Analytical and numerical analysis on the mechanical response and damage characteristics of tunnels subjected to multiple normal faulting

Abstract

Multiple fault planes often coexist within a fault zone during fault dislocation. However, all the previous analytical models assume that there is only one fault plane during a fault dislocation, which is inconsistent with the actual engineering conditions. In this paper, theoretical analysis and numerical simulations are used to investigate the mechanical response and damage characteristics of tunnels subjected to multiple normal faulting. A nonlinear theoretical model is established for analyzing the mechanical response of tunnels subjected to multiple normal faulting. The number of fault planes, the shear effect of the soil and the tunnel, the fault zone width, and the nonlinear soil−tunnel interaction are applied inside the theoretical model, significantly improving the analysis accuracy and applied range. The corresponding numerical simulation based on the Concrete Damaged Plasticity (CDP) Model is carried out to study the damage characteristics of the tunnel. The proposed theoretical model is verified by model tests and numerical simulations, which exhibit consistency in both qualitative and quantitative aspects. A parametric analysis is presented, wherein the impacts of varying numbers of fault planes, fault plane distances (d), fault displacement ratios (ξ), and buried depths (C) on the tunnel response are investigated. The results show that an increasing number of fault planes leads to a reduced peak bending moment (Mmax) and shear force (Vmax). As the number of fault planes increased from one to four, Mmax and Vmax decreased by 1.57 times and 3.31 times, respectively. Expanding d corresponds to a reduction in both Mmax and Vmax. The minimum Vmax within the tunnel materializes at ξ4 (Δfd1 = Δfd2 = Δfd3), and the tunnel's Vmax appears at the fault plane of maximum fault displacement. Moreover, with the augmentation of C, an increase in both Mmax and Vmax was observed. Additionally, upon attaining a normal fault displacement of 0.2 m, the tunnel lining undergoes both tensile and compressive failure at the fault plane. As the normal fault displacement surpasses 0.4 m, the failure range of the tunnel at the fault plane undergoes a precipitous escalation, marked by a maximum increase of 68.8 % in tensile failure and a 29.6 % increase in compressive failure.