The rock mechanical relevance of anisotropy in tunnel design

The assumption of an isotropic material behaviour is still common practice for tunnel design. Strictly speaking, this assumption is only valid if the influence of directional dependencies on the resulting deformations and stresses is marginal. In lithologies that have a high degree of anisotropy, such as shales and phyllites, the orientation characteristics of material properties such as strength and stiffness should be taken into account in order to avoid serious misinterpretations of the bearing capacity and deformation characteristic of the surrounding rock and the tunnel lining. The main focus is to accurately distinguish between the different types and terminology of anisotropy.