STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF MULTIPLE CAVERNS ON ROCK STRESSES THROUGH FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

Abstract

Unlike artificial materials such as concrete and steel, natural material such as rock are subject to natural (virgin) stresses called in-situ stresses. In the engineering of underground construction, in-situ stresses enter into excavation design and critical decision making. The distribution and magnitude of in-situ stresses affect the geometry, shape, dimensioning, excavation sequence and orientation of underground excavations. It is the redistribution of these stresses due to excavation that causes deformation and failure of the rock mass. Finite element method is one of the numerical techniques available to simulate and model the rock structures. The present work is an attempt to use the finite element method to evaluate the change in stress pattern caused due to excavations when there are more than one cavity as is the case with most of the underground power houses. In this context. Yamuna valley stage'— II underground power house has been analysed.