Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 18 (2003) 49–55

Circular tunnel in a semi-infinite aquifer

Mohamed El Tani*
Lombardi Engineering Limited, via Simen 19, CH-6648 Minusio-Locarno, Switzerland

Received 5 September 2002; received in revised form 6 December 2002; accepted 11 December 2002

Abstract

The steady gravity flow that is generated by a circular tunnel disturbing the hydrostatic state of a semi-infinite, homogeneous
and isotropic aquifer is solved exactly. Many aspects of the flow are found in closed analytical forms such as the water inflow,
pressure, leakage and recharging infiltration, which give a complete view of the aquifer in the drained steady state. It is found
that the maximum value of the recharging infiltration does not exceed the hydraulic conductivity allowing stating a criteria for
recharge intervention to ensure the stability of the aquifer. In addition to the main results, two aspects of the water inflow are
treated. These are the necessary modifications that are to be considered in the case of an inclined water table and in the case of
a lined tunnel that develops a constant internal pressure. It is also found that under an inclined water table a tunnel may cease to
drain on its complete circumferential edge and a limiting condition is stated. Furthermore, the Muskat–Goodman and other water
inflow predictions are compared to the exact gravity water inflow.
䊚 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Tunnel; Water inflow; Leakage; Recharging infiltration; Integral equation

1. Introduction layer was written as a Fourier series and a sequence of

Water inflow and water pressure controls are needed
in the design, construction and exploitation of tunnels.
Uncontrolled water behaviour may cause additional
loads on the lining, mechanical instability, discomfort
and adverse environmental impacts. Water inflow and
water pressure controls are actually achieved by local
experiences, monitoring and using ever more modest
contributions from scientific advances in the comprehen-
sion of idealised models. The circular tunnel in a semi-
infinite isotropic and homogeneous aquifer is one of
these models. A first attempt to solve the flow generated
by the circular tunnel was undertaken in a previous
paper presented at the Oslo ITA-AITES congress (El
Tani, 1999). The pressure was written in an integral
form, which contains a new function called the single
layer. The latter is the normal derivative of the pressure
on the tunnel multiplied by the hydraulic conductivity.
The major task in the integral formulation is to deter-
mine the single layer, which leads directly to the pressure
and the water inflow. For the circular tunnel, the single
linear sets were then obtained. The first sets are easily
solved using algebraic methods but the sequence
becomes rapidly cumbersome and difficult to handle.
The limit of the sequence was not found in a closed
form. In this paper a second attempt is undertaken to
find the single layer. A Mobius transformation that maps
the tunnel and the water table onto two concentric
circles is considered. It is used to reformulate the integral
solution in the image space. A transformed single layer
is introduced and is written as a Fourier series enabling
to find the water inflow, water pressure, the single layer,
the leakage and the recharging infiltration in closed
analytical forms.
The water inflow, pressure, leakage and recharging
infiltrations are given in Sections 2 and 4 together with
the necessary elements and procedures to use them. In
Section 5, the existing condition for a draining tunnel
under an inclined water table is stated. Section 6 contains
the procedure that leads to the closed forms.
2. The water inflow

*Tel.: q41-91-744-60-30; fax: q41-91-743-97-37. Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic representation of a tunnel

E-mail address: mohamed.eltani@lombardi.ch (M. El Tani). in a semi-infinite aquifer with a horizontal water table.

0886-7798/03/$ - see front matter 䊚 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0886-7798(02)00102-5
50 M. El Tani / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 18 (2003) 49–55
Fig. 1. Circular tunnel in a semi-infinite aquifer with a horizontal
water table.
The depth of the tunnel centre from the water table is
noted h and its radius r. A new parameter l is defined
as
2
h
ls y
r y hr y1
2
The water inflow, which is the volume of water,
which flows into the tunnel per unit time and per unit
tunnel length, is noted Q and is calculated with
l2y1 h
Qs2pk
l2q1 ln l
in which k is the hydraulic conductivity of the isotropic
and homogeneous aquifer. The water inflow unit is 1
m2 ys that is one cubic meter of water per second and
per meter of tunnel length. The hydraulic conductivity
unit is 1 mys.
When the depth of the tunnel centre equals its radius
the parameter l becomes equal to 1. Both the numerator
and denominator of Eq. (2.2) become 0, but the water
inflow maintains a finite value that is obtained applying
de L’Hopital’s rule. This gives
Qs2pkr
Formula Eq. (2.2) applies in the case the water table
is horizontal. The water table may be inclined as under
a mountain slope. If the water table of the semi-infinite
aquifer is inclined making an angle a with the horizontal
the right hand sides of Eqs. (2.2) and (2.3) will be
multiplied by cos(a) and h in Eqs. (2.1) and (2.2) is
redefined as the perpendicular distance of the tunnel
centre to the water table.
2.1. Constant internal pressure
Formula Eq. (2.2) is valid if the tunnel drains the
aquifer; i.e. pressure is zero on the tunnel. Many tunnels
are grouted, lined or partially water proofed. Hence, the
pressure on the tunnel or the internal pressure is not
always zero. Schleiss (1988), Celestino et al. (2001)
assume a constant internal pressure at the interface
between the aquifer and the lining. If there is a constant
internal pressure due to the lining, it will never exceed
the initial hydrostatic pressure. It can be considered as
the product of the minimal value of the initial hydrostatic
pressure by a proportionality coefficient that is smaller
than one. The minimal value of the initial hydrostatic
pressure is attained at the top of the tunnel and is the
difference between the tunnel centre depth and the tunnel
radius. Therefore, a constant internal pressure due to the
lining may be written c(hyr); c is the proportionality
coefficient. The water inflow that corresponds to this
internal pressure is
l2y1qc(ly1)2 h
Qs2pk (2.4)
l2q1 ln l
(2.1) The remaining unknown, the coefficient c, is deduced
equating the water flowing out of the aquifer and
entering the lining or the grouted zone. Two different
formulae that relate the lining pressure reduction and
the water entering the lining may be found in Schleiss
(1988), Celestino et al. (2001) and used to determine
the remaining coefficient c.
(2.2)
2.2. An alternative form for the water inflow
The inverse of l is noted L. Taking l in Eq. (2.2),
the water inflow becomes
L2y1 h
Qs2pk (2.5)
L2q1 ln L
Water inflow formula is unchanged using l or its
inverse L, which is
(2.3) h h2
Ls q
r y r2
y1 (2.6)
2.3. Common approximations to the water inflow
Table 1 contains a listing of diverse approximations
of the water inflow. There are the Muskat–Goodman,
Rat–Schleiss–Lei, Karlsrud, Lombardi and the two
terms truncated single layer approximations. Muskat and
Goodman approximations are generally differentiated in
the literature. Goodman approximation is obtained from
the first formula in Table 1 transforming the natural
logarithm into a decimal one. The relative differences
 M. El Tani / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 18 (2003) 49–55 51

Table 1
Diverse approximations for the gravity water inflow

h Muskat (1937), Goodman et al. (1965)

QMGs2pk
B 2h E
lnC F
D
rG
h Karlsrud (2001)
QKas2pk
B 2h E
lnC y1F
D r G
h Rat (1973), Schleiss (1988), Lei (1999)
QSLs2pk B E
h h2
lnC q 2 y1F
Dr r Gy
h Lombardi (2002)
QLos2pk
B B r E2E 2h
C1q0.4C F Fln
D DhG G r

2
B rE
1y3C F
D 2h G Two terms truncated single layer, El Tani (1999)
QT2s2pkh
w B
r E2z 2h B r E2
x1yC F |ln yC F
y D 2h G ~ r D 2h G

of the diverse formulae of Table 1 with the exact water
inflow are shown in Fig. 2 and are computed with
QapyQ
Ds
Q
in which Qap is a water inflow approximation.
3. The Mobius transformation
Verruijt and Booker (2000) use a Mobius transfor-
mation with complex variables to verify Mindlin’s tun-
nel problem. In this paper, the same Mobius
transformation is used but with real coordinates. Mobius
transformation is a well-known conformal mapping and
has many interesting properties. It preserves the Laplace
equation. It maps a plane onto a plane. It maps a circular
(2.7) tunnel and the water table (Fig. 1) onto two concentric
circles of radius l and 1 (Fig. 3). If the tunnel is
virtually moved to the opposite side of the aquifer such
as its centre is distant h from the water table, it will be
mapped to another concentric circle of radius L.
The explicit form of the Mobius transformation j(x)
in real coordinates is
x21qx22yh2qr2
j1s 2 (3.1)
x12qŽx2yyh2yr2.

Fig. 2. Relative difference of the diverse approximations in Table 1 Fig. 3. The aquifer is mapped in between the tunnel image and the
with the exact gravity water inflow. water table image.
52 M. El Tani / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 18 (2003) 49–55

2yh2yr2x1 water inflow. The singe layer is the product of the

j2s (3.2) normal derivative of the pressure by the hydraulic
2 2
x12qŽx2yyh2yr . conductivity and its total amount is also the water
inflow. It has no physical interpretation but is an impor-
The inverse of the Mobius transformation x(j) is tant mathematical function related to the integral
needed later and is formulation.
The single layer is noted w and is calculated at x(x1,
l2y1 y2j2 x2) on the tunnel edge with
x1sh (3.3)
l q1 Ž1yj1.2qj22
2

l2y2lcos uq1
l2y1 1yj12yj22 wsk
x2sh 2 (3.4) 2l
l q1 Ž1yj1.2qj22 w ` 4mlmcos(mu) z
y1
=x q8 | (4.2)
The coordinates (x1, x2) are those of the tunnel plane y ln l ms1
1yl2m ~

(Fig. 1). The horizontal and vertical coordinate axes are

oriented rightward and upward. The origin is the inter- Leakage is noted q and is calculated at x(x1, x2) on
section of the water table and the tunnel vertical axis. the tunnel edge with
(j1, j2) are the coordinates of the image plane (Fig. 3).
The origin is the centre of the concentric circles. l2y2lcosuq1
qsk
2l
4. The pressure, leakage and recharge w m 2m z
` 2ml Ž1ql .cos(mu)

Pressure is calculated using both the aquifer coordi-

= xy1
y lnl
q8
1yl2m ~
. | (4.3)
ms1
nates and its image coordinates, which are obtained
using the Mobius transformation. The following four- The single layer and the leakage have the same unit
point procedure will serve to calculate the pressure. that is 1 mys. It corresponds in the leakage case to one
– Select a point x(x1, x2) in the aquifer. cubic meter of water per second, per meter of tunnel
– Calculate its image j(j1, j2) with the Mobius trans- and per meter of circumferential length.
formation using Eqs. (3.1) and (3.2).
– Deduce the elongation r and the argument u of the 4.2. Recharging infiltration
vector j(j1, j2); see Fig. 3.
– Calculate the pressure p at x(x1, x2) with The semi-infinite aquifer is supplied with water that
flows through the water table into the aquifer. It is not
an imposed infiltration but is rather absorbed water that
l2y1 maintains the semi-infinite aquifer. Its total amount
psyx2qh
l2q1 equals the water inflow as the entering water compen-
w
ln r ` l2m r2my1 z sates exactly the water that is drained by the tunnel. It
=x q 8 2 m 2m cos mu| (4.1) will be called the recharging infiltration and noted i. It
y ln l r l y1 ~
ms1 is calculated on the water table at x(x1, 0) with
The pressure form Eq. (4.1) verifies Laplace equation w ` 4ml2mcos(mu) z
y1
and the conditions for a gravity-induced flow by a isk(1ycos u)x q8 | (4.4)
draining tunnel; i.e. it is zero on the tunnel and on the y ln l ms1
1yl2m ~

water table and it recovers the initial hydrostatic pressure

yx2 far away from the tunnel. The pressure unit is 1
m; it is transformed in Pascal multiplying the right hand
side of Eq. (4.1) by the water specific weight.
4.1. The single layer and leakage
The single layer and leakage are two variables that
are defined on the tunnel edge. Leakage indicates the
quantity of water that flows into the tunnel per unit
time, unit tunnel length and unit circumferential edge.
It is the product of the normal derivative of the potential
by the hydraulic conductivity and its total amount is the
The recharging infiltration is a bell shaped function
defined on the water table and symmetrical with respect
to the tunnel vertical axis. It has higher amplitude near
the tunnel vertical axis than at a greater distance. The
maximal value of the recharging infiltration imax is
attained on the tunnel vertical axis. There, x1 is 0 and u
equals p. The maximal value imax is shown graphically
in Fig. 4. It can be noted that it does not exceed the
hydraulic conductivity value whatever the ratio ryh is.
The recharging infiltration unit is 1 mys that corresponds
to one cubic meter of water per second, per meter of
the tunnel length and per meter along the water table.
 M. El Tani / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 18 (2003) 49–55
Fig. 4. Maximum value of the recharging infiltration.
Rain precipitations, rivers and streams contribute to
the recharging infiltration. If the sum, of the mean
entering water provided by rain precipitations and sur-
face water, is lower than the maximal value of the
recharging infiltration the water table will draw down.
An intervention will become necessary if the initial state
of the water table needs to be maintained. External
water sources may be installed to supply the difference
between the entering water and the needed recharging
infiltration Eq. (4.4).
5. The inclined water table
If the water table of the semi-infinite aquifer is
inclined making angle a with the horizontal and if the
coordinate axes are maintained parallel and perpendic-
ular to the water table, the initial pressure and the far
away pressure in the disturbed state will be
p(x)syx2cos a
and the initial flux that is noted h, and the far away
flux in the disturbed state will be
h(x)s(yksin a,0)
The flow in an inclined semi-infinite aquifer may be
considered, due to the linearity of the Laplace equation,
as the sum of two contributions acting separately on the
tunnel. The first contribution produces the same results
as in the horizontal case considering a reduced gravity
that is obtained multiplying the gravity by cos(a). The
second contribution is that of transversally falling water
with zero pressure in a reduced transversal gravity that
is obtained multiplying the gravity by sin(a). Angle a
is positively considered anti clockwise.
The first contribution of the flow brings in the
following changes. The right hand side of the water
inflow Eq. (2.2), pressure Eq. (4.1), single layer Eq.
53
(4.2), leakage Eq. (4.3) and recharging infiltration Eq.
(4.4) are multiplied by cos(a).
The tunnel does not affect the second contribution.
The pressure and the flux are unchanged because the
initial pressure of the second contribution is zero and a
draining tunnel has a zero pressure boundary. There is
a local distribution of water flowing in and out the
tunnel. The local distribution is the normal component
of the flux on the tunnel and its total amount is zero.
Adding the second contribution to the first will change
neither the pressure nor the water inflow of the latter. It
will add a transversal flux and a leakage. The distribu-
tion of the resultant leakage must remain positive; i.e.
qayhØn00 (5.3)
in which n is the external normal to the tunnel and qa
is the right hand side of Eq. (4.3) multiplied by cos(a).
If condition Eq. (5.3) is not satisfied on a part of the
tunnel, this part will not drain anymore the aquifer but
recharge it. The draining behaviour is no more satisfied
and the solution ceases to describe a real flow. A new
solution should be looked up changing the draining
condition to an impervious one on the incriminated part.
6. The transformed single layer
In this section, the procedure that has been followed
in obtaining the closed forms for the water inflow Eq.
(2.2), water pressure Eq. (4.1), single layer Eq. (4.2),
leakage Eq. (4.3) and water recharge Eq. (4.4) is given.
Some notations are introduced first.
xsŽx1,x2.; ±x±syx12qx22
xUsŽx1,yx2.; xs
¯ Žx1,x2.y±x±2
(5.1)
j is the image of x by the Mobius transformation. x
is the image of y by the Mobius transformation. C(l)
is the circle of radius l and the image of the circular
tunnel C by the Mobius transformation.
(5.2)
6.1. The integral solution
The pressure and the water inflow in a semi-infinite
isotropic and homogeneous aquifer are found in (El
Tani, 1999) in the following integral forms:
1 ±xyy±
p(x)syx2q
2pk C|
w(y)ln
ZxyyUZ
ds(y) (6.1)
|
Qs w(y)ds(y)
C
(6.2)
in which w(y) is the single layer. Pressure integral
solution Eq. (6.1) verifies Laplace equation, is zero on
54 M. El Tani / Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 18 (2003) 49–55

the water table and recovers to the hydrostatic state ordinate x2. Multiplying Eq. (6.7) by cos(nu) and
yx2 far away from the tunnel. To compute the water integrating on C(l), the coefficients are deduced as
pressure and the water inflow with Eqs. (6.1) and (6.2)
2p
the single layer needs to be determined. When the 1 k
internal pressure pt is known, the integral solution Eq. f0s
2pln l l | 0
Žx2qpt.du (6.9)
(6.1) is transformed in an integral equation substituting
the left hand side of Eq. (6.1) with pt and assigning x y2m k
2p

on the tunnel. The solution of the integral equation is

the single layer. For a draining tunnel pt is zero and the
fms
pŽ1yl2m. l | 0
Žx2qpt.cos mudu (6.10)

single layer can be searched. If this is done at this stage, The tunnel ordinate is obtained from Eq. (3.4) using
the same results as those found in (El Tani, 1999) will the coordinates l(cos u, sin u) of the tunnel image and
be obtained. In this paper a new step is introduced is
before trying to solve the integral equation. The integrals
in Eqs. (6.1) and (6.2) are transformed into integrals
Žl2y1.2 yh
on C(l) using the inverse of the Mobius transformation x2s (6.11)
2 2
Eqs. (3.3) and (3.4). Details of the calculations are l q1 1ql y2lcos u
skipped. Pressure and the water inflow become:
The single layer Eq. (4.2), the pressure Eq. (4.1) and
1 1 ±jyx± the water inflow Eq. (2.2) are then deduced from Eq.
p(x)syx2q
2pk |
C(l)
f(x)ln
¯
l ±jyx±
ds(x) (6.3) (6.6) to Eq. (6.11) considering a draining tunnel for
which pt(u)s0. Recharging infiltration Eq. (4.4) and
leakage Eq. (4.3) are the product of the hydraulic
Qs |
C(l)
f(x)ds(x) (6.4) conductivity by the normal derivative of the potential
(x2qp) at, respectively, the water table and the tunnel.
The formalism that is developed in this section can
in which f(x) is the transformed single layer and the be used for any pressure or potential distribution on the
product of w by the scaling factor of the inverse of the tunnel edge. Formula Eq. (2.4) is obtained considering
Mobius transformation an internal constant pressure, noted ptsc(hyr), and
transforming (hyr) with the definition of l given by
2hŽ1yl2. w(y(x)) Eq. (2.1). The Rat–Schleiss–Lei water inflow which is
f(x)s 2 (6.5) given in Table 1 and the corresponding potential are
1ql2 Ž 1yx 2
1. qx2
obtained considering that on the tunnel (x2qpt)syh;
note that, excepting f0, all fm are zero.
6.2. Solving the integral equation
7. Conclusion
The transformed single layer Eq. (6.5) is written as a
Fourier series The gravity flow that is generated by a circular tunnel
is solved exactly. Other cases need to be obtained in
` closed forms such as the flow generated by non-circular
fs 8 fmcos mu (6.6) tunnels in non-homogeneous and bounded aquifers. The
ms0
integral formulation will probably be useful if it is
adequately extended to these cases and to others in the
Taking Eq. (6.6) in Eqs. (6.3) and (6.4) water three-dimensional space.
pressure and the water inflow become
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