Abstract: Mechanism of circular tunnel rockburst is that, when the carrying capacity of the centralized zone of plastic deformation in limiting state reduces, the comparatively intact part in rock mass unloads by way of elasticity; rockburst
occurs immediately when the elastic energy released by the comparatively intact part exceeds the energy dissipated by plastic deformation. The equivalent strain was taken as a state variable to establish a catastrophe
model of tunnel rockburst, and the computation expression of the earthquake energy released by tunnel rockburst was given. The analysis shows that, the conditions of rockburst occurrence are relative to rock's ratio of elastic modulus to descendent modulus and crack growth degree of rocks; to rock mass with specific rockburst tendency, there exists a corresponding critical depth of softened zone, and rockburst occurs when the depth of softened zone reaches.

Key words: circular tunnel, plastic deformation localization, rockburst, fold catastrophe model, critical depth of softened zone