The Effect of the inhomogeneity of rock mass to the tunnel support stress during tunnel excavation

Okazaki, Yasuyuki*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei  ; Kumasaka, Hiroo*; Shinji, Masato*

In the rational tunnel support design, numerical analysis is powerful tool to know the estimation of the behavior before tunnel construction in the case of the special ground condition and limited similar construction. In order to evaluate the support structure quantitatively, it is necessary to understand the effect of the inhomogeneity of rock mass to the tunnel support stress in advance. In this study, tunnel excavation analysis considering the inhomogeneity of rock mass was carried out. The analysis results were compared with the stress measured in the tunnel support in the Horonobe underground research laboratory. As a result, it was revealed that the local stress measured in the tunnel support can be simulated by considering the inhomogeneity of rock mass stochastically. In addition, this study evaluated the effect of the inhomogeneity of rock mass to the tunnel support stress quantitatively by processing analysis results statistically.