ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of ground arching is well recognized in the construction of underground structures such as tunnels. Arching can be described as a transfer of stresses between a yielding ground mass and its adjoining stable masses, resulting in a redistribution of ground stresses (Terzaghi, 1943). When the yielding mass tends to move downwards, the shearing resistance will act upward and reduce the stress at the base of the yielding mass, as illustrated in Figure 1.
