Workflow guide
Preliminary tunnel assessment workflow
A staged, reviewable route from input provenance through analytical checks, rock-mass characterization, sensitivity and explicit escalation criteria.
Core relationship
Evidence → inputs and units → analytical checks → rock-mass model → sensitivity → review gate
Inputs & units
- Geometry and coordinate convention
- In-situ stress magnitude and orientation
- Geological domains and discontinuities
- Intact and rock-mass properties
- Groundwater and construction assumptions
Assumptions
- The objective is screening and decision support, not final design.
- Every input retains source, unit, date and confidence.
- The selected analytical method matches the geometry and material idealization.
Limitations
- Escalate when geometry, anisotropy, yielding, discontinuities, groundwater, interaction or construction sequence materially affect behaviour.
- A plausible-looking output is not validation.
- Final design and permitting require competent professionals and project-specific checks.
Synthetic worked example
Run a synthetic benchmark first, then a bounded project case with sensitivity ranges. Record what changed, which checks passed, and which questions require numerical analysis or field evidence.
Engineering use boundary
This page is educational and supports preliminary assessment. It does not replace site investigation, competent engineering judgement, final design, independent review or permitting requirements.