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Numerical study on tunnel damage subject to blast loads in jointed rock masses

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Abstract

Drill and blast method is an accepted technique of tunnel excavation but it often causes over-break or even threatens the stability of the surrounding rock. Moreover, the rock mass mostly contains different forms of discontinuities and so more severe damage may develop under the blasting loads. In this paper, numerical modeling on the damage of jointed tunnel excavation subject to blast shock was carried out with three-dimension Distinct Element Code (3DEC). The blast-induced damage zones (BIDZ) including failure zones and open zones are as evaluation indicators. The effects of joint geometrical and mechanical properties, tunnel depth and advance length on damage depth were evaluated. The influence extent of these factors was also compared by arithmetic mean of maximum damage depth and its standard deviation. Lastly, the results are contrasted with an existing empirical formula. It is found that increasing advance length has a more obvious effect on tunnel damage comparing with other factors, and failure zones begin to develop when the advance length exceeds 2 m in the model. If the joint inclination angle increases above 60°, the tunnel is prone to instability and the failure rocks is mainly found at the tunnel roof. For all joint strike angles, there is a clear damage zones in the surrounding rock, and failure zones are mainly located at the sidewall. The damage depth is highly dispersive within 1 m of the joint spacing. This research provides an insightful understanding of damage magnitude of jointed rock mass during tunnel excavation with blasting.

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Funding

Partial financial support was received from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51978424).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang, 050043, China

    Shujie Chen & Zhengguo Zhu

  2. Key Laboratory of Roads and Railway Engineering Safety Control, Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang, 050043, China

    Zhengguo Zhu

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  1. Shujie Chen
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by SC and ZZ The first draft of the manuscript was written by SC and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shujie Chen.

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Chen, S., Zhu, Z. Numerical study on tunnel damage subject to blast loads in jointed rock masses. Environ Earth Sci 81, 548 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10676-3

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