A new solution for shallow and deep tunnels by considering the gravitational loads

A new, elasto-plastic, analytical-numerical solution, considering the axial-symmetry condition, for a circular tunnel excavated in a strain-softening and Hoek–Brown rock mass is proposed. To examine the effect of initial stress variations, and also the boundary conditions at the ground surface, the formulations are derived for different directions around the tunnel. Furthermore, the effect of the weight of the plastic zone is taken into account in this regard. As the derived differential equations have no explicit analytical solutions for the plastic zone, the finite-difference method (FDM) is used in this study. On the other hand, analytical expressions are derived for the elastic zone. Several illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed solution, and to examine the effect of various boundary conditions. It is concluded that the classic solutions, based on the hydrostatic far-field stress, and neglecting the effect of the boundary conditions at the ground surface, give applicable results for a wide range of practical problems. However, ignoring the weight of the plastic zone in the analyses can lead to large errors in the calculations.