Nonlinear FE-analysis of tunnel excavation - comparison of EC7 design approaches - Nichtlineare FE-Analysen im Tunnelbau - Vergleich der Nachweisverfahren des EC7

Although Eurocode 7 does not mention tunnelling explicitly it is under discussion amongst practitioners to what extent the principles of EC7 can be applied to the design of tunnels. In EC7 three different design approaches, which differ in the application of partial factors on actions, soil strength and resistance, have been established. A characteristic feature of tunnelling is that the surrounding soil or rock represents loading and support for tunnel, similar to deep excavation problems. In addition, the highly nonlinear behaviour of shotcrete linings needs special attention and therefore care must be taken when choosing partial factors of safety. In this contribution the applicability of the different design approaches for tunnelling employing numerical methods are investigated and the differences obtained are discussed. Two examples are presented, namely a station tunnel in soil and a tunnel in rock, both constructed based on NATM principles.