The Transient Unloading Response of a Deep-Buried Single Fracture Tunnel Based on the Particle Flow Method

Abstract

Particle flow numerical simulation was used to reproduce the transient unloading process of a deep-buried single fracture tunnel. The influence of fracture characteristics on the transient unloading effect was analyzed from the aspects of stress state, deformation characteristics, fracture propagation, and energy conversion. The results shows that the surrounding rock stress field of the deep-buried tunnel is divided into four areas: weak stress area I, strong stress area II, stress adjustment area III, and initial stress area IV. The fracture has an important impact on the stress adjustment process of transient unloading of the deep-buried tunnel, and the stress concentration area will be transferred from the bottom corner of the chamber and the vault to the fracture tip. With the increase in the fracture length, the distance from the stress concentration area at the fracture tip to the free surface gradually increases, and the damage area of the surrounding rock gradually migrates to the deep area of the rock mass. At this time, the release amount of strain energy gradually decreases and tends to be stable, while the dissipation energy shows a near ‘U’ shape change trend of decreasing first and then increasing. Under different fracture angles, the number of mesocracks is significantly different. Among them, the number of mesocracks in the 60° and 30° fractured surrounding rocks is greater followed by the 0° fractured surrounding rock, and the number of mesocracks in the 45° and 90° fractured surrounding rocks is relatively less. In addition, the proportion of compression-shear cracks shows a change trend of increasing first and then decreasing with the increase in the fracture angle, and it reaches the maximum value in the 45° fractured surrounding rock.