Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Solid Earth Geophysics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2025.1489419
This article is part of the Research Topic Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Development of Underground Resources View all 25 articles

Semi-analytical solution of frost heave force for circular tunnel in strain-softening rock mass

Provisionally accepted
Linpo Shi Linpo Shi 1*Meng Xing Meng Xing 2Pengyu Wang Pengyu Wang 2Kai Wang Kai Wang 2Xiaowei Cao Xiaowei Cao 2Hui Liu Hui Liu 3
  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Deep Geotechnical Mechanics and Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
  • 2 Gu-cheng Coal Mine of Shanxi Lu’an Mining Group, Changzhi, China
  • 3 School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The freezing method is often adopted to reinforce the surrounding formation during deep foundation pit excavations. According to the traditional theory of freezing wall design in coal mine construction engineering, it is necessary to design a continuous thicker freezing wall. The multi-turn combination cylinder freezing wall structure can optimize the freezing design, but the strength and stability of the wall structure are theoretical and technical issues that urgently need to be researched and solved. In this work, the mechanical characteristics of frozen walls of multi-coil composite cylinder are analyzed using theoretical methods. Based on the elastoplastic theory, the freezing wall of a multi-turn combined cylinder is simplified to an axisymmetric plane problem, and the theoretical calculation model of the freezing expansion force generated by the freezing process around the perimeter of a circular hole under an axisymmetric plane strain model is developed. The corresponding variable model for the displacement immobility point of the freezing circle is proposed, and the progressive formation process of the freezing wall is achieved through iterative calculations. The theoretical calculation formulas for the freezing force generated by the freezing process around a circular hole under the plane strain model are derived considering the gradual formation process of freezing expansion. The results of the research are expected to provide the theoretical basis for the construction of permafrost deep foundation pit engineering.

    Keywords: Circular tunnel, Strain-softening, Frost heave force, Cold region, Theoretical calculation model

    Received: 08 Sep 2024; Accepted: 02 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Shi, Xing, Wang, Wang, Cao and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Linpo Shi, State Key Laboratory of Deep Geotechnical Mechanics and Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.