Study on the mechanical behavior of excavation and support construction of shallow tunnel

In this paper, the mechanical behavior of excavation and support construction of Weishe tunnel, which is a section of the Yangwu expressway, is studied quantitatively using 3D finite difference numerical simulation method. A sequential excavation method is used and the results show that the vault settlement occurs mainly on the phase of upper bench excavation. The convergences of upper and lower sidewalls occur mainly on the phase of lower bench excavation. During the construction, the surrounding rock pressure in the vault and sidewall of the tunnel decrease. Axial force of anchor reaches the maximum value after the finish of second lining. However, the surrounding rock pressure and internal force of steel arch reach the maximum value after completing the upper bench excavation, and then become as smaller as half of the peak value during the lower bench excavation.