Stability Assessments of Reinforced Tunnel Face Using Improved Homogenization Approach

Abstract In this work, the stability of a reinforced tunnel face is examined by combining the homogenization method with the kinematic approach of limit analysis. A three-dimensional (3D) heterogeneous and anisotropic failure criterion for reinforced soils is first proposed according to the homogenization method, in which the possible tensile failure and pullout failure of reinforcing members are considered. The proposed homogenization method is then incorporated into the 3D rotational failure mechanism to assess the safety factor of a tunnel face by using the strength reduction technique. The applicability of the proposed method is illustrated by comparing with existing results and numerical simulations. The influences of model parameters on the calculated safety factors are finally discussed.