An overview of potential excavation compensation method for tunnelling in deep rock engineering

Abstract The complicated geological environment of deep rocks poses new challenges to tunnel and mining engineering. Some thorny disasters such as large deformation of soft rock and rockburst are becoming more and more prominent. However, the classic tunnelling methods represented by the mine tunnelling method and the new Austrian tunnelling method are generally unsatisfactory in addressing these issues due to the limited self-stability of surrounding rock mass. Therefore, the excavation compensation method (ECM) with the core of active stress compensation has been proposed and applied in practical engineering construction to solve the above problems. After extensive engineering practice, the theoretical foundation, key technologies, and construction system of ECM have been established and improved. This article provides a comprehensive overview of this novel tunnelling method. In addition, its controlling effects on surrounding rock are demonstrated by two typical engineering examples. It could provide some new ideas and references for the development of future tunnelling technology.