Spatiotemporal Stability Responses of Tunnel Excavation Under Cyclical Footage Impact: A FLAC3D-Based Numerical Study
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Model Build and Parameters Select
2.2. Model Displacement and Stress Boundary Conditions
2.3. Simulation Test Scheme
3. Results
3.1. Process Analysis of Result
3.2. Displacement Analysis of Result
3.3. Stress Analysis of Result
3.4. Plastic Zone Analysis of Result
3.5. Comprehensive Comparison Analysis of Result
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- The maximum displacement is positively correlated with the calculated steps, and is distributed in the center of the roof and the center of the sidewall at the initial excavation position of the tunnel. The displacement is closely related to the length of CF and shows a significant “segmental decline” characteristic. Therefore, “timely support” is necessary to ensure the stability of the tunnel.
- (2)
- The maximum displacement in the tunnel face direction exists at the center of the tunnel face, and its displacement shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing with the increase of CF. Under the conditions of this simulation, the plastic zone with CF length of 1.5 m is the most homogeneous, which is basically “shear-now” and has a volume of 857 m3.
- (3)
- The CF length has less influence on the vertical stress release process (spatial effect of excavation) of the tunnel roof, and the stress release is basically completed at a distance of about 1 m from the working face (Under the conditions of this simulation), so it is recommended that the tunnel support should lag behind the working face by more than 1 m.
- (4)
- According to the stability analysis results (displacement, stress, plastic zone, etc.) under different cyclical footage lengths, combined with engineering practice and economic, time efficiency, it is considered that 1.5 m is the best cyclical footage length under the model established in this study. The optimal CF under other engineering conditions can be determined by referring to the ideas in this article.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameter. | Density (kg/m3) | Young’s Modulus E (GPa) | Poisson Ratio v | Friction ( ) | Cohesion c (MPa) | Tensile Strength (MPa) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Value | 2700 | 5 | 0.3 | 2 | 2 |
Direction | Part | Maximum (MPa) | Minimum | Feature |
---|---|---|---|---|
XX | Roof | 41 | 23 | Increase and then decrease |
Floor | 30 | 12 | Increase and then decrease | |
Sidewall | 32.5 | 12.5 | Increase and then decrease | |
Center | 41 | 7 | Increase and then decrease | |
Roof-Corner | 34 | 30 | Increase | |
Floor-Corner | 40 | 30 | Increase | |
YY | Roof | 30 | 12 | Decrease |
Floor | 30 | 12 | Decrease | |
Sidewall | 30 | 12 | Decrease | |
Center | 30 | 0 | Decrease | |
Roof-Corner | 33 | 27.5 | Decrease and then increase | |
Floor-Corner | 32 | 27 | Decrease and then increase | |
ZZ | Roof | 35 | 13 | Increase and then decrease |
Floor | 34 | 13 | Increase and then decrease | |
Sidewall | 43 | 24 | Increase and then decrease | |
Center | 44 | 7 | Increase and then decrease | |
Roof-Corner | 42.5 | 30 | Increase | |
Floor-Corner | 34 | 31 | Increase |
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Li, S.; Dai, B.; Hou, Y.; Li, D. Spatiotemporal Stability Responses of Tunnel Excavation Under Cyclical Footage Impact: A FLAC3D-Based Numerical Study. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 7661. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147661
Li S, Dai B, Hou Y, Li D. Spatiotemporal Stability Responses of Tunnel Excavation Under Cyclical Footage Impact: A FLAC3D-Based Numerical Study. Applied Sciences. 2025; 15(14):7661. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147661
Chicago/Turabian StyleLi, Shang, Bing Dai, Yuzhou Hou, and Danli Li. 2025. "Spatiotemporal Stability Responses of Tunnel Excavation Under Cyclical Footage Impact: A FLAC3D-Based Numerical Study" Applied Sciences 15, no. 14: 7661. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147661
APA StyleLi, S., Dai, B., Hou, Y., & Li, D. (2025). Spatiotemporal Stability Responses of Tunnel Excavation Under Cyclical Footage Impact: A FLAC3D-Based Numerical Study. Applied Sciences, 15(14), 7661. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147661