Centrifuge modelling of passive failure of tunnel face in saturated sand

Tunnel face stability is an important aspect in shield tunnelling. Although many analytical solutions have been derived and numerical studies have been conducted to investigate tunnel face stability in sands, physical model tests investigating the passive resistance of a tunnel face are not common and readily available for verifying analytical solutions and numerical predictions. In this study, centrifuge model tests have been carried out to study the passive resistance of a tunnel face in saturated sand. Two tunnelling cases with varying cover to diameter (C/D) ratios of 2.2 and 4.3 are investigated. Failure mechanisms and passive resistance of tunnel face are described, discussed and reported