Temporal and Spatial Evolution Laws of Freezing Temperature Field in the Inclined Shaft of Water-Rich Sand Layers

Abstract

This study investigated the distribution and evolution characteristics of the temperature field during the freezing and excavation of inclined shafts, with the freezing open-excavation section of Shengfu Mine’s main inclined shaft (located in Shaanxi Province) as the project background. Utilizing field-measured data and the finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics, a 3D freezing temperature-field numerical calculation model was constructed to examine the temporal and spatial evolutions of the temperature field during the construction of the inclined shaft. The findings showed that after 88 days of freezing, the average temperature of the frozen wall in the open-excavation section was below −12 °C. The frozen wall thickness in the sidewalls of different layers exceeded 4 m, and the thickness at the bottom plate exceeded 5 m, meeting the excavation design requirements. For the same freezing time, the average temperature of the frozen wall in the fine sand layer was 0.28 to 2.39 °C lower than that of the frozen wall in the medium sand layer, and its effective thickness was 0.36 to 0.59 m greater than that in the medium sand layer. When the soil was excavated, and the well side was exposed, a phenomenon known as “heat flow erosion” occurred in the soil at the well-side position, causing the well-side temperature to rise. Nevertheless, this increase was generally limited, and when continuous cooling was applied, the well side could maintain a very low negative temperature level. Consequently, there was no spalling phenomenon. The effective thickness of the frozen wall during excavation did not decrease, with the average temperature remaining below −10 °C. Consequently, there was no large-scale “softening” of the frozen wall during excavation, thus ensuring construction safety. The numerical calculation model in this paper can be used to predict the development law of the freezing temperature field of the water–rich sandy layers in Shengfu Mine and adjust the on–site cooling plan in real time according to the construction progress. This research provides valuable theoretical insights for the optimal design and safe construction of freezing inclined-shaft sinking projects.