Stability and Failure Mechanism of the Tunnel Face in Nonhomogeneous Clay with Longitudinal Slopes: A Kinematic Limit Analysis
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24, Issue 10
Abstract
Longitudinal inclined tunnels are commonly encountered in practical projects, yet limited studies are available on determining the stability of the tunnel face with the presence of longitudinal slopes, especially in nonhomogeneous clay. This study employs the upper-bound finite-element method with rigid translatory moving elements (UB-RTME) to investigate the impact of longitudinal slopes on the stability of tunnel faces and their failure mechanisms. To enhance the computational performance of the UB-RTME, a series of mesh updating and refinement technologies is proposed. Furthermore, this study provides a comprehensive numerical implementation specifically designed for nonhomogeneous clay. By considering combined effects of slope inclination, tunnel burial depth, soil unit weight parameter, and undrained shear strength gradient, compact upper-bound solutions of the load factor of the tunnel face are obtained. The associated failure mechanisms, characterized by the meshlike slip surfaces and their evolution, are also determined. Numerical results highlight that both the load factor and the failure mechanism of the tunnel face are significantly influenced by the longitudinal slope inclination. Consistent design equations for assessing the stability of the tunnel face are proposed, which can be directly applied in practical scenarios. In addition, the effects of the proposed mesh updating techniques and mesh density on the accuracy of numerical solutions are discussed.
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Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52308425), the International Postdoctoral Exchange Fellowship Program (Talent-introduction Program, No. YJ20220219), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2023TQ0382).
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- , , , , ,
- fitting coefficients;
- burial depth of the tunnel (m);
- undrained shear strength (kPa);
- height of the tunnel (m);
- ,
- calculated relative errors;
- , ,
- boundary dimensions (m);
- ground subsidence width;
- initial cohesion coefficient;
- linear increase coefficient of nonhomogeneous clay;
- soil unit weight coefficient;
- ,
- number of elements/velocity discontinuities;
- internal dissipation energy occurs along the velocity discontinuities (W);
- virtual power of the soil unit weight (W);
- goodness-of-fit;
- , , ,
- horizontal velocity (m/s);
- , , ,
- vertical velocity (m/s);
- vertical velocity component of the overall rigid subsidence zone (m/s);
- , , , , ,
- coordinates (m);
- unit weight ( );
- longitudinally inclined angle (deg);
- procedure variable of discontinuity;
- linear strength gradient;
- ,
- uniform surcharge loading (kPa);
- uniform support force (kPa); and
- angle of internal friction (deg).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24 • Issue 10 • October 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 10, 2023
Accepted: Apr 4, 2024
Published online: Jul 19, 2024
Published in print: Oct 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Dec 19, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Analysis (by type)
- Chemical properties
- Chemistry
- Clays
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Environmental engineering
- Failure analysis
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Homogeneity
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials engineering
- Slope stability
- Slopes
- Soil analysis
- Soil dynamics
- Soil mechanics
- Soil properties
- Soil stabilization
- Soils (by type)
- Tunnels
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