Seismic stability analysis of subsea tunnels under the effects of seepage and temperature

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study used the strength reduction method to analyze the seismic stability of a subsea tunnel under the effects of seepage and temperature. Excess pore water pressure within the rock mass was first eliminated by calculating the consolidation; then, an earthquake wave was applied to begin the dynamic and time-history analysis and to obtain the maximum horizontal displacement of the model boundary. Finally, a temperature field model was established for the thermal analysis of the structure. The temperature of each node of the structure was regarded as a form of outside load applied to the reduction model; both sides of the vertical horizontal displacement of the boundary nodes and gravity were used as inputs for the static analysis when the vertex horizontal displacement reached its maximum value. By continuously decreasing the shear strength parameters, the safety factor of the tunnel structure was determined. The results show that the plastic zone first appeared in a smaller range on both sides of the tunnel arch feet near the lining and vault of both sides. The safety factor decreased with increasing water depth and overburden layer thickness.