Rock mass damage induced by rockbursts occurring on tunnel floors: a case study of two tunnels at the Jinping II Hydropower Station

Rockbursts occurring on tunnel floors are a special form of failure encountered in tunnel projects, where the failure is characterized by uplift, fracturing, and severe shocks of the tunnel floor. Extremely intense rockbursts were encountered during the excavation of the headrace tunnels 2 and 4 at the Jinping II Hydropower Station. In this study, results of comprehensive analysis conducted using the combination of numerical methods, experiments, and onsite survey to analyze the occurrence and development process of the rockburst are presented. In addition, the degree and extension range of the surrounding rock mass damage were estimated using the failure approaching index and the local energy release rate. The results of the analysis presented in this study are expected to advance the existing knowledge of special rockburst forms and may also serve as a reference for the design of resistant measures for other similar rockbursts.