Convergence-Confinement Method for Tunnel Design

Jean Sulem is professor of Rock Mechanics at Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, France. He is past-president of the French Society of Rock Mechanics, and served as core member of the Technical Committee on large deformations of the International Society of Soil Mechanics (2006-2010). He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Springer journal Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering.

• Introduction.- Methods of support.- The convergence-confinement method for a tunnel driven in an elastic medium.- The convergence-confinement method for a tunnel driven in an elasto-plastic medium.- The convergence-confinement method for a tunnel driven in an elastic medium.- The convergence-confinement method and the time-dependent behavior of the rock mass.- Use of numerical models.

“Panet and Sulem put the convergence-confinement method in the centre of their book and expand this technique to cover different scenarios, e.g. anisotropic stress, plasticity, viscosity etc. … This book provides a practicable approach to many intricate problems from tunnelling practice. … This book by Panet and Sulem is an excellent reference for graduate students and tunnel practitioners alike. The book is well illustrated and easy to read. I enjoyed reading it while writing this review.” (Wei Wu, Acta Geotechnica, July 18, 2022)“The book, which can undoubtedly be rated as a ‘state of the art’ report, characterized as it is by mechanical soundness and mathematical rigorousness, is not only an excellent reference text for postgraduate tunnelling courses but is also an extremely useful manual for tunnel engineers in practice. … In my own opinion, the volume is well worth the priceand merits its place in the bookshelves of anyone working in the tunnelling engineering field.” (Leandro R. Alejano, Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, July 14, 2022)