the arbitrary stress field is proposed. By comparing the variations of compressive stress in different directions due to excavation, the ratio of the most significant increase in compressive stress is presented to characterize the arch effect, and the corresponding numerical algorithm is given. Since the proposed method takes the stress element as the basic analytical model, it can be easily applied to various complex excavation situations. Thereafter, combined with the established folding catastrophic model, an objective and unified quantitative method of the pressure arch boundaries is given. Using the proposed method, the longitudinal evolution of the pressure arch is analyzed. According to the expansion rate of the arch boundaries, three evolution stages including the initial formation, rapid expansion and stabilization are categorized. Parametric studies are conducted to illustrate the effect of ground properties and support stiffness on the pressure arch formation. It is found that the ground strength parameters and burial depth affect the arch range at a decreasing rate, while they have little effect on the arch shape. The lateral pressure coefficient has a significant effect on both the shape and range of the pressure arch. Increasing the support stiffness helps reduce the pressure arch range with a decreasing rate, while the synchronous variation of the elastic moduli of the surrounding rock and support does not affect the arch range under a certain relative elastic modulus. Finally, field monitoring is conducted to validate the proposed method in actual support design.

Roof collapse mechanism of weak surrounding rock for deep-buried tunnels under high geostress conditions

High geostress,a typical attribute of tunnels located at significant depths,is crucial in causing stress-induced failure and influencing the stability of the tunnel crown.This study developed an analytical method for the failure mechanism that occurs in deep-buried tunnel roofs,taking into account the influence of geostress.The limit analysis theory was utilized for deriving analytical solutions about the geometry of the collapsing surface and the limit supporting pressure.The collapsing surface obtained by the analytical solution was validated by the findings of the physical model test,which shows a high level of agreement with the actual one.An extensive investigation was done to explore the effects of the lateral pressure coefficients,the tunnel buried depth,the geological conditions of the surrounding rock,the long-short axis ratio,and the size of the tunnel profile.The findings indicate that an increase in the lateral pressure coefficient from 0.5 to 1.5 results in a reduction in the height of the collapsing zone by 2.08 m and the width of the collapsing zone by 1.15 m,while simultaneously increases the limit supporting pressure by 18.9%.The proposed upper bound method accurately determines the limit supporting pressure and the geometry of the collapsing surface,which aligns well with the results acquired through numerical modelling and on-site monitoring in actual engineering applications.The proposed analytical method can serve as a reference for similar crown failure issues of deep-buried tunnels.

Principles of rockbolting design

This article introduces the principles of underground rockbolting design.The items discussed include underground loading conditions,natural pressure zone around an underground opening,design methodologies,selection of rockbolt types,determination of bolt length and spacing,factor of safety,and compatibility between support elements.Different types of rockbolting used in engineering practise are also presented.The traditional principle of selecting strong rockbolts is valid only in conditions of low in situ stresses in the rock mass.Energy-absorbing rockbolts are preferred in the case of high in situ stresses.A natural pressure arch is formed in the rock at a certain distance behind the tunnel wall.Rockbolts should be long enough to reach the natural pressure arch when the failure zone is small.The bolt length should be at least 1 m beyond the failure zone.In the case of a vast failure zone,tightly spaced short rockbolts are installed to establish an artificial pressure arch within the failure zone and long cables are anchored on the natural pressure arch.In this case,the rockbolts are usually less than 3 m long in mine drifts,but can be up to 7 m in large-scale rock caverns.Bolt spacing is more important than bolt length in the case of establishing an artificial pressure arch.In addition to the factor of safety,the maximum allowable displacement in the tunnel and the ultimate displacement capacity of rockbolts must be also taken into account in the design.Finally,rockbolts should be compatible with other support elements in the same support system in terms of displacement and energy absorption capacities.

Analysis of the influence of geometrical parameters of circular steel pipe with flange plate on the jacking force

Jacking force is one of the important safety indicators during pipe jacking construction.Existing models for calculating jacking force are widely used in the calculation of jacking force for pipe with regular cross-sections.In this paper,considering pipe-soil interaction,the cross-sectional characteristics and the distribution characteristics between pipe and soil,the calculation equations for the jacking force of circular steel pipe with flange plate were proposed based on the pressure arch theory.The proposed equations were applied to calculate the jacking force for the Olympic Sports Center Subway Station of Line 9 in Shenyang,China,and the results were compared with the field monitoring data to predict the accurate jacking force.Based on the proposed equations,the influences of the flange plate position and steel pipe diameter on earth pressure around the pipe were analyzed.The functional relationship between the earth pressure and the position of flange plate or the pipe diameter was obtained,which provides design basis and theoretical guidance for engineering practice.

Review of mass-flow hopper design with respect to stress fields and surcharge loads

Current procedures for mass-flow hopper design are based on the radial stress theory developed byJenike and involve the determination of the critical outlet dimensions for flow to be initiated. These procedures ignore the surcharge loads on the hopper and involve a study of the passive or arched stress field that exists under flow conditions. An alternative approach as applied to hopper wall load analysis is to employ the horizontal slice method. The arched stress field and horizontal slice methods of analysis are compared. The influence of surcharge loads in the determination of hopper geometry is investigated.