A simple method for analysis of point anchored rockbolts in circular tunnels in elastic ground

A simple analytical method for the analysis of point anchored rockbolts is presented in this paper. The solution has been derived for elastic ground and rockbolts, for plane strain conditions, and for tunnels with circular cross section. The method provides accurate results for the rockbolts' loads and displacements and explicitly includes the connection of the rockbolts to the surrounding ground. The addition of such details to a Finite Element numerical model is critical; otherwise the solution obtained may be dependent on the discretization used and on the stiffness of rockbolts and ground. As an alternative to including details of the rockbolt head and anchor point in the numerical model, which could be computationally very expensive, an equivalent spring constant is proposed. The spring constant is obtained by matching numerical with analytical results for a simple case, but keeping the geometry, material properties, and discretization unchanged.