本文作为一个讲座对以往研究成果做一个综述，回顾了围岩压力理论的发展过程与隧道破坏机制研究的进展，通过模型试验与弹塑性有限元强度折减法，得出浅埋拱形隧道的破坏在拱顶，深埋隧道的破坏在侧壁的破坏机制，并可求出隧道围岩破裂面位置与形态。分析了矩形隧洞与拱形隧道破坏机制随埋深增加而变，矩形隧道可划分为浅埋顶部破坏阶段、深埋压力拱破坏阶段和深埋两侧破坏阶段3个阶段,而拱形隧道不存在压力拱破坏阶段。

As a lecture on the research achievements in the past, the authors review the evolutionary process of the rock mass pressure theory and the progress in the researches on the failure mechanism of tunnel. Through model experiment and FEM strength reduction, the failure mechanism can be drawn that the failure of shallowcovered arched tunnel happens on the arch top and the failure of deepcovered tunnel happens on the sidewall, and the location and state of failure surface of rock mass can be worked out.Then, the authors study the change of failure mechanism of rectangular tunnel and arched tunnel. The failure of rectangular tunnel can be divided into three stages: failure on the top of shallowcovered tunnel, failure on the pressure arch of deepcovered tunnel and failure of both sides of deepcovered tunnel. There is no failure stage of pressure arch in arched tunnel.