Overview

RocSupport is an interactive and user-friendly software tool designed for quick estimation of tunnel deformation and support requirements in weak rock conditions. It uses the Rock Support Interaction Method (Convergence-Confinement analysis), which evaluates the tunnel-ground-support interaction based on the ground reaction curve. This curve is derived from analytical solutions for a circular tunnel in an elasto-plastic rock mass under hydrostatic stress conditions. RocSupport enables engineers to assess tunnel stability and optimize support design efficiently, with deterministic or probabilistic analysis options tailored to the needs of geomechanical engineering and underground construction projects.

Features and Capabilities

• **Ground Reaction Curve Modeling: **Calculates ground and support reaction curves based on tunnel radius, in-situ stress conditions, rock parameters, and support properties. Determines the support system’s safety factor at the curve intersection point.
• **Support System Simulation: **Simulate combinations of rock bolts, steel sets, shotcrete, or custom supports. Choose from built-in libraries or define custom support systems with real manufacturer specs. Control support installation by distance from tunnel face, percentage of convergence, or displacement.
• **Deterministic and Probabilistic Analysis: **Run deterministic simulations to calculate safety factors, or probabilistic models to evaluate failure probabilities. Assign statistical distributions to tunnel geometry, stress, and material parameters. Visualize results using histograms, scatter plots, and cumulative curves.
• **Batch Processing: **Perform batch runs on multiple RocSupport models for both deterministic and probabilistic analyses. Export results quickly in plain text or Excel formats.
• **Excel-Based Automation: **Automate analyses by importing numerical input from Excel templates. Output calculated results efficiently for larger data sets in engineering workflows.
• **Use Cases: **Designed for tunneling and mining engineers to rapidly estimate and optimize support systems in weak ground using parametric modeling.
• **Latest Version Update: **Version 5.001 includes a new analysis method (Vrakas, 2016) for high-deformation tunnels using the generalized Hoek-Brown criterion with dilation.