A Study on the Effects of Rock Crack Propagation in Tunnel Analysis using Extended Finite Element Method

Construction of tunnels is often associated with failure characteristics of hard rock around circular tunnels induced by pre-existing structural features under high in-situ stresses have been the subject of various studies. In the present study, the effects of rock crack propagation on tunnel stability are evaluated using the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM). Accordingly, a two-dimensional tunnel model in a linear elastic rock domain with a predefined crack is considered. The crack propagation and its effect on tunnel stability are appraised by an XFEM program coded in MATLAB. The results of analyses indicate that the crack in the rock as well as its expansion in the domain has significant effects on the stresses around the tunnel. This in turn has a remarkable impact on the tunnel stability. It should be emphasized that the prediction of crack propagation path by XFEM can help the process of design and excavation of the tunnel.

کلیدواژه ها:

: XFEM ، Tunnel analysis ، Rock ، Crack propagation