Liner stresses in deep tunnels below the water table

The primary support of a tunnel must be designed to sustain the loads that are transferred from the surrounding ground during excavation. The loads are originated from the ground itself and from the groundwater, if any. For deep circular tunnels, assuming that both ground and support remain within their elastic regime, the load on the primary support does not change with drainage conditions; it is the same whether there is flow towards the tunnel (drained tunnel) or the pore pressure behind the support is hydrostatic (no-drainage tunnel). Stresses and deformations in the ground, however, are quite different, with larger stresses and deformations occurring for the drainage case. In tunnels where there is an impermeable layer between the primary and secondary supports, as the secondary support is placed there is a load transfer from the primary to the secondary support. The primary support unloads and moves outwards, while the secondary support takes load and moves inwards. In tunnels where there is a drainage layer between the primary and secondary supports, the pressure behind the support depends on the discharge capacity of the drainage system relative to the water inflow from the ground. Within the range of cases investigated, the relative permeability factor, r0Kg/tfKf, can be used to evaluate the magnitude of the pore pressure buildup behind the secondary support. Numerical experiments combined with analytical solutions provide a rational approach for a preliminary design of the primary and secondary supports in deep tunnels below the water table, and contribute to identify the load-transfer mechanisms between ground, water, and support.