Slender prismatic key blocks formed by the intersection of broadly spaced, gently-dipping breccias layers

and closely-spaced, orthogonally oriented, steeply dipping columnar joints result in a highly anisotropic
rock mass structure and give rise to sliding and toppling failure modes in the sidewalls and to an
excessive height of loosening zone in the roof, the geometry of which is shown to be controlled by the
orientation of the steeply inclined columnar joints. Results of displacements during tunnel excavation
numerically obtained depth of the loosened zone both in the side walls and the roof. The height of the
loosened zone in the roof is obtained from the jointed rock mass model is greater than would have been
predicted by Terzaghi’s Empirical rock load classification for blocky rock masses, and show that its shape
and orientation are controlled by the anisotropy of the rock mass structure.

Dimensioning rock bolt reinforcement using well established empirical criteria without consideration of
the anisotropic nature of the rock mass may lead to unconservative design.

Because of the strong rock mass anisotropy, the initial principal stresses rotate after the excavation is
formed and become aligned with with the orientation of the principal joint sets. This of coarse controls
the shape and orientation of the loosening zone which develops around the opening following the
excavation.

The Numerical Model

Modeled rock mass structure

It consists of easterly, gently dipping, breccias planes which are truncated by westerly, steeply dipping,
columns of basalts. The axis of tunnel used for analysis is horizontal trending N-S. This gives rise to E-W
cross section shown in fig.

Geometric properties of the rock mass used for joint trace generation

A detail of the block system around the modeled underground opening obtained with the statistical joint
trace generation as illustrated in fig 2. and detailed in table 1.

Boundary conditions and In-situ stresses

Modeling the excavation sequence

Once the initial stresses stabilize in the block system, the excavation is carried out in stages.

Predicted failure modes in sidewalls

Based on the structural pattern of the analyzed columnar basalt rock mass, block sliding will take place
in the right sidewall because of the columnar joint (J1) inclination into the tunnel face. Blocks are
destined to fall by opening from the breccias planes and sliding along the columnar joints, into the
excavation space. Toppling of the blocks is the expected failure mode in the left side wall.
Sliding in Right Sidewall

In fig 8 the evaluation of the horizontal displacement components for the three measured points in the
right side wall is plotted as a function of excavation sequence. The results of the numerical computation
indicate the depth of the loosening zone of approximately 3 m. The zone that undergoes loosening is
subjected to stress relaxation. The evaluation of the vertical stress component in the three points is
plotted. Following the excavation sequence, the vertical stress in the side wall slightly increase followed
by stabilization of the vertical stresses in the deeper measurement points

Toppling of Left sidewall

Shape and orientation of loosening zone in roof

The Hoek-Brown criterion is an empirical non-linear refinement of the Mohr-Coulomb criterion.

The Hoek-Brown is based on stress conditions in intact rock and rock masses that lead to failure
criterion. The failure surface is nonlinear shear-yield function, and is based on the relation
between the major and minor effective principal stresses (Figure 8).

A plasticity flow rule that varies as a function of the stress level. The Mohr-Coulomb friction and
cohesion equivalent is matched to the nonlinear Hoek-Brown strength envelope in particular
stress levels. In addition to a failure (or yield) criterion, a “flow rule” is also necessary, in order
to provide a relation between the components of strain rate at failure. The flow rule is mostly
assumed to be fixed in failure criterion that lead to limiting stress condition that corresponds to
the ultimate failure of the material.

Figure 8: The Hoek-Brown failure contour in principal stress space

 Hoek-Brown criterion defines strength in terms of principal stresses as follows:

Map3D User's Manual

Physico-Mechanical Properties:
 GSI chart (reproduced from (Cai et al., 2004)

Where Jc is a dimensionless factor and Vb is in cum.

Joint condition factor (Jc)

In the GSI system, the joint surface condition is defined by the roughness, weathering, and infilling
condition. The combination of these factors defines the strength of a joint or block surface.
 Jw –Large scale waviness

Js—small scale smoothness

Ja –joint alteration factor

Scan-line survey of rock joints

Vb can be calculated from RQD and Jv

RQD = 115 - 3.3 Jv

Continuum Modeling

In the Continuum modeling technique rock joints are taken into consideration implicitly, i.e. the rock mass quality is
described by strength and deformability parameters through a failure criterion. Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown
failure criteria are utilized in the analysis.
Finite Element Mesh, Boundary Conditions and Construction Sequence

To eliminate the influence of the applied boundary conditions, the finite element mesh is extended up to the ground
surface and in the lateral direction up to two times the tunnel width. The mesh is of 8344 elements and 17189 nodes.
The gradation factor, ratio of the average length of discretization on excavation boundary to the length of
discretization on the external boundary is 0.5, i.e., the average length of the element on the external boundary is 20
times the length of the element on the excavation boundary.

Strength Factor:

It is defined as the ratio of strength of rock mass to the induced stress. Strength Factor greater than 1.0 indicates that
the material strength is greater than the induced stress. A strength factor less than one means the material will fail,
and plastic analysis is necessary. Strength factor values are more than one except in the jointed region.

Estimation of In-situ Stresses:

Different in-situ horizontal stress conditions are taken into consideration using stress ratio, k=0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0.
The vertical in-situ stress distribution is considered as the result of weight of the overburden, (σ v = γH).

Elastic Analysis

Principal Stresses:

In Phase2, σ1 corresponds to the in plane major principal stress and σ3 in plane minor principal stress. The elastic
stress redistribution around the excavation suggests that σ1 increases and σ3 decreases in the rock mass
surrounding the tunnel.

Major Principal Stress:

Predominant failure modes of the tunnel for different stress ratio’s (k) are predicted based on the limiting ratio of
tangential stress (σ1)) to UCS of intact rock.

Principal Stress Cone

The location and thickness of the natural roof arch can be determined by the concept of invert principal stress cone
developed in the numerical modeling. The stress trajectories are displayed in Fig. 23.
 Fig. 23: Development and application of concept of principal stress cone

Notations used:

k = Stress Ratio

H = Height of rock load in meter

Preqd = Required Maximum support pressure in ‘MPa’ calculated as the product of Unit weight of rock and the height
of rock load in ‘m’.
 Fig. 24: Maximum height of rock load for MC-90

End anchored 25 φ rock bolts 4.5 m long at 2 m x 2 m spacing, and shotcrete, 50 mm thickness, M25 grade yield
support pressures of 0.051 Mpa and 0.06 Mpa resply., for all values of ‘k’.

Table 21: Support pressures using bolts and shotcrete to resist the rock load for MC-90

Support Pressure reqd

(Mpa) Support Pressure (Mpa)
Model k H Preqd End Anchored bolts Shotcrete
MC 90 0.5 3.827 0.11 0.051 0.06
1 2.567 0.07 0.051 0.06
1.5 1.871 0.05 0.051 0.06
2 1.535 0.04 0.051 0.06
Equations used for estimating the support pressure of shotcrete and rockbolts
Slavko Torbica & Veljko Lapčević, Estimating extent and properties of blast-damaged zone
around underground excavations.