| Abstract: | In the use of underground space for storage of solar energy, storage of excess heat from thermal power plants and containment of nuclear waste, the host medium is subjected to a thermal field accompanied by a thermal stress field. These stresses may endanger the stability and integrity of the structure. In this paper, the stress field, in circular and spherical openings, due to a given thermal field is analytically determined and numerically verified. Both lined and unlined openings are considered. The numerical and analytical results are in a satisfactory agreement. The lining stresses, support pressure and radial interface displacement depend only on the thermal field in the lining. A simplified method of stress computation applicable to a thin lining is also presented. |
