Excavation Damage Mechanics in Rock Masses
Summary
Excavation damage mechanics concerns the processes by which rock masses surrounding engineered voids experience stress redistribution, microcracking and progressive degradation. When a tunnel, shaft or cavern is created, the removal of material perturbs the in situ stress field and induces zones of damage that range from intense fracturing adjacent to the excavation boundary to more diffuse deformation in the far field. The severity and spatial extent of these excavation damaged zones (EDZs) are governed by rock heterogeneity, initial stress magnitude and orientation, excavation method (for example drill‐and‐blast or mechanised boring), and time‐dependent effects such as creep and stress relaxation. Damage mechanics frameworks combine continuum theories with scalar damage variables or tensorial descriptions to quantify stiffness loss and strength reduction. Numerical models—ranging from finite‐element and discrete‐element methods to data‐driven prediction schemes—have been calibrated against laboratory tests and field measurements. Applications span mining, deep tunnelling, underground storage of energy or nuclear waste, and civil infrastructure, where a robust understanding of damage evolution is essential for optimising support design, ensuring long‐term stability and mitigating seismic or dilatant hazards.
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Excavation Damage Mechanics in Rock Masses publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in excavation damage mechanics in rock masses across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Excavation damaged zone (EDZ): The region of altered mechanical properties and fracturing around an engineered opening caused by stress perturbation.
In situ stress: The existing stress state in a rock mass prior to excavation, including both tectonic and overburden components.
Continuum damage mechanics: A theoretical framework that represents material degradation through internal damage variables affecting stiffness and strength.
Lateral pressure coefficient (k₀): The ratio of horizontal to vertical in situ stress, influencing failure modes during excavation.
Transient unloading: A rapid reduction in confining stress caused by excavation, leading to dynamic stress waves and damage propagation.
References
- Space‐Time Distribution Laws of Tunnel Excavation Damaged Zones (EDZs) in Deep Mines and EDZ Prediction Modeling by Random Forest Regression. Advances in Civil Engineering (2019).
- Dynamic failure characteristics of surrounding rocks under different lateral pressure coefficients in deep tunnel transient excavation. Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources (2023).
- Determination Method of Excavation Damage Zone Based on Surrounding Rock Damage-Fracture Ratio in Underground Engineering. Frontiers in Earth Science (2022).
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