The results obtained in this project will provide needed quantitative criteria for the rational design of pressure tunnels and shed light into the fundamental hydromechanic interactions occurring during hydrojacking of jointed rock masses. The results will also aid in estimation of magnitudes of inflow into underground openings from observed geologic data early in the project. The flow regime due to dewatering and recharge of the jointed rock mass will modeled to assess the effect of the hydromechanical properties of the joints and the attitude and spacing of the joints on the computed magnitudes of infiltration rates into the tunnel or rates of exfiltrations into the masses. The coupled hydromechanical rockliner interaction will be studied to assess the effect of topography, hydromechanical joint properties and level of reinforcement in the liner, on the head loss across the liner, magnitude of exfiltrations from the tunnel and initiation of hydrojacking in the mass.
