Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Investigation on the evolution characteristics and transfer mechanism of surrounding rock pressure for a hard-rock tunnel under high geo-stress: case study on the Erlang Mountain Tunnel, China

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Similar to the squeezing soft-rock tunnel, the surrounding rock pressure for a deep-buried hard-rock tunnel under high geo-stress also possesses certain long-term evolution characteristics, which have a significant impact on the safety performance of the supporting structures. This paper investigated the evolution characteristics and transfer mechanism of the surrounding rock pressure for a deep-buried hard-rock tunnel through the combinations of the field measurements and numerical simulation. Firstly, the triaxial compression and uniaxial creep tests for granite samples indicated that the hard-brittle rock could exhibit the rheological properties under high geo-stress. Secondly, the field measurements showed that the surrounding rock pressure continued to increase throughout a period of 1200 days. Thirdly, a new composite viscoelastic-plastic creep constitutive model was used to calculate the creep damage degree and scope of the surrounding rock. The results showed that the evolution characteristics of the surrounding rock pressure can be divided into three typical stages, i.e., phase I: rapid growth stage; phase I : decelerating growth stage; and phase III: basically stable stage. From the beginning of phase II to the end of phase III (about 1100 days), the pressure on the supporting structures increased by nearly 40% compared to phase I (about 50 ~ 150 days), and the average pressure-sharing proportions of the primary support and the secondary lining finally were stabilized at 0.6 and 0.4, respectively. The damage of surrounding rock was distributed mainly from the haunch to the vault and the bottom, with the degree and scope of the bottom being the most serious.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
Fig. 22

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aksoy CO, Ogul K, Topal I, Ozer SC, Ozacar V, Posluk E (2012) Numerical modeling of non-deformable support in swelling and squeezing rock. Int J Rock Mech Min 52:61–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alejano LR, Rodríguez-Dono A, Veiga M (2012) Plastic radii and longitudinal deformation profiles of tunnels excavated in strain-softening rock masses. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 30:169–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bian K, Liu J, Liu ZP, Liu SG, Ai F, Zheng XQ, Ni SH, Zhang W (2019) Mechanisms of large deformation in soft rock tunnels: a case study of Huangjiazhai Tunnel. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78:431–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bian K, Liu J, Xiao M, Liu ZP (2016) Cause investigation and verification of lining cracking of bifurcation tunnel at Huizhou Pumped Storage Power Station. Tun Undergr Space Technol 54:123–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao CY, Shi CH, Lei MF, Yang WC, Liu JW (2018) Squeezing failure of tunnels: A case study. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 77:188–203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao WG, Chen K, Tan X, Chen H (2020) A novel damage-based creep model considering the complete creep process and multiple stress levels. Comput Geotech 124:103599

  • Carranza-Torres C, Fairhurst C (2000) Application of the convergence-confinement method of tunnel design to rock masses that satisfy the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 15(2):187–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen WF, Han DJ (1988) Plasticity for structural engineers. Springer-Verlag, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Chen ZQ, He C, Xu GW, Ma GY, Wu D (2019a) A case study on the asymmetric deformation characteristics and mechanical behavior of deep-buried tunnel in phyllite. Rock Mech Rock Eng 52:4527–4545

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen ZQ, He C, Xu GW, Ma GY, Yang WB (2019b) Supporting mechanism and mechanical behavior of a double primary support method for tunnels in broken phyllite under high geo-stress: a case study. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78:5253–5267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cong L, Hu XL (2017) Triaxial rheological property of sandstone under low confining pressure. Eng Geol 231:45–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui Z, Sheng Q, Leng XL, Ma YL (2019) Investigation of the long-term strength of Jinping marble rocks with experimental and numerical approaches. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78:877–882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González-Nicieza C, Álvarez-Vigil AE, Menéndez-Díaz A, González-Palacio C (2008) Influence of the depth and shape of a tunnel in the application of the convergence-confinement method. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 23(1):25–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guan ZC, Jiang YJ, Tanabashi Y, Huang HW (2008) A new rheological model and its application in mountain tunnelling. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 23(3):292–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hou GY, Li JJ, Qiu B, Zhang HD, Liu HW (2011) Solving equation of rheological deformation in axisymmetric round well under dead load. Rock and Soil Mechanics 32(2):341–346 ((in Chinese))

    Google Scholar 

  • Itasca Consulting Group Inc (2011) FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua) User’s Manuals Version 7.0. Minneapolis: Itasca

  • Kang JH, Zhou FB, Liu C, Liu YK (2015) A fractional non-linear creep model for coal considering damage effect and experimental validation. Int J Non Lin Mech 76:20–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keneti A, Sainsbury BA (2018) Review of published rockburst events and their contributing factors. Eng Geol 246:361–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khanlari G, Meybodi RG, Mokhtari E (2012) Engineering geological study of the second part of water supply Karaj to Tehran tunnel with emphasis on squeezing problems. Eng Geol 145–146:9–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo YB, Chen JX, Chen Y, Diao PS, Qiao X (2018) Longitudinal deformation profile of a tunnel in weak rock mass by using the back analysis method. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 71:478–493

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma C, Zhang T, Yao WM (2019) An assessment of the osmotic pressure effect on the creep properties of silty mudstone. Soil Mech Found Eng 56:314–320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin CD, Chandler NA (1994) The progressive fracture of Lac du bonnet granite. Int J Rock Mech Mining Sci Geomech Abstr 31(6):643–659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martini CD, Read RS, Martino JB (1997) Observations of brittle failure around a circular test tunnel. Int J Rock Mech Mining Sci 34(7):1065–1073

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Transport of PRC (2004) Code for Design of Road Tunnels. China Communication Publisher Ltd., Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Rybacki E, Herrmann J, Wirth R, Dresen G (2017) Creep of posidonia shale at elevated pressure and temperature. Rock Mech Rock Eng 50:3121–3140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song ZP, Yang TT, Jiang AN, Zhang DF, Jiang ZB (2016) Experimental investigation and numerical simulation of surrounding rock creep for deep mining tunnels. J Southern Afr I Min Metall 116(12):1181–1188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian HM, Chen WZ, Yang DS, Dai F (2016a) Relaxation behavior of argillaceous sandstone under high confining pressure. Int J Rock Mech Mining Sci 88:151–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian HM, Chen WZ, Yang DS, Wu GJ, Tan XJ (2016b) Numerical analysis on the interaction of shotcrete liner with rock for yielding supports. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 54:20–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang JG, Sun QL, Liang B, Yang PJ, Yu QR (2020) Mudstone creep experiment and nonlinear damage model study under cyclic disturbance load. Sci Rep-UK 10:9305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu F, Chen J, Zou QL (2019) A nonlinear creep damage model for salt rock. Int J Damage Mech 28(5):758–771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu GW, He C, Wang J, Chen ZQ (2020) Study on the mechanical behavior of a secondary tunnel lining with a yielding layer in transversely isotropic rock stratum. Rock Mech Rock Eng 53:2957–2979

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu GW, He C, Yan J, Ma GY (2019) A new transversely isotropic nonlinear creep model for layered phyllite and its application. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78:5387–5408

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang SQ, Cheng L (2011) Non-stationary and nonlinear visco-elastic shear creep model for shale. Int J Rock Mech Sci 48(6):1011–1020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu J, Liu GY, Cai YY, Zhou JF, Liu SY, Tu BX (2020) Time-dependent deformation mechanism for swelling soft-rock tunnels in coal mines and its mathematical deduction. Int J Geomech 20(3):04019186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Shao JF, Xu WY, Jia Y (2016) Time-dependent behavior of cataclastic rocks in a multi-loading triaxial creep test. Rock Mech Rock Eng 49:3793–3803

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52008351), the project funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2020TQ0250), the China National Railway Group Science and Technology Research Program (No. P2019G038-4) and the Open Foundation of MOE Key Laboratory of Engineering Structures of Heavy Haul Railway (Central South University) (No. 2020JZZ01).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Transportation Tunnel Engineering, Ministry of Education, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China

    Zihan Zhou, Ziquan Chen, Chuan He & Hao Kou

  2. Key Laboratory of Engineering Structures of Heavy Haul Railway, Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, 410075, Hunan, China

    Ziquan Chen

Authors
  1. Zihan Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ziquan Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chuan He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hao Kou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ziquan Chen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhou, Z., Chen, Z., He, C. et al. Investigation on the evolution characteristics and transfer mechanism of surrounding rock pressure for a hard-rock tunnel under high geo-stress: case study on the Erlang Mountain Tunnel, China. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 8339–8361 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02439-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02439-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation