Search Results (9)

To maintain the stability of soft rock tunnels, the research team proposed a support scheme involving “floor grouting + floor anchors + sealing material”. This scheme incorporates a new sealing material with excellent mechanical properties, airtightness, and cost-effectiveness. To develop the sealing material, a series of proportioning tests and optimization designs were conducted to investigate how various experimental factors influence material performance. Based on these experiments, a regression prediction model was established to reveal the characteristics of factor interactions and determine the optimal mix ratio. Practical engineering validation confirmed that this support scheme effectively controls floor heave in soft rock tunnels. Full article

In recent years, the construction of new railway tunnels worldwide has become increasingly challenging due to larger cross-sections, deeper burial depths, higher in situ stress, and more complex geological conditions. During both construction and operation, some tunnels have encountered significant issues with floor heave. This paper begins by identifying the primary causes of deformation and instability in tunnel floor structures through an investigation and statistical analysis. It then examines floor heave across more than 20 railway lines, summarizing the types, generation mechanisms, and mechanical models associated with this issue. Additionally, extensive survey data indicate that tunnel floor heave is most likely to occur in gently inclined thin-layered rock masses. Therefore, using a tunnel passing through the plate suture zone in such a rock mass as a case study, numerical simulations, theoretical analyses, and on-site monitoring were conducted. This study systematically analyzed the influence of single and multiple factors, as well as the mechanical behavior of the support system, on tunnel floor heave in gently inclined thin-layered surrounding rock. Furthermore, several key models were proposed: a tunnel floor heave estimation and load formula based on a mechanical model, a dynamic relationship between surrounding rock support force and tunnel floor heave using the Nishihara model, a tunnel floor settlement estimation formula based on deformation statistics, and a tunnel floor heave energy prediction model utilizing the B-P neural network algorithm. These conclusions have been validated and widely applied in practical engineering, providing a robust theoretical foundation and technical support for future tunnel construction. Full article

This study presents an analytical approach for evaluating the reliability of anhydrite rock tunnels, focusing on their characteristic swelling behavior. Anhydrite rocks, prone to significant expansion upon moisture exposure, pose a challenge in tunnel construction, potentially leading to structural issues such as floor heave and lining damage. To address this, this research develops an elastic swelling analytical solution based on humidity stress field theory, enabling the assessment of time-dependent stress and deformation changes in anhydrite tunnels. The solution’s applicability is demonstrated through its application to the Lirang tunnel. The investigation into the effects of support pressure, swelling time, and reserved deformation on tunnel reliability reveals that circumferential stress at the tunnel wall increases by 13.94% and 21.86% for swelling periods of 30 and 365 days, respectively. Similarly, radial displacement escalates by 22.97% and 35.93% over these periods, highlighting the significant impact of swelling behavior. Using a spreadsheet-based First Order Reliability Method (FORM) for analysis, this study finds that the original design of the Lirang tunnel did not meet the desired reliability standards under swelling conditions. However, strategic adjustments in construction variables, such as increasing support pressure to 1.2 MPa or enhancing reserved deformation to 59 mm, elevated the tunnel’s reliability to meet safety requirements. This research provides a vital framework for assessing and enhancing the reliability of anhydrite rock tunnels, considering the long-term effects of swelling. It underscores the importance of incorporating swelling behavior in the design and construction of tunnels in anhydrite rock formations, offering valuable insights for optimizing tunnel stability in such challenging geological conditions. Full article

Floor heave is a typical tunnel issue in tunnelling engineering. To gain deep insights into the deformation mechanism and failure processes of floor heave at the bottom of a tunnel in layered rock, biaxial step-loading tests were conducted on rock samples (including schist and sandstone) with and without prefabricated invert arches. The failure processes of the samples were observed by the three-dimensional digital image correlation technique (3D-DIC) during the test. The test results showed that the deformation evolution processes of the floor heave of the sample included the following steps: (1) crack initiation at the interlayer weak planes; (2) separation of the rock matrix into platy structures along the bedding planes and flexures; and (3) fracture and uplift of the platy structures in the middle part. As the stress redistributes on the bottom plate of the sample, and stress concentration zones shift toward locations far away from the arching surface, the deformation evolution shows a similar variation trend with the stress. Continuous buckling fracturing takes place progressively from the vicinity of the arch surface to certain distant regions. Based on the test results, the key location of internal surrounding rock deformation was determined, and the mechanism of floor heave was clarified. The schist sample SC-BI-10 began to experience floor heave at 1064.4 s, and the deformation curve (the relationship between Y and U) showed a convex shape in the range of 0–20 mm in the Y-coordinate. The displacement reached its maximum value at y = 11.7 mm, corresponding to the position where the rock slab was broken. In addition, the influence of the interlayer properties and cover depth of rocks on bottom uplift was also studied. The design of tunnel supports and the monitoring and prevention of floor heave can benefit from this study. Full article

According to field observation and theoretical analysis, the failure of the 1523103 reserved roadway is mainly affected by the lateral support pressure, rock mass strength, and support mode. With the mining of the 152309 working face, the lateral pressure of coal pillars on both sides of the reserved roadway increases, and since the lithology of the two sides and the floor of the roadway is weak, the reserved roadway experiences spalling and floor heave. Through numerical simulation, the distribution law of surrounding rock stress and the displacement of surrounding rock are obtained after the roof cutting and pressure relief of the reserved roadway with hard roof. According to the cause of surrounding rock failure of a reserved roadway, the combined control technology of roof cutting and pressure relief, grouting anchor cable support, and bolt support is put forward. After cutting the roof and releasing the pressure on the working face, the lateral support pressure of the two sides of the roadway is significantly reduced, the deformation of the two sides of the roadway is small, the maximum shrinkage rate of the section is reduced from 70% to 11%, and the deformation of the surrounding rock of the 1523103 reserved roadway is effectively controlled. The successful control of the surrounding rock in the 1523103 tunnel reduces the number of coal pillars to be installed, improves the coal extraction rate, and is conducive to the sustainable utilization of limited natural resources and the sustainable development of the coal industry. Full article

In view of the serious problem of bottom-drum damage in deep mining along empty roadways, the asymmetric bottom-drum damage characteristics and control mechanisms of deep mining along an empty roadway were studied using the trackway of the 11060 working face in Zhao Gu II mine as the research background. Based on the slip-line theory, support-pressure distribution law, and Griffith’s damage-criterion theory, the mechanism of asymmetric bottom drums and the maximum fracture-development depth of the bottom plate in a deep roadway under top-plate fracture perturbation were analyzed. The 3DEC discrete-element software was used to simulate and analyze the characteristics and evolution of the asymmetric bottom bulge of the roadway under dynamic-load disturbance, and the asymmetric control scheme of “slurry anchor reinforcement + top cutting and pressure relief” was proposed. The results show that, under the influence of static load of deep high-abutment pressure and the dynamic-load impact of the instability of the masonry-beam structure under periodic pressure of the adjacent working face, the deep-mining goaf roadway was prone to producing asymmetric floor heave. The floor-heave degree and maximum fracture-development range of the roadway in the affected area under the influence of dynamic load > those in goaf roadway > those in the roadway in the stable area affected by tunneling. The distribution of stress, displacement, and maximum floor heave was skewed to the side of the coal pillar in the goaf, showing an inverted right oblique V shape. The asymmetric floor heave of a roadway can be effectively controlled by grouting anchor-cable reinforcement (increasing the anti-damage limit) and roof-cutting pressure relief (cutting off the dynamic-load source). The research results can provide an important reference for the control of roadway floors under similar geological conditions. Full article

Floor heaving is a phenomenon that occurs in almost all mining roadways and tunnels. It can restrain the advance of the heading face or cause serious problems during roadway use. The highest levels of floor uplifting are observed in coal mines, which can reduce the output or even stop it altogether. The floor heaving intensity depends on the rock type, the stress in the rock mass, and rocks’ mechanical properties. Floor deformation develops when the secondary state of stress is formed around the working, and it is much higher and more dynamic in the case of waterlogged rocks. The presence of water increases the floor’s propensity to heave, especially clay rocks, such as claystones or mudstones, if they include water-absorbed minerals. In this paper, we present a new modeling methodology for roadway floor heave. The modeling covers a dry floor condition in which the parameters of the Hoek-Brown failure criterion are gradually lowered over time, and a waterlogged floor condition, in which the strength and strain parameters of the rocks are gradually reduced in line with their progressive saturation. In the second case, the claystone floor’s geomechanical parameters were investigated, and the rocks were subjected to water for up to 24 h. The results of the numerical simulation were compared with the in situ measurements of convergence and floor heave in the same coal mines from which the rock samples were collected. The consistency between the numerical simulations and the underground measurements reached 90–99%. Full article

Disturbance stresses can cause deformation and damage to a tunnel’s rock, potentially threatening the mine’s safety. This paper investigates the effects of disturbance damage on the main inclined shaft due to the excavation of an electromechanical chamber in a deep inclined shaft at Yuxi Mine. Specifically, a numerical model was constructed using Midas GTX NX and Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in Three Dimensions (FLAC3D) to match the actual engineering conditions, and to reveal the stresses and deformations in the surrounding rock of the main inclined shaft before and after the excavation of the main inclined shaft, the electromechanical chamber and the head chamber. The results revealed that the surrounding rock stress around the main inclined shaft is significantly influenced by excavation disturbance. The bottom bulge occurred due to the unstable vertical and shear stresses in the bottom coal bed moving into free space. After the excavation of the electromechanical chamber, the maximum displacement of the floor can be increased from 0.35468 m to 0.64301 m, nearly doubled, and a large area of surrounding rock deformation occurs in the inclined shaft falling roadway. Affected by excavation disturbance, the maximum deformation of floor can reach 1.06 m, with a wide fluctuation range. The main area of damage to the surrounding rock was identified, except for the main inclined shaft, which occurred near the intersection of the inclined shaft and the drop level location. This area is mainly affected by superimposed tensile stress damage, prone to large area floor heave and spalling. The research content is expected to provide certain theoretical support in taking measures to deal with the deformation and failure of the surrounding rock in a main inclined shaft. Full article

At great depths, tunnel openings experience a tectonic stress field rather than overburden stress. This paper aims to examine the impact of different in situ stress ratios and multiple tunnel depths below the surface on the excavation induced-stresses and displacements around tunnel openings. Thus, a series of models has been built, using a two-dimensional elasto-plastic finite-elements code, RS2D, to conduct parametric stability analysis. The performance of tunnel opening is examined by evaluating the induced stress-deformation around the opening. The results indicate that ratio of wall convergence, roof sag and floor heave increase as in situ stress ratio and tunnel depth below surface increase. Additionally, the induced-stresses increase as depth and state of in situ stress increase. In addition, the extent of yielding zones into rock mass around tunnel roof and floor deteriorates as tunnel depth and in situ stress ratio increase. Moreover, the normal stress along rock joints is sharply dropped when joints pass in the vicinity of tunnel opening (e.g., centre of opening). As well, the direction of shear stress along joints is reversed. Consequently, inward shear displacement of rock, on the underside of the weakness plane, is produced as a result of slip occurrence. Full article