Support pressure for circular tunnels in two layered undrained clay

Abstract

To estimate the required support pressure for stability of circular tunnels in two layered clay under undrained condition, numerical solutions are developed by performing finite element lower bound limit analysis in conjunction with second-order cone programming. The support system is assumed to offer uniform internal compressive pressure on its periphery. From the literature, it is known that the stability of tunnels depends on the overburden pressure acting over it, which is a function of undrained cohesion and unit weight of soil, and cover of soil. When a tunnel is constructed in layered undrained clay, the stability depends on the undrained shear strength, unit weight, and thickness of one layer relative to the other layer. In the present study, the solutions are presented in a form of dimensionless charts which can be used for design of tunnel support systems for different combinations of ratios of unit weight and undrained shear strength of upper layer to those of lower layer, thickness of both layers, and total soil cover depth. Keywords: Finite elements, Layered clay, Limit analysis, Stability of tunnels