Characteristic analysis of pressure-arch of a double-arch tunnel in water-rich strata evolution

It is of importance to analyze the morphological characterization, the evolution process and the skewed effect of pressure-arch of a double-arch tunnel in the water-rich strata. Taking a buried depth 80 m double-arch tunnel as an example, a computational model of the double-arch tunnel was built by using FLAC3D technique. Then considering some aspects including groundwater conditions, tunnel depth, construction sequences and permeability coefficients, the coupling effect of stress field and seepage field in the pressure-arch of the double-arch tunnel was analyzed. The results show that the thickness of the pressure-arch induced by step-by-step excavation and display a step-descent skewed distribution from the left to the right of the double-arch tunnel. The permeability coefficient has a significant influence on the shape and the skewed effect of the pressure arch. The excavation of the bench method has a better arching condition than that of the expanding method. The abtained results provide a basic reference for the rock reinforcement design and safety construction of double-arch tunnels in the water-rich strata. © 2016 Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.