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Nonlinear deformation and failure characteristics of horseshoe-shaped tunnel under varying principal stress direction

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Abstract

To reveal the nonlinear deformation characteristics and failure mechanisms of surrounding rocks of horseshoe-shaped tunnel affected by varying principal stress directions, physical experiments are carried out based on the similarity theory and control variable method. Simultaneously, on the basis of the statistical strength theory and meso-damage mechanics, a series of 2D numerical models which are able to consider the rock heterogeneity are established to further investigate the mechanical mechanism of damage evolution of surrounding rocks. Seven different kinds of horseshoe-shaped tunnel models are tested, and the typical failure modes are analyzed according to the experimental data and numerical simulations. The results show that when the lateral pressure coefficient is small, fractures mainly develop towards the remote maximum principal stress direction; when the pressure difference between the vertical and horizontal directions is small, tunnel surrounding rocks damage seriously; the initial damage of surrounding rocks basically occurs at the bottom floor corners and arch shoulders; the process of stress buildup, shadow, and transfer is the fundamental mechanical process for the formation of mesoscopic damage and macroscopic failure. Overall, these achievements can provide valuable insights into the nonlinear failure mechanisms of horseshoe-shaped tunnel and will contribute to tunnel support design and stability evaluation in geotechnical engineering.

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Data availability

All data, models, and code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate Xiankai Wu, Guangyuan Yu, and Peng Liang for their help with the experiment.

Funding

This study received financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41977219 and 42102314) and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2020M680950).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Coastal & Offshore Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China

    Bin Gong & Zhengzhao Liang

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Brunel University London, London, UB8 3PH, UK

    Bin Gong

  3. School of Mining Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, 063210, China

    Xiangxin Liu

Authors
  1. Bin Gong
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  2. Zhengzhao Liang
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  3. Xiangxin Liu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhengzhao Liang.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Communicated by Zeynal Abiddin Erguler.

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Gong, B., Liang, Z. & Liu, X. Nonlinear deformation and failure characteristics of horseshoe-shaped tunnel under varying principal stress direction. Arab J Geosci 15, 475 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-09678-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-09678-z

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