Time-based two dimensional modelling of NATM tunnelling

Abstract

A two dimensional model is commonly employed in practice for the analysis of tunnelling. Such analyses are computationally cheap and are useful for assessing the sensitivity of the problem to the construction method, studying the influence of varying soil conditions, and (or) finding appropriate locations for placing measuring instruments. However, simulating the three dimensional nature of tunnelling in two dimensions requires certain simplifications, including the use of empirical parameters to represent the construction sequence. In many cases the choice of parameter values are arbitrary and often not fully explained. In addition, the modelling methods are often only applicable for undrained or fully drained soil conditions where no time-dependent behaviour is involved during tunnel construction. In this paper an alternative two dimensional approach termed the "time-based modelling method" is proposed that can simulate both the three dimensional effects at the tunnel heading and the time-dependent behaviour during construction. It is proposed that the new approach is appropriate for the analysis of tunnelling in a relatively permeable soil and, as an example, the method is applied to the analysis of a new Austrian tunnelling method (NATM) tunnelling problem in decomposed granite soil. The results are compared with field data and excellent agreement is obtained.Key words: numerical modelling, time-dependent behaviour, NATM tunnelling, decomposed granite soil.