Compressed air energy storage lined rock caverns are subject to various complex failure modes during operation

particularly under high-pressure conditions

where tensile and shear failures are prone to occur

posing serious threats to structural stability and operational safety. Focusing on the coupling characteristics of failure mechanisms

an analytical model of the surrounding rock failure zone was developed based on the full stress path from excavation to operation. The influences of rock mass quality

burial depth

tensile strength

and in-situ stress anisotropy on the evolution of failure zones were systematically analyzed. The results indicate that the failure mode during operation is significantly affected by the initial state of the surrounding rock after excavation: for high-quality rock masses that remain elastic after excavation

both high-pressure tensile and shear failures may occur during operation; whereas for lower-quality rock masses where shear failure zones have already developed after excavation

only further shear zone expansion is observed during operation. When the excavation-induced failure zone is smaller than the high-pressure failure zone

increasing burial depth effectively suppresses the expansion of both tensile and shear failure zones. The occurrence of tensile failure under high pressure significantly increases the overall degree of surrounding rock failure. However

relatively low tensile strength can inhibit its initiation. The critical tensile strength required for suppression decreases with increasing burial depth. In-situ stress anisotropy generates direction-dependent. As anisotropy increases

the critical internal pressure for high-pressure failure decreases

whereas the tensile strength required to suppress tensile failure increases.