The development and application of a micro-geomechanical approach to investigate the long-term performance of subsurface structures

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Many of our underground tunnels are more than 50 years old, and Canada invests billions of dollars each year on transportation, pedestrian and sewer tunnel repair. This has established a need to understand the long term failure mechanism of different tunnel lining systems. Most research has considered tunnels in their initial configuration over their service life, setting that service life by considering how the tunnel lining alone degrades. Actual failure often involves changes in soil and lining conditions and their interaction. The mechanics of soil weakening in the vicinity of subsurface structures (tunnels, vertical shafts and buried pipes) is a challenging soil-structure interaction problem that involves particle movement and lining separation from the supporting ground. Research is, therefore, needed to explain the interaction of different components considering the effect of soil and lining conditions.