Statistical joint modeling and removability analysis of rock blocks around a rail-road tunnel

摘要

Stability of traffic tunnels in discontinuous rock mass at a shallow depth is largely affected by the stability of rock blocks. The size and frequency distributions of rock blocks around a tunnel can be predicted by analyzing rock blocks from a virtual joint network. Joint geometry parameters such as orientation, size and frequency must be precisely estimated to constitute a reliable joint network. Size and frequency among the geometry parameters are difficult to estimate because they cannot be directly observed or measured. Therefore, the complex geometrical relationship of intersecting joints should be mathematically explained.