Finite strain elastoplastic solutions for the undrained ground response curve in tunnelling

The instantaneous response of saturated low permeability grounds to tunnel excavation is important for deformations and stability close to the tunnel face. It is characterized by zero volume change in combination with the development of excess pore pressures. In tunnelling through poor quality ground under great depth of cover and high in situ pore pressure, heavily squeezing conditions (characterized by very large convergences) may occur soon after excavation. This paper presents exact finite strain analytical solutions for the undrained ground response around cylindrical and spherical openings that are unloaded from uniform and isotropic initial stress states, on the basis of the Modified Cam Clay (MCC) model and the Mohr–Coulomb (MC) model. The solution for a Drucker–Prager material is also given as it requires only a very small modification to the MC solution. The so‐called ground response curve, that is, the relationship between the support pressure and the cavity wall displacement, is derived in closed form for the MC model. The solution for the MCC problem is semi‐analytical in that it uses the trapezium rule for the computation of a definite integral. The influence of the significant parameters of the problem on the predicted deformation behaviour is shown by means of dimensionless charts. Finally, the practical usefulness of the solutions presented is illustrated by applying them to the breccia zones of the planned Gibraltar Strait tunnel – an extreme case of weak, low permeability ground under high pore pressure. The solutions can serve as a trustworthy benchmark for numerical procedures that incorporate material and geometric nonlinearities. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Effect of the Stress Path on Squeezing Behavior in Tunneling

Summary  The interplay between support systems and the rock when tunneling under squeezing conditions is normally studied by means of two-dimensional analyses. The present paper shows that the underlying plane strain assumption involved in a two-dimensional analysis may lead, under certain conditions, to ground pressure and deformation values that are considerably lower than those produced by stress analyses that take into account spatial effects in the vicinity of the tunnel face. The differences are due to the stress path dependency in the elasto-plastic behavior of the ground and, more specifically, to the inability of the plane strain model to map the actual radial stress history, which involves a complete radial unloading (and, later, a re-loading) of the tunnel boundary over the unsupported span. This inherent weakness of any plane strain analysis is relevant from the design standpoint, particularly for heavily squeezing conditions that require a yielding support. For the majority of tunneling conditions and methods, however, involving as they do the completion of a stiff support within a few meters of the face, the errors introduced by the plane strain assumption are not important from a practical point of view.     

The Applicability of the Ground Response Curve to Tunnelling Problems that Violate Rotational Symmetry

The applicability limits of the closed-form solution to the problem of ground response to tunnelling are sounded out by systematically investigating the effect of deviations from some of the important assumptions underlying the closed-form solution. The ground response curve (GRC) expresses the relationship between tunnel support pressure and the radial displacement of the tunnel boundary on the basis of a rotationally symmetric model. The assumptions underlying rotational symmetry are a circular tunnel, a hydrostatic and uniform initial stress field, an isotropic and homogeneous ground and uniformly distributed support pressure. Deviations from these assumptions generally necessitate potentially time-consuming numerical analyses. The paper revisits the classical problem of tunnel excavation in a linearly elastic, perfectly plastic ground obeying the Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion, and analyses the effects of non-uniformity and anisotropy of the initial stress field and of a non-circular tunnel geometry. The results show that the GRC also provides a reasonably accurate approximation of average tunnel convergence for a wide range of ground conditions that violate rotational symmetry.     

A finite strain solution for the elastoplastic ground response curve in tunnelling: rocks with non‐linear failure envelopes

This paper generalizes the finite strain Coulomb solution of Vrakas and Anagnostou (Int J Numer Anal Meth Geomech 2014; 38(11): 1131–1148) for the classic tunnel mechanics problem of the ground response curve to elastoplastic grounds satisfying a non‐linear Mohr's failure criterion. A linear (Coulomb‐type) plastic potential function is used, leading to a non‐associated flow law, and edge plastic flow is considered in the plastic zone. The solution for a general non‐linear Mohr's failure criterion is semi‐analytical in that it requires the evaluation of definite integrals. In the special case of the Hoek–Brown criterion, however, these integrals are calculated analytically, resulting in a rigorous closed‐form series solution. The applicability of the derived solution is illustrated through the example of the Yacambú‐Quibor tunnel, where very large deformations were observed when crossing of weak graphitic phyllites. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new closed‐form solution for analysis of unlined pressure tunnels under seepage forces

In this study, a simplified analytical closed‐form solution, considering plane strain and axial symmetry conditions, for analysis of a circular pressure tunnel excavated underwater table, is developed. The method accounts for the seepage forces with the steady‐state flow and is based on the generalized effective stress law. To examine the effect of pore pressure variations and also the boundary conditions at the ground surface, the formulations are derived for different directions around the tunnel. The proposed method can be applied for analysis and design of pressure tunnels. Illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed solution and also to examine the effect of seepage forces on the stability of tunnels. The simplified analytical solution derived in this study is compared with numerical analyses. It is concluded that the classic solutions (Lame's thick‐walled solution), considering the internal pressure as a mechanical load applied to the tunnel surface, are not applicable to pervious media and can result in an unsafe design. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of undrained cavity expansion in elasto‐plastic soils with non‐linear elasticity

A large strain analysis of undrained expansion of a spherical/cylindrical cavity in a soil modelled as non‐linear elastic modified Cam clay material is presented. The stress–strain response of the soil is assumed to obey non‐linear elasticity until yielding. A power‐law characteristic or a hyperbolic stress–strain curve is used to describe the gradual reduction of soil stiffness with shear strain. It is assumed that, after yielding, the elasto‐plastic behaviour of the soil can be described by the modified Cam clay model. Based on a closed‐form stress–strain response in undrained condition, a numerical solution is obtained with the aid of simple numerical integration technique. The results show that the stresses and the pore pressure in the soil around an expanded cavity are significantly affected by the non‐linear elasticity, especially if the soil is overconsolidated. The difference between large strain and small strain solutions in the elastic zone is not significant. The stresses and the pore pressure at the cavity wall can be expressed as an approximate closed‐form solution. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ground response curves for rock masses exhibiting strain‐softening behaviour

A literature review has shown that there exist adequate techniques to obtain ground reaction curves for tunnels excavated in elastic‐brittle and perfectly plastic materials. However, for strain‐softening materials it seems that the problem has not been sufficiently analysed. In this paper, a one‐dimensional numerical solution to obtain the ground reaction curve (GRC) for circular tunnels excavated in strain‐softening materials is presented. The problem is formulated in a very general form and leads to a system of ordinary differential equations. By adequately defining a fictitious ‘time’ variable and re‐scaling some variables the problem is converted into an initial value one, which can be solved numerically by a Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg method, which is implemented in MATLAB environment. The method has been developed for various common particular behaviour models including Tresca, Mohr–Coulomb and Hoek–Brown failure criteria, in all cases with non‐associative flow rules and two‐segment piecewise linear functions related to a principal strain‐dependent plastic parameter to model the transition between peak and residual failure criteria. Some particular examples for the different failure criteria have been run, which agree well with closed‐form solutions—if existing—or with FDM‐based code results. Parametric studies and specific charts are created to highlight the influence of different parameters. The proposed methodology intends to be a wider and general numerical basis where standard and newly featured behaviour modes focusing on obtaining GRC for tunnels excavated in strain‐softening materials can be implemented. This way of solving such problems has proved to be more efficient and less time consuming than using FEM‐ or FDM‐based numerical 2D codes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Elastic‐plastic solutions for expanding cavities embedded in two different cohesive‐frictional materials

An analytical solution of cavity expansion in two different concentric regions of soil is developed and investigated in this paper. The cavity is embedded within a soil with finite radial dimension and surrounded by a second soil, which extends to infinity. Large‐strain quasi‐static expansion of both spherical and cylindrical cavities in elastic‐plastic soils is considered. A non‐associated Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion is used for both soils. Closed‐form solutions are derived, which provide the stress and strain fields during the expansion of the cavity from an initial to a final radius. The analytical solution is validated against finite element simulations, and the effect of varying geometric and material parameters is studied. The influence of the two different soils during cavity expansion is discussed by using pressure–expansion curves and by studying the development of plastic regions within the soils. The analytical method may be applied to various geotechnical problems, which involve aspects of soil layering, such as cone penetration test interpretation, ground‐freezing around shafts, tunnelling, and mining. © 2014 The Authors. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Solutions for the deformations and stability of elastoplastic hollow cylinders subjected to boundary pressures

In this paper, a closed-form solution is presented for the stress and displacement distributions throughout a hollow cylinder subjected to uniform pressures acting on its internal and external boundary surfaces under plane strain conditions. The material is assumed to be elastoplastic, obeying a Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion, and exhibiting dilatant plastic deformation according to a non-associated flow rule. The newly developed analytical solution is verified through comparison with the solutions obtained from an infinite boundary problem (for which a closed-form solution exists), and numerical analyses using the program FLAC. The solution is also compared with the results of a borehole collapse test on a thick-walled hollow cylinder of synthetic shale. The analytical solution can be used to calculate the stress and displacement distributions around boreholes and other cylindrical cavities under both infinite and finite boundary conditions under both drained and undrained conditions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Blast‐induced rock fracture near a tunnel

Damage in the form of cracks is predicted to assess the susceptibility of a tunnel to failure due to a blast. The material‐point method is used in conjunction with a decohesive failure model as the basis for the numerical simulations. The assumption of a cylindrical charge as the source for the blast allows the restriction of plane strain and two‐dimensional analyses. In the simulation, a further restriction of a single pressure pulse is used as the source of stress waves that are reflected and refracted after reaching the free surface of the tunnel wall. Three critical zones of significant cracking in the vicinity of a tunnel are identified as potential contributors to tunnel failure. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sheared shale response to deep TBM excavation

Phien-wej, N. and Cording, E.J., 1991. Sheared shale response to deep TBM excavation. Eng. Geol., 30: 371–391.

Ravelling and squeezing of sheared shale of Stillwater Tunnel caused severe problems in tunneling with a tunnel boring machine (TBM) that led to termination of the contract. The tunnel was finally holed through with two TBM's specially designed for squeezing ground. Although the shale mass in all geological conditions exhibited time-dependent response, significant squeezing was confined to sheared shale with large amounts of clay gouge infill, wherein creep of the clay gouge was the prime mechanism controlling the ground response. However, when the tunnel face was advanced at a slow rate, the observed ground squeezing in the early period was largely induced by the effect of stress change from face advance, not the creep. Ground ravelling was very significant in sheared shale due to the high degree of fissuring and fracturing of this thinly bedded shale. Failure of the first TBM resulted mainly from the incompatibility of the shield design with the sheared shale. The shield was too long and stiff and had variable diameters. Extensive observation and instrumentation programs of the project provided valuable information on rapid mechanized tunneling in heavy ground.     

A new procedure for ground response curve (GRC) in strain-softening surrounding rock

A new procedure for the ground response curve (GRC) is investigated in strain-softening surrounding rock for a circular opening. The procedure started each step with a radius increment and the analytical solutions of stress and strain in each annulus were presented. The plastic region is divided into a finite number of concentric annuli, whose thickness is uniformly determined by a small radius increment. Combining the equilibrium equation and failure criterion, stress for each annulus can be obtained analytically. The displacement for each step can be calculated analytically through solving the differential equation by invoking flow rule and Hooke’s law. The strains for each annulus can be obtained by the strain-displacement relationship. In the successive manner, the distributions of stress and displacement can be found. It should be noted that the finial stress and displacement at radial direction are the internal support pressure and deformation at the excavation surface, respectively. By assuming different plastic radii (using a plastic radius increment), GRC, the evolution curve of plastic radii and internal support pressure can be obtained analytically. Some numerical and engineering examples are performed to demonstrate the validity of the proposed procedure. It is shown that the results of the proposed procedure at the tunnel crown are basically consistent with field measuring data. The influence of the annulus number, plastic radius increment and dilation on the accuracy of the proposed approach is investigated. Results show that the solutions are more accurate and the calculation efficiency is higher.     

软土隧道横向抗震分析的简化响应位移法

响应位移法能够反映软土隧道在地震荷载作用下的动力反应特性,是一种简便实用的隧道抗震设计简化分析方法。以方形截面隧道为例,采用地层－结构整体动力有限元方法,验证了响应位移法的准确性与合理性;为了简化响应位移法的计算过程,基于平面应变假定,采用弹性理论的复变函数方法推导了土弹簧刚度的解析表达式,并与有限元解进行了对比分析。将土弹簧刚度的解析表达式应用到响应位移法的计算中,同时采用地层剪应力及自由场地震反应位移的简化计算模式,将简化后的响应位移法和整体动力有限元法进行了对比分析,验证了简化方法的可行性。     

Complex variable analysis for stress distribution of an underwater tunnel in an elastic half plane

When an underwater tunnel is excavated, the groundwater may flow into the tunnel. The seepage forces consequently induced can have important effects on the effective stresses around the tunnel. Moreover, the influences of the free surface of a shallow underwater tunnel should also be considered. In this research, an analytical solution is presented to calculate the seepage‐induced effective stresses around a shallow underwater tunnel in an elastic half plane. The solution uses the complex variable method and consists of conformally mapping the half plane with a hole onto a transformed circular ring. The coefficients of the various terms in the Laurent series expansions of the stress functions in the transformed region can be obtained from the boundary conditions. The total stress distribution around a shallow underwater tunnel can be calculated by the potentials in the half plane. The effective stress can be obtained by subtracting the pore pressure from the total stress. The analytical solution is validated by numerical simulations and can be used to perform both the short‐term and long‐term analyses. By using the proposed solution, it is found that the circumferential effective stresses around the tunnel increase greatly because of seepage, and they increase with the increase of water depth in both the undrained and drained conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Plasticity solutions for soil behaviour around contracting cavities and tunnels

The action of tunnel excavation reduces the in-situ stresses along the excavated circumference and can therefore be simulated by unloading of cavities from the in-situ stress state. Increasing evidence suggests that soil behavior in the plane perpendicular to the tunnel axis can be modelled reasonably by a contracting cylindrical cavity, while movements ahead of an advancing tunnel heading can be better predicted by spherical cavity contraction theory. In the past, solutions for unloading of cavities from in-situ stresses in cohesive-frictional soils have mainly concentrated on the small strain, cylindrical cavity model. Large strain spherical cavity contraction solutions with a non-associated Mohr–Coulomb model do not seem to be widely available for tunnel applications. Also, cavity unloading solutions in undrained clays have been developed only in terms of total stresses with a linear elastic-perfectly plastic soil model. The total stress analyses do not account for the effects of strain hardening/softening, variable soil stiffness, and soil stress history (OCR). The effect of these simplifying assumptions on the predicted soil behavior around tunnels is not known. In this paper, analytical and semi-analytical solutions are presented for unloading of both cylindrical and spherical cavities from in-situ state of stresses under both drained and undrained conditions. The non-associated Mohr-Coulomb model and various critical state theories are used respectively to describe the drained and undrained stress-strain behaviors of the soils. The analytical solutions presented in this paper are developed in terms of large strain formulations. These solutions can be used to serve two main purposes: (1) to provide models for predicting soil behavior around tunnels; (2) to provide valuable benchmark solutions for verifying various numerical methods involving both Mohr–Coulomb and critical state plasticity models. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Generalized poroelastic wellbore problem

This paper presents a novel analytical solution to the transient, z‐dependent, and asymmetric problem of an infinite wellbore drilled into a fluid‐saturated porous medium. The formulations are based on Biot's linear theory of poroelasticity, in which the dependency of poroelastic field variables to spatial coordinates as well as time domain is considered in the most general form. This gives flexibility to the solution in cases that cannot be analyzed using the conventional plane strain or symmetric models. One such case is when calculating the stress variations around an inclined wellbore where the far‐field stresses are acting over a finite vertical section. The results of our solution to this case with a three‐dimensional state of far‐field stress are used to analyze the stability of inclined wellbores passing through abnormally stressed formations. The presented solution is capable of finding expressions for fundamental solutions with stress or flow boundary conditions at the wellbore. These solutions are here adopted to analyze the pressure disturbances generated by multiprobe formation tester, a standard wireline device that is designed for downhole fluid sampling as well as estimating the directional permeabilities of subsurface earth formations. A comparison with the conventional solution for the relevant pressure diffusion equation indicates that the poroelastic effect is relatively significant in relation to the transient response of the pore pressure. Further, it is shown that the finite dimensions of sink probe would, to a great extent, contribute to the formation's pore pressure variations at its immediate proximity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

搅拌桩加固挤土效应及在地铁隧道保护中的应用

在减小地基变形进行的深层搅拌桩加固时,加固本身的挤土效应对隧道变形产生了影响。为此,模拟了搅拌桩（DCM）侧向挤土效应的4种荷载模式,结合实测资料并采用数值试验验证了侧向挤土荷载模式的合理性。进一步应用该模式,通过有限元模拟了搅拌桩的加固挤土效应,分析讨论了不同加固顺序对地面变形,隧道变形以及长期蠕变变形的影响,结论表明,搅拌桩加固对地面环境影响是不可忽略,隧道周围搅拌桩施工顺序对隧道变形影响较大,搅拌桩加固后长期蠕变效应相对加固过程的变形很小。     

Undrained expansion of a cylindrical cavity in clays with fabric anisotropy: theoretical solution

This paper presents a novel, exact, semi-analytical solution for the quasi-static undrained expansion of a cylindrical cavity in soft soils with fabric anisotropy. This is the first theoretical solution of the undrained expansion of a cylindrical cavity under plane strain conditions for soft soils with anisotropic behaviour of plastic nature. The solution is rigorously developed in detail, introducing a new stress invariant to deal with the soil fabric. The semi-analytical solution requires numerical evaluation of a system of six first-order ordinary differential equations. The results agree with finite element analyses and show the influence of anisotropic plastic behaviour. The effective stresses at critical state are constant, and they may be analytically related to the undrained shear strength. The initial vertical cross-anisotropy caused by soil deposition changes towards a radial cross-anisotropy after cavity expansion. The analysis of the stress paths shows that proper modelling of anisotropic plastic behaviour involves modelling not only the initial fabric anisotropy but also its evolution with plastic straining.     

地铁交叉隧道近场强地震反应特性的三维精细化非线性有限元分析

基于ABAQUS软件研发的显式有限元并行计算集群平台,建立地铁双层交叉隧道结构的三维精细化有限元分析模型,研究了近场强地震动作用下地铁双层交叉隧道的三维非线性地震反应特性,并与浅埋/深埋单层隧道的地震反应特性进行了比较,结果表明：双层隧道的相互作用效应对上、下层隧道顶、底部之间的相对水平位移差具有放大作用;对上、下层隧道的地震应力反应有减小作用;双层隧道上、下层左侧的地震应力反应大于右侧的地震应力反应,隧道拱肩和拱腰处的应力反应明显大于其他部位,拱肩为隧道结构的最危险部位;双层隧道下层顶、底部的峰值加速度反应大于上层顶、底部的峰值加速度反应;双层隧道相互作用效应对上、下层隧道地震反应的影响与双层隧道的交叉形式和基岩输入的近场强地震动特性有关。     

A new closed-form solution for circular openings modeled by the Unified Strength Theory and radius-dependent Young’s modulus

A new closed-form solution is presented for the stress and displacement distribution surrounding circular openings with finite external radii that are subject to uniform internal and external pressures under plane strain conditions. The specific solution for a deep circular tunnel in an infinite rock mass is also provided. It is assumed that the rock mass is elastic–brittle–plastic and governed by the Unified Strength Theory (UST). In the plastic zone, the radius-dependent Young’s modulus (RDM) model and a non-associated linear flow rule were adopted to establish the radial displacement solution. The new closed-form solution obtained in this paper is a series of results rather than one specific solution; hence, it is suitable for a wide range of rock masses and engineering structures. The traditional solutions, which are based on the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion and the Generalized Twin Shear Stress yield criterion, can be categorized as special cases of this proposed solution. This new solution agrees reasonably well with the results of a borehole collapse test, a secondary development numerical simulation and an additional closed-form solution using the generalized non-linear Hoek–Brown failure criterion. Parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effects of intermediate principal stress, RDM and dilatancy on the results. It is shown herein that the effects of intermediate principal stress and dilatancy are significant; the RDM model is recommended as the optimum approach for calculating radial displacement and support pressure.