Experimental study on the influence of extremely broken surrounding rock grade on the mechanical characteristics of tunnels

To study the significant deformation and distortion issues in certain sections of the Qinyu tunnel extremely fragmented surrounding rock under identical conditions, six tunnel sections with the same depth of burial and lithology were selected for on-site monitoring of stress. The experimental data were then used to explore the impact of gradation on the mechanical characteristics of the extremely fragmented surrounding rock tunnels. The results indicate that the tunnel experiences larger stresses at the crown and smaller stresses at the side walls and invert, showing the influence of gradation on the stress behavior of extremely fractured surrounding rock. A dual-fractal structure model was employed to quantitatively describe the gradation of the surrounding rock, yielding fitting coefficients above 0.9. The model demonstrated good applicability for extremely fractured rock with significant particle size differences. Additionally, the relationship between fractal model parameters and the maximum rock pressure at various tunnel sections was discussed, revealing an exponential correlation between the absolute difference in fractal dimensions of coarse and fine particles and the maximum rock pressure. To further understand the factors and the influence of gradation on tunnel rock pressure, indoor model tests were conducted using six different gradations. The experimental results once again confirmed the importance of gradation on the stress behavior of highly fragmented rock tunnels and validated the functional relationship between the absolute difference in fractal dimensions and rock pressure. The results can provide guidance for the design of tunnels with extremely fractured surrounding rocks in the future.