Analysing the stability of reinforced tunnel faces

In conventional tunnelling, ground reinforcement using fiberglass or steel bolts is a very efficient way of stabilising the face. In order to optimize the construction process, careful design of the reinforcement is necessary. This paper investigates, by means of a recently proposed computational method, the special case of purely cohesive soil, as well as the influence of the unsupported span and of the reinforcement schemes on the stability of the face. The computational results indicate that a higher reinforcement density in the upper part of the excavation cross-section is advantageous.