Seismic response of tunnel near fault fracture zone under incident SV waves

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of a non-causative fault on the dynamic response of a nearby lined tunnel under the incidence of plane SV waves using the indirect boundary element method. The effects of several critical parameters, such as the incident frequency, the inclination degree of the fault, the distance between the fault and the tunnel on the hoop stress of the lined inner and outer walls, were explored intensively. The numerical results indicated that the non-causative fault could significantly change the hoop stress distribution of inner and outer surfaces of the tunnels. In general, for the vertically incident seismic waves, when the tunnel was located in the foot wall (under the fault), the hoop stress within the tunnel was significantly greater than that of the tunnels in the non-fault half space, with an amplification factor of up to 117%. The amplification effect became more pronounced as the fault dip angle increased. However, when the tunnel was located in the hanging wall (above the fault), the non-causative fault could produce a significant shielding effect on the dynamic response of the tunnel under high frequency wave incidence, with the reduction of hoop stress being up to 81%. For low-frequency waves, though, the fault could lead to an increase of the hoop stress of the tunnel of up to 152%. The research results will provide a reference for the seismic design and safety protection of underground structures in non-causative fault sites.