STABILITY CHARTS FOR UNSUPPORTED PLANE STRAIN TUNNEL HEADINGS IN HOMOGENEOUS UNDRAINED CLAY

Authors

  • Jim Shiau
  • Mathew Sams
  • Fadhil Al-Asadi
  • Mohammad Mirza Hassan

Keywords:

Plain Strain Heading, Undrained Clay, Stability, Strength Reduction Method, Design Chart

Abstract

This paper investigates the stability of plane strain tunnel headings in undrained soils. Using
the factor of safety approach via the strength reduction technique, the idealised tunnel heading models are
studied using the finite difference program FLAC. This problem is also similar to underground long wall
excavations in plane strain condition. The finite difference results are presented alongside upper and lower
bound limit solutions for validation. A thorough comparison between these two methods finds a very good
agreement. Design charts are presented for a wide range of practical scenarios using dimensionless ratios,
similar to Taylor’s design charts used for slope stability. Typical examples are presented to illustrate the
usefulness for practising engineers.

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Published

2017-10-25

How to Cite

Jim Shiau, Mathew Sams, Fadhil Al-Asadi, & Mohammad Mirza Hassan. (2017). STABILITY CHARTS FOR UNSUPPORTED PLANE STRAIN TUNNEL HEADINGS IN HOMOGENEOUS UNDRAINED CLAY. GEOMATE Journal, 14(41), 19–26. Retrieved from https://geomatejournal.com/geomate/article/view/3200

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 41 (2018): January 2018

Section

Articles

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