Stress analysis between tunnel and slope for single as well as multiple tunnel scenarios: A numerical modelling approach

Abstract

Nowadays, a wide accessible network requires a combination of tunnels and roads through highly undulating surfaces. This study aims to assess the stress due to surrounding slope on a tunnel using ANSYS software. A circular tunnel with varying distance between the tunnel and slope, and berm width has been used for the analysis. For multiple tunnel cases, distance between the tunnels was also varied for assessing stresses. In this study, maximum and minimum stresses were obtained for a berm width of 4 and 7 m respectively, which showed that stress decreases with an increase in berm width. For multiple tunnels cases, variations in distance between two tunnels provided significant insights in the analysis of stress between the slope and tunnel. © 2020, Indian Academy of Sciences.