Year: 2021
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: The steel-arch structure in soft-rock tunnels is very small and densely arranged. Too many elements would exist if the solid element is adopted for its simulation, and applying these elements in actual engineering practice is difficult. Therefore, an implicit finite-element method (FEM) to simulate the support effect of steel arches was proposed based on the principle of stiffness superposition. First, an equivalent mechanical model of a steel arch was established based on the principle of stiffness equivalence and deformation-coordination hypothesis. Then, a new concept called auxiliary element was presented. According to this concept, an implicit finite-element model of the equivalent element of the steel arch was developed using the reconstruction technology of elements. The equivalent-stiffness equation of the implicit equivalent element was derived based on the interpolation theory and element-equilibrium equation of FEM, and the equivalent stiffness of the implicit equivalent element was superposed on the stiffness matrix of the auxiliary element to simulate the support effect of the steel arch. Finally, a numerical case was presented to verify the rationality of this method and correctness of the programming. Establishing a solid model of the steel arch using this method was not necessary. Thus, the modeling work was greatly simplified, and adjusting the support scheme was convenient, which provided a new numerical simulation method for the support design of steel arch in soft-rock tunnels.
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanics of Materials
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Award: G4874062091
OpenAlex ID: W3208992790