In situ and induced Stresses around the tunnel

IN-SITU AND INDUCED STRESSES
Created By: Shaloo Puri

Website: www.geotechnicaldesigns.com.au
Email id : s.puri@geotechnicaldesigns.com.au
www.geotechnicaldesigns.com.au 1
WhatsApp: +61452075310
Introduction
Rock at depth is subjected to stresses due to following reasons:
1. Weight of overlying overburden pressures
2. Due to tectonic pressures
Stresses around tunnel opening

When opening is excavated in such rock there are redistribution of
these in-situ stresses and new set of stresses induced around the
opening
Vertical Stresses
Vertical Stress is usually governed by weight of the overburden at certain
rock element at certain depth.
Example :
Z = 1000m (overburden depth at certain rock element)
 = 0.027MN/m3
The vertical stress  = 27MPa
Vertical Stresses
Measurements of vertical stress at various mining and civil engineering sites
around the world confirm that this relationship is valid although, as
illustrated in Figure 1, there is a significant amount of scatter in the
measurements.
Ground Surface
https://slideplayer.com/slide/8881044/
 = unit weight of rock

z v
Tunnel top
v = z (vertical Stress) 4
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Horizontal Stresses
Horizontal Stresses are more difficult to determine than vertical stresses.
Normally, the ratio of the average horizontal stress to the vertical stress is
denoted by the letter k such that:
Sheorey Equation:
z (m) is the depth below surface
Eh (GPa) is the average deformation modulus of the upper part of the
earth’s crust measured in a horizontal direction.
Horizontal Stresses
Sheorey Equation: The curves relating k
with depth below surface z are similar to
those published by Brown and Hoek
(1978), Herget (1988) and others for
measured in situ stresses.
Hence the above equation is considered
to provide a reasonal basis for estimating
the value k.
But there are few short comings in this
methods because measured vertical and
horizontal stresses are seldom equal to
the one measure at near by locations and
horizontal stresses are different due to
different tectonic stresses.
Horizontal Stresses
Methods for measuring in-situ stresses
The most popular and reliable method of measuring in-situ stresses are
considered are:
1. Overcoring method
2. Hydraulic Fracturing Tests
I am not addressing these methods in this presentation.
It is very important to have measured in-situ stresses for underground

structures like tunnels , caverns and other type of openings for hydropower
projects and mining projects.
Stresses Around Tunnel
When an underground opening is excavated into a stressed rock mass, the
stresses in the vicinity of the new opening are re-distributed.
v,h1, h2 are in-situ stresses
Before the excavation of tunnel
After removal of the rock from
within the tunnel, the stresses in
the immediate vicinity of the
tunnel are changed and new
stresses are induced.
1,2, 3 are principal stresses at
Rock element near to the
opening.
Transformation of Stresses Around Underground Tunnels
The maximum in-situ stresses are based on the
overburden pressure and maximum horizontal
stress and minimum horizontal stresses and also
on the factor KoH and Koh. The transformation
of stresses is very important to determine while
doing numerical analysis tunnels in 2D FEM
software and it shall be applied before the
excavation of tunnel, these are in-situ stresses.
These stresses are calculated in perpendicular
and parallel direction of tunnel axis.
Below an example has been presented for better
understanding of how transformation stresses
are calculated and how the direction of tunnel
effects the values of these stresses.
Transformation of Stresses Around Underground Tunnels
The transformed stresses are calculate based on the angle made by the maximum principal stress (sigma H) with the
line perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel. The formula adopted to find out transformed stresses along and
perpendicular to the axis of tunnels.
I will try to explain this problem with the help of an
example. While analysing tunnel in any 2D
software, like RS2, PLAXIS or any other FEM
software, it is very important to determine the
maximum stresses acting perpendicular and parallel
h
to tunnel axis. As the tunnel axis direction changes,
value of these stresses also changes.
H
It is very common problem where people adopt the
same stresses values everywhere, all along the
tunnel alignment.
Here I am taking an example of one of my projects.
Here I will show, how the stress values are different
for every change in direction of tunnel alignment. I
am selecting three zones as shown in the
below Figure-3. The direction of maximum in-situ
stress is N40W to S40E. so with North the angle is
320 degrees.
Zone 1: The tunnel of zone 1 has angle with north is 185
degrees and the angle of line perpendicular makes 95 degree
angle.
If we move clockwise from the direction of maximum stress
towards the tunnel perpendicular, the angle will be 130
degrees.

angle.
towards the tunnel perpendicular, the angle will be 51 degrees.

angle.
towards the tunnel perpendicular, the angle will be 84 degrees.
Now putting the angles in the above formulas, following are
the values of stresses along and perpendicular to tunnel axis.
As per the calculations the maximum stresses are in Zone 2 tunnel.
These calculations shows how the tunnel axis direction plays
important role in governing the stresses while performing 2D FEM
analysis.
Stresses Around tunnel
Principal Stresses around the tunnel opening
1. The longer bars in this figure represent

the directions of the maximum principal
stress 1,
2. The shorter bars give the directions of the

minimum principal stress 3.
Numerical Analysis – Stresses Around tunnel
1,3, z are in-situ principle stresses before the excavation of tunnel
1,3, z are in-situ principle stresses before the excavation
of tunnel
3
1
z
1,3, z are in-situ principle stresses after the excavation of tunnel
1 3
z
Numerical Analysis – Strength Factor
Strength factor represents the ratio of available rock mass strength to induced stress at a given point.
There is a large zone of overstress

surrounding the tunnel. All the rock
with the contour marked around 1
will fail if left unsupported.
Observe the zone of plastic

yielding (X = shear failure, O =
tensile failure) around the
excavation. Notice that the yielded
zone roughly corresponds with the
zone of strength factor about SF =
18
1
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Numerical Analysis – maximum displacement
The maximum displacement is occurring in the floor of the tunnel. This
suggests the casting of a thicker concrete slab on the tunnel floor.
Conclusions
In this presentation I have talked about in-situ stresses in rock at certain
depth. If a tunnel is excavation in this present stresses, there will be
redistribution of stresses around the tunnel opening. Some where there will
be release of stresses (at opening) and somewhere there will be
concentration of stresses.
Due to this the strength of rock mass around the opening reduces below the
available in-situ stresses and therefore large deformations will occur around
the opening and now here the support system comes into picture to support
the tunnel from collapsing.
To restrict the deformation to certain level we need support system, which

we will cover in another presentation.
THANK YOU
FOR
YOUR PRECIOUS TIME

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IN-SITU AND INDUCED STRESSES

Created By: Shaloo Puri

Stresses around tunnel opening

 = unit weight of rock

I am not addressing these methods in this presentation.

It is very important to have measured in-situ stresses for underground

Zone 2: The tunnel of zone 2 has angle with north is 101

Zone 3: The tunnel of zone 3 has angle with north is 139

1. The longer bars in this figure represent

2. The shorter bars give the directions of the

There is a large zone of overstress

Observe the zone of plastic

To restrict the deformation to certain level we need support system, which

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