Probabilistic evaluation of tunnel face stability in spatially random soils using sparse polynomial chaos expansion with global sensitivity analysis

The sparse polynomial chaos expansion is employed to perform a probabilistic analysis of the tunnel face stability in the spatially random soils. A shield tunnel under compressed air is considered which implies that the applied pressure is uniformly distributed on the tunnel face. Two sets of failure mechanisms in the context of the limit analysis theory with respect to the frictional and the purely cohesive soils are used to calculate the required face pressure. In the case of the frictional soils, the cohesion and the friction angle are modeled as two anisotropic cross-correlated lognormal random fields; for the purely cohesive soils, the cohesion and the unit weight are modeled as two anisotropic independent lognormal random fields. The influences of the spatial variability and of the cross-correlation between the cohesion and the friction angle on the probability density function of the required face pressure, on the sensitivity index and on the failure probability are discussed. The obtained results show that the spatial variability has an important influence on the probability density function as well as the failure probability, but it has a negligible impact on the Sobol’s index.     

Rotational failure mechanisms for the face stability analysis of tunnels driven by a pressurized shield

The aim of this paper is to determine the collapse and blow‐out face pressures of a circular tunnel driven by a pressurized shield. The analysis is performed in the framework of the kinematical approach of the limit analysis theory. Two rotational failure mechanisms are proposed for the active and passive cases. These mechanisms have two significant advantages with respect to the available ones: (i) they take into account the entire circular tunnel face instead of an inscribed ellipse to this circular area, and (ii) they are more consistent with the rotational rigid‐block movement observed in the experimental tests. For both the active and passive cases, the three‐dimensional failure surface was generated ‘point by point’ instead of simple use of the existing standard geometric shapes such as cones or cylinders. This was achieved by employing a spatial discretization technique. The numerical results have shown that the present rotational mechanisms provide, in the case of frictional soils (with or without cohesion), a significant improvement with respect to the translational mechanisms. Finally, an extension of the proposed collapse mechanism to include a tension cut‐off in the classical Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion is presented and discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

深埋盾构隧道开挖面三维对数螺旋破坏模式的上限分析

相对于盾构隧道施工的大量需求与快速发展的状况,国内在盾构工法特别是大型深埋盾构隧道施工技术和理论研究方面还存在不足,特别是水压条件下深埋盾构隧道开挖面稳定问题。基于极限分析上限法和水土压力统一参数,对考虑水压影响的均质土深埋隧道开挖面稳定性计算方法进行研究,建立了考虑水压影响的深埋盾构隧道开挖面三维对数螺旋破坏模式模型,并推导了其极限支护压力计算公式。然后利用土层厚度加权平均法,可将上述方法应用于多层土深埋盾构隧道开挖面稳定性的评价中。最后,以上海长江盾构隧道实际工程为例,采用本文推导的极限分析上限三维对数螺旋破坏模式方法计算并分析其极限支护压力,并将计算结果与前人研究和规范方法计算的结果进行对比分析。通过该研究可改进与完善水压条件下深埋盾构隧道极限支护压力确定方法,从而为考虑水压条件下盾构隧道施工支护压力的合理确定提供理论依据。     

Active and passive arching stresses in c′-ϕ′ soils: A sensitivity study using computational limit analysis

Vertical soil arching, commonly known as the “trapdoor mechanism,” is a pervasive phenomenon in various geotechnical applications that can be evaluated through a variety of analytical and numerical approaches, most of which exist due to a variety of proposed arching mechanisms, many of which are focused on either purely frictional or cohesive soils. This study investigates the realized arching mechanisms and associated loads for trapdoors under both active and passive arching conditions in c′-ϕ′ soils through a series of dimensionless charts using both upper and lower bound limit analyses. An associated sensitivity analysis demonstrates that arching loads are highly dependent on collapse mechanism, a function of not only geometry, but soil shear strength, with cohesion affecting the realized mechanism and arching loads.     

非均质土体中盾构隧道开挖面支护力上限分析

基于对数螺旋破坏模式,考虑黏土的非均质特征,采用极限分析上限法推导了盾构隧道掌子面支护力计算公式,通过优化计算得到了不同条件下的最优上限解。采用该破坏模式与已有的模型试验、工程实例进行对比,验证了在非均质土中采用双对数螺旋极限分析上限法的适用性;同时详细分析了在土体不同参数条件下,隧道掌子面支护力、滑动面范围的变化趋势以及工程影响,结果显示在非均质土中,掌子面支护效率的主导因素是初始黏聚力与掌子面超前核心土,最后通过归一化处理得到了非均质土中极限支护力的设计推荐图,可为工程中初步确定盾构隧道掌子面支护压力提供理论依据。     

泥浆渗透对盾构开挖面稳定性的影响研究

泥水平衡盾构开挖时,泥浆与开挖面上的土体会形成一层不透水的泥膜,以便泥浆压力有效地作用在开挖面上。但由于刀盘的不断切削,泥膜并不能完全地阻止泥浆对前方土体的渗透,特别是在渗透性较大的砂性土体,或在特殊地质条件下出现泥浆与土体性质不匹配的时候。这种渗透将会减小泥浆对开挖面的支撑作用,过剩泥浆压力将以渗透力的形式作用于开挖面土体。为了定量考虑渗透对开挖面稳定性的削弱,提出了针对泥水平衡盾构开挖面稳定性的泥浆渗透模型。结合极限平衡法的村山公式,考虑泥水的渗透区域与滑动面之间的几何关系对泥水压力进行折减,得到了泥浆渗透模型的开挖面稳定性安全系数,并采用此渗透模型探讨了泥浆渗透对开挖面稳定性的影响。通过与工程算例对比分析表明,实际工程中所需的泥浆压力明显大于“薄膜模型”的计算结果。因此,采用渗透模型进行开挖面稳定性分析是合理、有效的。     

Analysis and design charts for 3D active earth pressure in cohesive soils with cracks

The prediction of active earth pressure was generally implemented under the assumptions of two-dimensional conditions and cohesionless soils. However, in practice, the soils usually display a considerable level of cohesion, and the collapse of retained slopes exhibits a three-dimensional (3D) nature. Considering this fact, this paper intends to predict the 3D active earth pressure in cohesive soils based on the kinematic limit-analysis method and a 3D rotational collapse mechanism. The influence of cracks is considered, including a crack forming before the failure of retained soil masses (open crack) and a crack forming simultaneously with the failure (formation crack). The active earth pressure coefficient is estimated based on the work-energy balance principle. In order to facilitate direct application, several design charts are provided. It is shown that accounting for soil cohesion and 3D effects results in a notable decrease in the active earth pressure, whereas considering the existence of cracks would increase the pressure value. This paper develops the studies on active earth pressure, which considers the presence of cohesion, cracks, and 3D effects together for the first time. The results of this paper can offer references in designs of retaining structures for cohesive slopes.

     

Analysis of fracture propagation in a rock mass surrounding a tunnel under high internal pressure by the element-free Galerkin method

Fractures developed around high pressurized gas or air storage tunnels can progressively extend to the ground surface, eventually leading to an uplift failure. A tool reasonably reproducing the failure patterns is necessary for stability assessment. In this study, a numerical method based on the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method with a cohesive crack model is developed to simulate fracture propagation patterns in the rock mass around a tunnel under high internal pressure. A series of physical model tests was also conducted to validate the reliability of the developed method. A qualitative agreement between physical model tests and numerical results can be obtained. The in situ stress ratio, k, has a strong influence on both the position of crack initiation and the propagation direction. The numerical analyses were extended to full-scale problems. Numerical tests were performed to investigate the prime influencing factors on the failure patterns of a high pressurized gas circular tunnel with varying parameters. The results suggest that initial in situ stress conditions with a high k (larger than 1) is favorable for construction of pressurized gas or air storage tunnels.     

Stability of a circular tunnel in cohesive-frictional soil subjected to surcharge loading

The stability of circular tunnels in cohesive-frictional soils subjected to surcharge loading has been investigated theoretically and numerically assuming plane strain conditions. Despite the importance of this problem, previous research on the subject is very limited. At present, no generally accepted design or analysis method is available to evaluate the stability of tunnels/openings in cohesive-frictional soils. In this study, continuous loading is applied to the ground surface, and both smooth and rough interface conditions are modelled. For a series of tunnel diameter-to-depth ratios and material properties, rigorous lower- and upper-bound solutions for the ultimate surcharge loading are obtained by applying finite element limit analysis techniques. For practical use, the results are presented in the form of dimensionless stability charts with the actual tunnel stability numbers being closely bracketed from above and below. As an additional check on the solutions, upper-bound rigid-block mechanisms have been developed and the predicted collapse loads from these are compared with those from finite element limit analysis. Finally, an expression that approximates the ultimate surcharge load has been devised which is convenient for use by practising engineers.     

下荆江二元结构河岸土体特性及崩岸机理

三峡水库蓄水后下荆江河段河床冲刷下切, 局部河段崩岸险情频繁发生。为研究下荆江二元结构河岸的土体特性及崩岸机理,结合近期该河段崩岸情况,现场查勘了6个崩岸点,并对河岸土体进行了室内土工试验。试验结果表明下荆江河岸土体的垂向组成具有典型的二元结构特征:下部非粘性土（沙土）层较厚,上部粘性土（低液限粘土）层较薄且松散。以河岸崩塌过程分析为基础,提出了二元结构河岸发生绕轴崩塌时上部土层稳定性的计算方法。结合近岸水动力条件计算及土工试验结果,定量分析了二元结构河岸的崩塌机理及其影响因素:① 下部沙土层的起动流速比近岸流速小得多,故该土层容易受水流冲刷;②上部粘性土层崩塌前抗冲强度很大,但多为低液限粘土且相对松散,崩塌后堆积在岸边容易分解并被水流带走;③ 河岸稳定安全系数在一个水文年内呈周期性变化,落水期安全系数最小,故容易引发崩岸,该计算结果与近期崩岸实际统计结果一致。     

基于平动加转动运动场的边坡稳定上限分析

基于塑性力学上限理论的边坡稳定安全系数上限解法是边坡稳定性分析的常用方法之一,其关键在于构造合适的几何容许运动场。基于摩尔-库仑屈服准则和相关流动法则,将滑动体进行条分,提出了一种同时考虑条块平动和转动的容许运动场及相应的稳定安全系数求解方法。该方法不仅具有适用性好、方法简单的特点,数值分析还表明,该方法能给出比基于纯平动运动场更小、非常接近Morgenstern-Price法的稳定安全系数计算结果。     

非均质黏土地基中平面应变隧道最小支护压力数值模拟

土体由于沉积而具有天然的非均质性,但关于非均质地基中隧道开挖面稳定性的研究却很稀少,在实际盾构隧道工程中均按均质地基对待。但这一简化并没有考虑非均质性对保持开挖面稳定所需最小支护压力的有利作用,以及对破坏模式的影响。故文中采用基于tresca准则的弹塑性有限元法来研究黏聚力随深度线性变化的纯黏土地基中平面应变隧道的开挖面稳定性,模拟了土体失稳渐进破坏的全过程。最终验证了无量纲化的有效性,得到了各种工况时保持土体稳定的最小支护压力值,并发现了黏聚力线性变化斜率对深埋隧道破坏模式的影响,可为理论分析和工程实践提供依据。     

Collapse hazard zonation of qanats in greater Tehran area

Abstarct Several cases of subsidence occurred in greater Tehran resulting from collapse of walls of underground water channel system known locally as qanat. Many mechanisms contribute to the qanat collapse, which add to the complexity of the problem. The present research focuses on identifying the main factors that influence qanat collapse and the parameters that should be considered in modeling their behavior. Some of the important factors that influence the stability and performance of qanats and considered in the analysis presented here include: qanat geometrical characteristics; loading due to surface structures; underground water level and geotechnical properties of the soil. A suitable model was chosen and deformational behavior of qanat walls was simulated. The stability of qanats was evaluated considering both elastic and elasto-plastic soil models. It was found that qanats in north and northeastern parts of Tehran have high strength and qanats in south and southwestern parts have low strength. A GIS-based qanat collapse hazard zonation map was prepared. It was found that the hazard of collapse increases for shallow qanats with any structural loads imposed at the ground surface. As expected, this hazard is much higher for qanats situated in weak soils. Furthermore, the hazard of collapse is much higher for qanats with larger diameter.     

Investigation of slope instability induced by seepage and erosion by a particle method

A novel particle based Bluff Morphology Model (BMM) developed by the authors is extended in this paper to investigate the effect of two dimensional seepage on the stability and collapse of soil slopes and levees. To incorporate the seepage in the model, Darcy’s law is applied to the interactions among neighbouring soil particles and ghost particles are introduced along the enclosed soil boundary so that no fluid crosses the boundary. The contribution of partially saturated soils and matric suction, as well as the change in hydraulic conductivity due to seepage, are predicted well by the present model. The predicted time evolution of slope stability and seepage induced collapse are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results for homogeneous non-cohesive sand and multiple layered cohesive soils. Rapid drawdown over a sand soil is also investigated, and the location and time of the levee collapse occurrence are well captured. A toe erosion model is incorporated in the BMM model, and the location and quantity of erosion from lateral seepage flow is well predicted. The interplay of erosion, seepage and slope instability is examined.     

土钉加固黏性土坡加载的离心模型试验研究

进行了不同坡度土钉加固边坡坡顶加载的离心模型试验,观测了土坡的破坏过程并测量土坡的位移场,研究了土钉加固黏性土坡的承载力、变形和破坏规律以及坡角对其破坏规律的影响。试验结果表明,坡顶荷载的增加引起土坡变形的增加,变形的集中产生和发展导致滑裂面的形成并使土坡发生破坏。土钉变形规律受加载阶段和加载底板的综合影响,坡顶荷载越大,接近坡顶的土钉弯曲挠度越大,钉土间的相互作用越强。土坡的坡角越大,承载力越低,土体呈现出更显著的向坡面位移的趋势。     

Analytical analysis of working face passive stability during shield tunneling in frictional soils

This paper develops the 2D and 3D kinematically admissible mechanisms for analyzing the passive face stability during shield tunneling using upper-bound analysis. The mechanisms consider trapezoidal distribution of support pressure along tunnel face and partial failure originated at tunnel face above invert. For cohesionless soils, the support pressure is a function of soil effective frictional angle φ′ which determines the inclination of failure block and the normalized soil cover depth C/D (soil cover depth/tunnel diameter) which affects the origination of the passive failure. For cohesive soils, the support pressure is a function of φ′, C/D, and the effective cohesion c′. The cohesion c′ has a relatively smaller impact on the support pressure than φ′ and C/D have. The mechanisms are verified by comparing the current solutions with a previous upper-bound solution. The comparison shows that the current solutions are a general solution which is capable of predicting the passive face failure originated at any depth along tunnel face and the previous solution is a particular solution with the assumption that the face failure originated at tunnel invert. The mechanisms are validated through application to a practical project of shallowly buried, large diameter underwater tunnel. The validation shows that the mechanisms are capable of assessing the tunnel face passive instability rationally.

     

成都地铁卵石层中盾构施工开挖面稳定性研究

随着我国社会经济的发展,越来越多的城市开始规划和修建地铁,在此期间,部分城市在地铁建设中遇到了地质条件非常复杂的砂卵石土层,特别是正在建设中的成都地铁1、2号线,区间隧道几乎全部从卵石土层中穿越,根据设计,成都地铁1、2号线部分区间隧道采用加泥式土压平衡盾构法施工。利用土压平衡式盾构施工时,开挖面支护土压力控制是保证掘进顺利进行的关键,目前国内外在这方面的研究主要集中于砂土和黏性土,关于卵石土盾构隧道开挖面变形与破坏的研究很少。基于此,根据卵石土具有强烈离散特性的特点,利用颗粒离散元数值方法,对卵石土层土压平衡式盾构施工中开挖面支护应力不足引起开挖面的变形及破坏问题进行了分析研究,探讨了隧道开挖面变形及破坏问题。研究结果显示:（1）开挖面极限支护应力远小于土体原位静止土压力;（2）开挖面失稳后,开挖面前部的滑动块为一曲面体。这为卵石土地层中盾构开挖面控制压力的确定提供参考。     

Upper bound analysis of tunnel face stability in layered soils

The working face of tunnel constructions has to be kept stable during tunneling to prevent large soil deformations or fatal failure. In layered soils with lower cohesion, failures happen more often and more abrupt than in cohesive soils. Therefore, the maintenance of a proper support pressure at the tunnel working face is of high importance. In this paper, an upper bound analysis is introduced to investigate the minimum support pressure for the face stability in layered soils. A three-dimensional kinematically admissible mechanism for the upper bound analysis is improved to model potential failure within different soil layers. An analytical solution for the support pressure assessment is achieved. The influence of the crossing and cover soil on the face stability is analyzed, respectively. This solution provides an analytical estimation of the minimum support pressure for the face stability. It may be used as a reference for projects under similar conditions.     

Stability analysis of an embankment resting upon a column‐reinforced soil

The design against failure of an embankment resting upon a soft soil improved by a group of columns is investigated with the help of the yield design homogenization approach. Assuming that both constituents of the reinforced ground are purely cohesive materials (‘lime column’ technique), an upper bound estimate for the macroscopic strength condition of the reinforced soil as a homogenized medium is first obtained, providing definite evidence of a shear strength anisotropy associated with the reinforcement preferential orientation. The kinematic method of yield design is then performed on the basis of such a criterion, making use of rotational failure mechanisms involving slip circles in the reinforced ground. Upper bound estimates are finally obtained for the embankment stability factor, as functions of the degree of reinforcement and relative thickness of the soil layer. These results are compared with those derived from a simplified analysis, where the reinforced soil is assumed to exhibit an averaged isotropic cohesion. This comparison clearly indicates that the latter simplified analysis may produce quite unsafe estimates for the embankment stability, which can be attributed to the fact that it fails to capture the inherent strength anisotropy of the reinforced soil. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stability of Slopes with Berms on Rigid Foundations

The finite element method was used to assess the influence of berms on the stability of slopes resting on rigid foundations for three different slope angles. Both purely cohesive soils and soils exhibiting cohesive and frictional strength properties were considered. The results of the analyses are presented in non-dimensional graphical and tabular form for design purposes and show that, for each case considered, there is a unique (berm width) : (slope height) ratio after which further increases in the berm width produce no further increases in stability. Example design calculations are presented and validated using Bishop's simplified method.