Abstract
Large deformation and support failure of a tunnel with poor lithology, which significantly threaten the stability of the tunnel, have always been major difficulties in underground engineering construction. This paper describes a case study of the failure mechanisms and support design for tailrace tunnels that cross a wide fracture zone in the Wuyue pumped storage power station in Henan Province, China. Geological investigation and mechanical experiments, including large-scale triaxial tests, X-ray diffraction, and free swell tests, were performed to reveal the failure mechanism of the tailrace tunnel. It was observed that the surrounding rock of the tunnel is a completely weathered granite that is characterized by extremely poor rock mass quality, severe deformation, and significant expansibility. Based on the failure mechanism and combined with the concept of “inner and outer load-bearing structures”, a multilevel support system with “long anchor bolts + anchor bolts + rigid arch” as a core is proposed with consideration of the rotation of the principal stress axis. Numerical simulation was adopted to verify the rationality of the proposed support system compared with other support conditions, i.e. no support and uniform support. The results indicate that the proposed support system effectively improves the principal stress state of a tunnel with poor lithology and controls the large deformation of the surrounding rock, especially in the floor and inclined sidewall. Additionally, three successful application cases were introduced to promote the utilization of the proposed support, and possible improvements in enhancing engineering applications were evaluated. The support methodology presented in this paper can support the design of other engineering projects in complex geological environments.
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The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon request.
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This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 42202318).
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Du, S., Zhang, C., Mao, D. et al. A case study of the failure mechanism analysis and support design of a tailrace tunnel in a weak fracture zone containing expansive minerals. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 495 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02984-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02984-6