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The tunnel face collapses easily during tunnel construction in weak surrounding rock under high geo-stress. Identifying the instability mechanism of the face and proposing targeted control measures are of great importance to prevent the collapse of the face. Using the setting of the carbonaceous phyllite stratum of the Baima tunnel, a FLAC3D-PFC3D coupled model is used to analyze the influential factors on the stability of the face and optimize the original support scheme. The results show that the instability of the face is rooted in the collapse of the rock above the face, and the bench method with short cycle footage is more conducive to the stability of the face. Compared with single support mode of advanced small pipes, the combined support scheme of long bolts and small pipes can better control the displacement of the surrounding rock and prevent the collapse of the tunnel face. The numerical simulation and field surrounding rock monitoring results verify the rationality of the excavation method, the cycle footage, and the support system. This finding will be of great significance to guide design and construction in weak surrounding rock.

The rock load acting on the lining of an underground excavation is influenced by multiple factors, including rock type, rock mass condition, depth, and construction method. This study focuses on quantifying the magnitude and distribution of the radial loads on the lining of a deep shaft constructed in hard rock by the so-called short-step method. The blasting-induced damage zone (BDZ) around the shaft was characterized using ultrasonic testing and incorporated into the convergence-confinement method (CCM) and 3D numerical analyses to assess the impact of BDZ on rock loading against the liner. The results show that excavation blasting of shafts is an important controlling factor for the degradation of the rock mass, while the orientation and magnitude of the principal stress had a minimal influence on the distribution of blast-induced damage. The analysis shows that increasing the depth of blast damage in the walls can increase the loads acting on the lining, and the shear loads acting on the liner could be significant for shafts sunk by the short-step method in an area with anisotropic in situ stresses.