Design of underground structures and analysis of self-support capacity

The complicated rock structures and the stability of surrounding rocks of the underground powerhouse are key ground mechanical challenges for hydropower projects. In this paper, an example of contributing self-support capacity of rock mass to evaluate optimised support for long-term usage of structure is given. It describes importance of investigations in the initial in situ stress distribution, rock mechanical and geological properties, engineering rock mass classifications by different methods, numerical modelling, comparison of tools for stability and support analysis and proper stability control for rock excavation and support. The results show that after underground excavations in hard rock, detailed analysis of measures to investigate deformation and self-supporting capacity creation is useful and a cost-saving procedure.