Pressure from surrounding rock of three shallow tunnels with large section and small spacing

With the increasing traffic demand, the closely built three or more tunnels with large section play a significant role in the tunnel construction. However, the interaction among tunnels has important influences on the security and economy of tunnel engineering, and the calculation of pressure from the surrounding rock during the excavation is one of the problems that need to be solved urgently. Based on the practical engineering of three tunnels, the load model of three tunnels was proposed in consideration of the interaction and excavation sequence between tunnels. In comparison with the load model of single tunnel, the construction mechanical characteristics of the three tunnels were analyzed. The results show that the rock pressure of three tunnels calculated by the current tunnel design code is not reliable, and the interaction force increases with the spacing between tunnels.