Application of numerical analyses for tunnelling

Abstract The paper reviews the application of numerical methods in tunnelling, the achievements and the shortcomings, hence also the future tasks for closing the gap between real ground behaviour in critical tunnelling situations and the present approaches by numerical models. After discussing the role of the structural model within the entire design procedure for a tunnel project, problems are mentioned where numerical methods are essential. This is explained for soft ground tunnelling as well as for tunnels in rock. A special section is devoted to the kind of numerical models needed for the interpretation of field measurements. There is still much to do, especially in covering failure modes of tunnels by numerical analysis. The paper is a shorter version (e.g. without photographs of the actual tunnelling work) of a lecture presented at the Innsbruck Conference on Numerical Methods in 1988.