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Analytical study on limit support pressure of working face in underground space exploitation based on improved 3D wedge-prism model

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Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

During infrastructure construction and resource exploitation, the stability analysis of the working face and the determination of the limit support pressure are important. Herein, an improved wedge-prism model is proposed with consideration of three aspects. The inter-slice vertical force expression at any depth in the prism is derived using the slice method, and the vertical force acting on the wedge is determined. Equilibrium equations of the wedge in the limit state are formulated, and the limit support pressure of the working face is derived. A set of semi-analytical methods for calculating the limit support pressure is developed. The proposed method is verified via comparison with existing approaches. Finally, case studies are conducted to analyse the factors affecting the limit support pressure, and the following conclusions are drawn. (1) The limit support pressure increases with the tunnel depth and tunnel diameter. Compared with the tunnel depth, the tunnel diameter has a greater effect on the limit support pressure. (2) The shear-strength indices of the crossed layer have significantly greater effects on the limit support pressure than those of the covering layer. (3) The limit support pressure increases linearly with the increasing groundwater level. The research results provide guidance for infrastructure construction and mineral resource development and can be used to ensure the safety of construction and mining.

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Abbreviations

D :

Tunnel diameter,

L :

Length of the prism

B :

Width of the prism

H :

Height of the prism

C :

Vertical distance between the bottom of the prism and the ground surface

∆H :

Height difference between the ground water level and the ground surface

Wi :

Gravity of the slice

V :

Inter-slice force

T i , T i ′ :

Tangential force on the left and right sliding surfaces

N i , N i ′ :

Normal force on the left and right sliding surfaces

T si , T si ′ :

Tangential force on the front and back sliding surfaces

N si , N si ′ :

Normal force on the front and back sliding surfaces

c′ :

Effective cohesion of soil in the covering layer

φ′ :

Effective internal friction angle of soil in the covering layer

u :

Pore water pressure on the sliding surfaces

∆z :

Thickness of the slice

μ :

Poisson's ratio of soil

γ′ :

Effective gravity of soil in the covering layer

γ w :

Water gravity

F :

Inter-slice force loaded by the prism

P :

Groundwater pressure

G :

Gravity of the wedge

S :

Support pressure acting on the tunnel face

S lim :

Limit support pressure acting on the tunnel face

T :

Tangential force on the inclined sliding surface

N :

Normal force on the inclined sliding surface

T s , T s ′ :

Tangential force on the vertical sliding surface

N s , N s ′ :

Normal force on the vertical sliding surface

γ 0 ′ :

Effective gravity of soil in the crossed layer

c 0 ′ :

Effective cohesion of soil in the crossed layer

φ 0 ′ :

Effective internal friction angle of soil in the crossed layer

K s :

Lateral pressure coefficient

σ z0 :

Vertical stress

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the National Key Research and Development Plan of China (Grant No. 2017YFC1503103), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 51774064, 51974055 and 42007234), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No.: 2019M652384), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. DUT20GJ216), the Special-Funded Program on National Key Scientific Instruments and the State Key Laboratory of Water Resource Protection and Utilization in Coal Mining (Grant no. SHJT-17-42.15), and the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, (Grant No.: Z019009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, Liaoning, China

    K. Ma

  2. Institute of Rock Instability and Seismicity Research, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, Liaoning, China

    K. Ma

  3. Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, Shandong, China

    J. Wu

  4. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China

    J. Wu

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Ma, K., Wu, J. Analytical study on limit support pressure of working face in underground space exploitation based on improved 3D wedge-prism model. Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour. 7, 10 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-020-00204-7

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