International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 27 (2017) 459466

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International Journal of Mining Science and Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijmst

3D numerical parametric study of the influence of open-pit mining

sequence on existing tunnels
Beyabanaki Amir Reza a,, Gall Vojtech b
a
McMillen Jacobs Associates, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
b
Gall Zeidler Consultants, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The development of open-pit mines can adversely affect and even damage existing access tunnels. To
Available online 10 April 2017 ensure the safety and serviceability of them, it is essential to know potential adverse effects of the mining
sequence on existing tunnels such as displacements of the lining and additional loads on the lining. In this
Keywords: paper, three-dimensional numerical parametric study is performed to explore this complex interaction.
Three-dimensional This study investigates the effects of different parameters that may affect the tunnel response. These
Numerical parametric study parameters are: excavation sequence method, horizontal/vertical stress ratio, slope angle, and tunnel
Existing tunnel
diameter. This study shows that the mining sequence affects the stability of the tunnels. The open-pit
Open-pit mining sequence
Modeling
mining activities lead to both higher axial forces in rock bolts and normal forces and bending moments
in the lining. The results of the analysis also demonstrate that the mining sequence causes tunnel heave
and significant tensile forces in the lining. Based on the study in this paper a better understanding of the
interaction between open-pit mining sequence and tunnels will be obtained.
2017 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of China University of Mining & Technology. This is an open
access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction database of case histories of twin tunnels prepared from reported

Access tunnels are considered to be one of the main under-
ground structures in mines and widely used for transportation,
drainage, exploration, etc. The development of mines and mining
operations affect the stability of the existing access tunnels. They
cause stress changes in the ground leading to rock movements
which may cause potential damages to the tunnels. Due to the crit-
ical role access tunnels play, instability of them jeopardies the
economy and safety of mines. Thus, it is essential for designers
and engineers to assess excavation induced movement and tensile
forces in existing tunnels so that the tunnels can continue to oper-
ate safely during the mining activities.
There are several studies on the effects of tunneling on existing
tunnels.
Cooper et al. developed a new empirical method for estimating
the settlement trough caused by the second of twin tunnels and
proposed it for use as a preliminary predictive tool [1]. For this pur-
pose, they used the data from three 9 m-diameter parallel tunnels
constructed crossing below twin existing tunnels at London Hea-
throw Central Terminal Area station for the Heathrow Express pro-
ject at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom as well as a
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: a.beyabanaki@gmail.com (A.R. Beyabanaki).
information worldwide. Liu et al. investigated effects of tunneling
on existing support systems in the Sydney region [2,3]. Geotechni-
cal influence on existing subway tunnels induced by multiline tun-
neling in Shanghai soft soil in China was investigated by Zhang and
Huang [4]. Li et al. studied the effect of new shield tunneling on an
existing underlying large-diameter tunnel [5]. A realistic field
monitoring application to evaluate close proximity tunneling
effects of a new tunnel on an existing railroad tunnel in Korea
was presented by Yun et al. [6]. Standing focused on how existing
tunnels lined with cast iron segments responded to new tunnels
construction beneath them [7]. For this purpose, they studied the
Crossrail project, currently underway in London, involving tunnel-
ing beneath numerous existing tunnels and examined how the
stresses develop within a cast iron segmental lining as it deforms.
Do, Dias, Oreste investigated the influence of a new tunnel con-
struction on an already existing one [8]. Recently, effect of twin
tunnels construction beneath existing shield-driven twin tunnels
in Beijing, China was studied by Fang et al. [9].
Moreover, the effects of open excavation on existing tunnels
have been investigated by several researchers. The effect of a deep
open excavation for an office block on the underlying tunnel com-
plex in the center of Prague in Czech Republic was investigated by
Dolezalova [10]. Zheng and Wei studied the response of existing
tunnel due to overlying excavation using 2D FEM [11]. Liu et al.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmst.2017.03.018
2095-2686/ 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of China University of Mining & Technology.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
460 A.R. Beyabanaki, V. Gall / International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 27 (2017) 459466
conducted a case study of protecting existing tunnels during the
construction of a new cut and cover tunnel above in Nanjing, China
[12]. Three-dimensional numerical parametric analyses were car-
ried out to investigate the effects of a basement excavation on an
existing tunnel by Ng et al. [13]. Huang et al. performed a finite ele-
ment parametric study of existing tunnel behavior caused by
nearby deep excavation in Shanghai, China [14]. The soil unloading
effects in foundation pit excavation on existing tunnels were inves-
tigated by Zhang et al. [15]. Recently, Shi et al. conducted a three-
dimensional numerical parametric study of the influence of base-
ment excavation on existing tunnel and Tan investigated the
effects of an oversized pit excavation on an existing metro line in
stiff clay in Suzhou in China [16,17].
Finally, several authors have studied the effects of other con-
struction activities on existing tunnels. Schroeder et al. assessed
the influence of pile group loading on existing tunnels using the
Finite Element Method (FEM) with the aim of improving the cur-
rent restrictive guidelines [18]. For this purpose, the response of
the existing Victoria line tunnel in London to loading of piles
located on both sides of the tunnel was studied. The results of
these analyses were used to formulate design guidelines relating
the clear distance between the pile rows and the tunnel to maxi-
mum allowable tunnel deformations both in terms of tunnel dis-
tortions and global movements. Yoo conducted a 3D numerical
investigation on the effect of bridge construction on existing tun-
nel [19]. The results of this study showed that the effect of pile-
supported bridge construction on a tunnel may be ignored when
the clearance between the pile tip and the tunnel lining exceeds
1.0D and 0.5D for centrally and eccentrically loaded tunnels,
respectively. Shin et al. investigated the effect of blast-induced
vibration on existing tunnels [20]. They adopted a numerical
method for the dynamic modeling of a tunnel in soft rock and eval-
uated a two-dimensional blast load by modifying the detonation
pressure formula based on the results of field tests. Tunnel behav-
ior due to the blast-induced vibration was investigated in terms of
particle velocity, displacement and stress of the linings, and a
guideline for the blast protection zone was proposed based on a
parametric study on blast location, tunnel depth, and the amount
of explosives. Liang et al. studied the effect of blast-induced vibra-
tion from a new railway tunnel on existing adjacent railway tunnel
in Xinjiang, China by using laboratory tests, in situ monitoring and
numerical simulations [21]. Based on the results from in situ mon-
itoring and numerical simulations, the original blasting design and
corresponding parameters were adjusted to reduce the maximum
blasting vibration velocity. The authors also studied the effect of
both the static stress before blasting vibrations and the dynamic
stress induced by blasting on the total stresses in the existing tun-
nel lining. Yu evaluated the influence of the vibrations generated
by blasting construction on existing tunnels in soft soils [22]. For
this purpose, a 3D numerical model of an existing road tunnel in
the city of Shanghai was established by a finite element software.
The sequential characteristics of vibration velocities and accelera-
tions of the tunnel structure were obtained from the field blasting
tests and the numerical simulation results were confirmed by field
monitoring data. This study presented a thorough understanding of
the safety criterion of the blasting vibrations for an existing tunnel
in soft soils. Recently, Zhao conducted an experimental and numer-
ical investigation on the effect of blast-induced vibration from
adjacent tunnel on existing tunnel in China [23]. They studied axial
and radial blasting vibration velocity distributions of the existing
tunnel under the effect of blast-induced vibration from adjacent
tunnel. This study showed that numerical simulation and field
monitoring experiment can optimize blasting excavation program
and provide a reference for other similar projects.
In summary, the literature reviewed above indicates that an
extensive amount of research has been carried out on the effects
of excavation and construction activities on existing adjacent tun-
nels. Moreover, a lot of studies have been conducted on the open-
pit slope stability [2426]. However, until now, no research has
been reported for investigating the effects of open-pit mining
sequence on existing tunnels. In this paper, three-dimensional
numerical parametric analyses are conducted to investigate the
interaction between open-pit mining sequence and existing tun-
nels. Effects of excavation sequence method, horizontal/vertical
stress ratio, slope angle, and tunnel diameter are explored and
their influence is quantified.
2. Three-dimensional numerical analysis
Three-dimensional numerical analyses were conducted to
investigate the mining sequence-tunnel interaction. For this pur-
pose, the effects of excavation sequence method, horizontal/verti-
cal stress ratio, slope angle, and tunnel diameter were examined.
2.1. Numerical analysis program
All the numerical analyses have been performed using the com-
mercial software MIDAS GTS (Geotechnical and Tunnel Analysis
System) NX 2015 which is a simulation program developed for
the evaluation of ground-structure interaction based on the finite
element method.
2.2. Finite element mesh and model parameters
Fig. 1 shows the three-dimensional finite element mesh used to
model the open-pit mine. The domain analyzed is
200 m  158 m  440 m. The height and width of the benches
are assumed to be 15 and 10 m, respectively. In this study, different
bench angels (70, 60, and 50) and tunnel heights (7.5, 6, and
5 m) are considered. The rock mass is modelled by solid elements
while existing tunnel lining is simulated by shell elements. The
truss elements are embedded into the solid elements to model
the interaction between the rock bolts and the surrounding rock
mass. During modelling, several locations are monitored to quan-
tify the effects of mining sequence on the existing support system
as shown in Fig. 1b and c.
In this study, the behavior of the rock mass is modelled by an
elasto-plastic constitutive relationship based on the Mohr-
Coulomb criterion, with a non-associated flow rule. The main phys-
icalmechanical parameters of the rock mass are a Youngs modu-
lus E = 3 GPa, a Poissons ratio t = 0.25, a cohesion C = 800 kPa, a
friction angle u = 30, and a mass density of 2500 kg/m3, which
are common in mining applications. Moreover, it is assumed that
the rock mass is homogenous and considered as a continuum med-
ium. Different horizontal/vertical stress ratios (K0 = 0.5, 1, and 2)
are considered in this study. The tunnel lining is assumed to be a
composite liner consisting of shotcrete with the thickness of
20 cm and W6  25 steel sets with 0.5 m spacing. Also, 2 m long
rock bolts on 1.5 m  1.5 m grid spacing are considered at the
crown of the tunnel as shown in Fig. 1c.
The behavior of the lining is assumed to be governed by a
linear-elastic relationship using shell elements. Youngs modulus
and Poissons ratios of the shotcrete and steel ribs are assumed
to be Ec = 30 GPa, tc = 0.25, Es = 200 GPa, and ts = 0.3, respectively.
The behavior of the rock bolts is also assumed to be linear elastic
with a Youngs modulus E = 200 GPa and a Poisson ratio t = 0.3.
The external vertical boundaries of the finite element model
permit only vertical displacements. The bottom boundary is fixed
in both vertical and horizontal directions. All of the degrees of free-
dom at the top surface are free, i.e. the top surface is unrestrained.
 A.R. Beyabanaki, V. Gall / International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 27 (2017) 459466
Fig. 1. Model configuration.
2.3. Numerical modeling procedure
The procedures of numerical analyses are summarized as
below:
(1) Establish the initial boundary and stress conditions of rock
mass at gravitational acceleration with the assumed coeffi-
cients of at-rest earth pressure of rock (K0).
(2) Excavate the tunnels and install the support.
(3) Excavate the open pit based on the mining sequences shown
in Fig. 2.
3. Effects of excavation sequence method
In order to obtain a better understanding of the influence of
mining sequence method on tunnel responses, two common
open-pit mining sequences shown in Fig. 2 were considered [27].
In this paper, if the bending moment tends to put the side of the
shotcrete lining facing towards the tunnel opening into tension
and the side facing the rock mass into compression, it is regarded
as positive. Otherwise, it is negative. Positive and negative values
of axial force refer to tension and compression, respectively.
Fig. 3 shows the computed heaves at the crown of the tunnel
along its longitudinal direction for different mining sequences.
Fig. 2. Different excavation sequences (adapted from He et al. [27]).
Fig. 3. Total displacements (exaggerated deformation).
461
Due to vertical stress relief above the tunnel, heave is induced in
the tunnel along its longitudinal direction, as expected.
The maximum tunnel heave occurs at the same distance from
the left boundary of the model at all stages shown in Fig. 2. The
tunnel heave decreases with an increase in distance from the loca-
tion with maximum deformation. Accordingly, only the maximum
tunnel heave at the crown is presented in following parametric
study. The calculated results for the lining and rock bolts also are
presented for a cross section at the location of maximum deforma-
tion based on the marked points shown in Fig. 1b and c.
Fig. 4 shows the total displacements calculated for different
mining sequences at different stages. As can be seen, the displace-
ments are almost the same for Sequences 1 and 2 at the first and
last stages. However, the calculated displacements for Sequence
1 are greater at stages 2 4 and, greater displacements are obtained
for Sequence 2 at stages 58. The maximum difference between
the computed displacements for Sequences 1 and 2 occurs at stage
6 (20% change).
Calculated axial forces in rock bolts are shown in Fig. 5. As can
be seen, so close values are obtained for Sequences 1 and 2. The
results indicate that in Sequences 1 and 2, the axial forces in the
rock bolts increase from stages 1 to 9 and the maximum increase
occurs at the crown (116% change).
Fig. 6 shows the calculated normal forces in the tunnel lining.
The calculated forces for Sequences 1 and 2 are almost the same
at the last stage. However, mining sequence has a significant
impact on the results so that increases the normal forces from
703 to +2310 kN (429% change) at the lateral springlines in
Sequences 1 and 2. Therefore, open-pit mining sequence causes
significant tensile forces in the tunnel lining at the lateral springli-
nes so that the existing lining at the sides is placed in tension and
in compression at the crown and invert.
The calculated bending moment in the lining for mining
sequences 1, and 2 at different stages are shown in Fig. 7. As can
be seen in Fig. 7a, almost the same results are obtained for
Sequences 1 and 2. However, the mining sequence affects the
462 A.R. Beyabanaki, V. Gall / International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 27 (2017) 459466

In this section, the effect of horizontal/vertical stress ratio (K0)

Fig. 4. Total displacements for different stages and excavation sequences.
bending moment in the lining. The maximum change occurs at
points 4 and 6 so that it changes from 2.5 at stage 1 to 13.8 kN
m
at stage 9 (652% change) which is significant. Hence, while design-
ing the tunnels in open pit mines, the designer should consider this
change and strengthen the support so that the increased forces and
moments are within the lining capacity. The results presented in
this section show that open-pit mining sequence significantly
affects the forces and bending moments in the tunnel support.
on the existing tunnel is studied. For this purpose, different values
of K0 (0.5, 1, and 2) are considered and the open pit mine shown in
Fig. 1 with bench height of 15 m, bench width of 10 m, bench slope
angle of 70, and tunnel height of 7.5 m is modeled.
Fig. 8 shows the maximum calculated total displacement at the
crown of the tunnel. As can be seen, the tunnel heave increased
during the mining sequence and the maximum one occurs at the
last stage. The maximum displacement is obtained when K0 is 2.
In this case, the tunnel heave at stage 1 increases from 4.95 to
32.2 mm at stage 9 (551% change).
Axial forces in the rock bolts are shown in Fig. 9. As expected,
increasing K0 increases the axial forces at the tunnel sides. The
maximum increase occurs at the springlines (points 1 and 9). At
the last stage, the axial forces at the springlines for K = 0.5, 1.0,

4. Effects of K0 (horizontal/vertical stress ratio)

As shown in Section 3, mining sequences 1 and 2 have almost

similar effects on the existing tunnel. Therefore, in the following
sections, the effects of mining sequence 1 are studied. Fig. 8. Total displacements for different K0.

Fig. 5. Axial forces in rock bolts (kN).

Fig. 6. Normal forces in lining (kN).

Fig. 7. Bending moments in lining (kN
m/m).

 A.R. Beyabanaki, V. Gall / International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 27 (2017) 459466 463

Fig. 9. Axial forces in rock bolts (kN).

and 2.0 are 10.3, 16.3, and 33.5 kN, respectively. Therefore, increas-
ing K0 from 0.5 to 1.0 and 0.5 to 2.0, increases the axial forces 58%
and 225%, respectively. Also, as can be seen in Fig. 9bd, mining
sequence significantly increases the axial forces at the crown. At
the first stage, the calculated forces for K = 0.5, 1.0, and 2 are
27.6, 25.6, and 19 kN, respectively and at the last stage, those
increase to 51.9, 50.1, and 43.9 kN, respectively. Therefore, the
axial force increases are 88%, 96%, and 131% for K0 = 0.5, 1.0, and
2.0, respectively. It means that increasing K0 increases the effect
of mining sequence on axial forces in rock bolts.
Fig. 10 shows the obtained normal forces in the lining. As can be
seen, increasing K0 increases compressive forces at the crown and
invert and increases tensile forces at the tunnel springlines. The
maximum change occurs at the tunnel invert (point 5) so that
the normal forces increases from 326 kN for K = 0.5 to 607 kN
for K = 2 ( 286% change) at the last stage. At the first stage, the
forces at points 3 and 7 for K = 0.5, 1, and 2 are 862, 784, and
704 kN, respectively, and at the last stage, those are 2060,
2260, 2320 kN, respectively. Therefore, the tensile force increases
at the tunnel sides due to the open-pit mining sequence are
339%, 388%, and 430% for K = 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0, respectively. It can
be concluded that increasing K0 significantly increases the effect
of increasing tensile forces in the lining due to the mining
sequence.
The calculated bending moment in the lining are shown in
Fig. 11. As shown in Fig. 11, the maximum changes in bending
moments at the tunnel knees (points 4 and 6). The bending
moments at the tunnel knees are 2.8, 2.6, and 2.4 kN
m at the first
stage, and 4.1, 5.1, and 13.7 kN
m at the last stage for K0 = 0.5, 1,
and 2, respectively. Therefore, the bending moments in the lining
change 246%, 296%, and 671% for K = 0.5, 1, and 2, respectively. It
means increasing K0, increases the effect of mining sequence on
bending moments in the existing tunnel lining.
5. Effects of slope angle
In this section, the effects of different values of bench slope
angles of 70, 60, and 50 are investigated. The tunnel height, K0,
bench height and width are assumed to be 7.5, 1, and 15, and
10 m, respectively.
The maximum calculated displacements at the crown are
shown in Fig. 12. As can be seen mining sequence increases the
tunnel heave. At the first stage, the calculated displacements for
bench angles of 70, 60, and 50 are 4.08, 4.06, and 4.05 mm,
respectively. At the last stage, the obtained tunnel heaves are
31.2, 29, and 26.8 mm for bench angles of 70, 60, and 50, respec-
tively. Therefore, the tunnel heaves increase due to the open-pit
mining sequence for bench angles of 70, 60, and 50 are 665%,
614%, and 562%, respectively. It means that mining sequence effect
on existing tunnels increases with increasing the bench slope
angle.
Fig. 13 shows axial forces obtained in the rock bolts for different
slope angles. As can be seen, with increasing the bench angles, the
axial forces decrease at the tunnel sides and increase at the tunnel
crown. The axial forces at the crown for bench angles of 70, 60,
and 50 are 50.1, 40, and 33 kN, respectively, at the last stage.
Therefore, increasing the bench angle from 50 to 60 and 50 to

Fig. 10. Normal forces in lining (kN).

Fig. 11. Bending moments in lining (kN
m/m).

464 A.R. Beyabanaki, V. Gall / International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 27 (2017) 459466

normal forces at the springlines increases from 684 to 2260 kN

Fig. 12. Total displacements for different slope angles.
70, increases the axial forces 21% and 52%, respectively. The
effects of mining sequence on the axial forces are shown in
Fig. 13bd. As can be seen, the maximum increase occurs at the
crown. At the first stage, the calculated forces for bench angles of
70, 60, and 50 are 25.6, 20.7, and 17.7 kN, respectively and at
the last stage, those increase to 50.1, 40, and 33 kN, respectively.
Therefore, the axial force increases are 96%, 93%, and 86% for bench
angles of 70, 60, and 50, respectively. It can be concluded that
increasing bench angles increases the effects of mining sequence
on axial forces in rock bolts.
The calculated normal forces in the lining are shown in Fig. 14.
As can be seen, increasing the bench angles increases the tensile
forces so that it increases from 351 to 452 kN (229% change) at
the crown and from 1900 to 2260 (19% change) at the tunnel
springlines when the bench angle increases from 50 to 70. As
shown in Fig. 14bd, due to the open-pit mining sequence, the
(430% increase), from 708 to 2140 kN (402% increase), and
759 to 1900 kN (350% increase), for bench angles of 70, 60,
and 50, respectively.
As shown in Fig. 15, increasing the bench angles increases the
bending moments in the lining at the knee (points 4 and 6). The
values at the last stages are 13.2, 8.2, and 5.1 kN
m for bench
angles of 70, 60, and 50, respectively. Therefore, increasing the
slope angle from 50 to 60, and 50 to 70 causes 61% and 159%
increase in the bending moments, respectively. However, as can
be seen in Fig. 15bd, due to the mining sequence, the maximum
change occurs at the tunnel crown (point 5). In this case, the bend-
ing moment changes from 7.6 to 5.3 kN
m (170% change), from
6.4 to 5.7 kN
m (189% change), and from 6.3 to 8.4 kN
m
(233% change) for bench angles of 70, 60, and 50, respectively.
6. Effects of tunnel size
In order to investigate the effects of tunnel size, different
heights of 7.5, 6, and 5 m are studied in this section. In this study,
K0, bench angle, height and width are assumed to be 1, 70, 15 and
10 m, respectively.
The calculated displacements at the tunnel crown are shown in
Fig. 16. As can be seen, tunnel heave increases during the mining
sequence. The tunnel heaves at the first stage are 3.95, 3.9, and
3.89 mm and at the last stage are 31.2, 29.9, and 29.4 mm for
D = 7.5, 6, and 5 m, respectively. Therefore, the mining sequence

Fig. 13. Axial forces in rock bolts (kN).

Fig. 14. Normal forces in lining (kN).

Fig. 15. Bending moments in lining (kN
m/m).

 A.R. Beyabanaki, V. Gall / International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 27 (2017) 459466 465

respectively. Therefore, the axial force increases are 210%, 228%,

Fig. 16. Total displacements for different tunnel diameters.
increases the tunnel heaves 690%, 667%, and 656% for D = 7.5, 6,
and 5 m, respectively.
To be consistent with the previous sections, spacing of the rock
bolts (i.e., 1.5 m  1.5 m) does not change when the tunnel size
changes, so changing the tunnel size changes number of the rock
bolts. Therefore, the results are shown for the rock bolts located
at 1: right springline, 2: right shoulder, 3: crown, 4: left shoulder
and 5: left springline. The calculated axial forces in the rock bolts
are presented in Fig. 17. As can be seen, the maximum change in
the axial forces occurs at points 2 and 4 (right and left shoulders)
so that increasing the tunnel size from D = 5 to D = 7.5 m increases
the forces from 39.5 to 49.7 kN (26% increase). Also, as can be seen
in Fig. 17bd, mining sequence significantly increases the axial
forces at point 3 (tunnel crown). At the first stage, the calculated
forces for D = 5, 6, and 7.5 are 14.4, 13.4, and 11.8 kN, respectively
and at the last stage, those increase to 44.7, 43.9, and 42.1 kN,
and 257% for D = 5, 6, and 7.5, respectively. It means that increasing
tunnel size increases the effect of mining sequence on axial forces
in rock bolts.
The calculated normal forces in the tunnel lining are shown in
Fig. 18. As can be seen, increasing the tunnel size from D = 5 to
D = 7.5 m increases the normal forces at the tunnel crown from
132 to 452 kN (442%) at the last stage, respectively. As shown
in Fig. 18bd, the mining sequence significantly increases the ten-
sile forces in the lining at the tunnel sides (points 3 and 7). At the
first stage, the forces at the tunnel sides for D = 5, 6, and 7.5 are
641, 657, and 704 kN, respectively, and at the last stage, those
are 1610, 1920, 2260 kN, respectively. Therefore, the tensile force
increases at the tunnel sides due to the open-pit mining sequence
are 351%, 392%, and 421% for D = 5, 6, and 7.5, respectively. It
means increasing tunnel size significantly increases the effect of
increasing tensile forces in the lining due to the mining sequence.
Fig. 19 shows the results obtained for the bending moments in
the existing tunnel lining. As can be seen, increasing tunnel size
changes the bending moments. Due to the mining sequence, the
maximum increase occurs at the tunnel invert (point 5) from 5.1
to 12.1 kN
m (137% change) and the maximum decrease occurs
at the tunnel knees (points 4 and 6) from 8.4 to 23.8 kN
m
(183% change). The bending moments at the tunnel invert are
6.36, 4.92, and 4.84 kN
m at the first stage, and 8.41, 17.4,
and 23.8 kN
m at the last stage for D = 5, 6, and 7.5, respectively.
Therefore, the bending moments in the lining change 232%, 454%,

Fig. 17. Axial forces in rock bolts (kN).

Fig. 18. Normal forces in lining (kN).

Fig. 19. Bending moments in lining (kN
m/m).

466 A.R. Beyabanaki, V. Gall / International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 27 (2017) 459466
and 592% for D = 5, 6, and 7.5, respectively. Therefore, increasing
the tunnel size increases the effect of the mining sequence on
the existing tunnels.
7. Conclusions
Three-dimensional numerical parametric study is conducted to
obtain a better understanding of the influence of open-pit mining
sequence on the existing tunnels. For this purpose, the influence
of mining sequence approach, horizontal/vertical stress ratio (K0),
bench angle and tunnel diameter are investigated. Based on the
computed results, the following conclusions are drawn:
(1) Open-pit mining sequence causes heaves of the tunnel and
significant tensile forces in the tunnel lining at the springli-
nes so that the existing lining at the sides will be placed in
tension and in compression at the crown and invert.
(2) For a given geometry and mining sequence method, the ten-
sile forces in the tunnel lining are increased by up to 550% at
the tunnel sides. Therefore, it is recommended that the
designers consider the reserved capacity of the lining while
designing the tunnels in open pit mines and consider stron-
ger supports if they are not enough so that after mining, the
increased forces be within the capacity.
(3) Mining sequence also results in a significant change of the
bending moments at the tunnel knees, crown and invert.
(4) Open-pit mining sequence causes the tensile forces in the
existing rock bolts at the crown of the tunnel to increase sig-
nificantly (up to 120%).
(5) Mining sequence effects on existing tunnels increase with
increasing bench slope angle.
(6) Increasing K0 and tunnel diameter significantly increases the
effects of open-pit mining sequence on the axial forces in
rock bolts and normal forces and bending moments in the
existing tunnel lining. Therefore, to design access tunnels
with large diameters or high K0, it is strongly recommended
to consider the effects of the open-pit mining sequence on
the stability of the tunnels so that they can continue to oper-
ate safely during the mining activities.
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