Earthquakes and Structures

Volume 22, Number 6, 2022, pages 549-559

DOI: 10.12989/eas.2022.22.6.549

A quasi-static finite element approach for seismic analysis of tunnels considering tunnel excavation and P-waves

Wusheng Zhao, Kun Zhong, Weizhong Chen and Peiyao Xie

Abstract

The quasi-static finite element (FE) approaches are widely used for the seismic analysis of tunnels. However, the conventional quasi-static approaches may cause significant deviations when the tunnel excavation process is simulated prior to the quasi-static analysis. In addition, they cannot account for vertical excitations. Therefore, this paper first highlights the limitations of conventional approaches. A hybrid quasi-static FE approach is subsequently proposed and extensively validated for various conditions. The hybrid approach is simple and not time consuming, and it can be used for the preliminary seismic design of tunnels, especially when the tunnel excavation and vertically propagating P-waves are considered.

Key Words

finite element; P-waves; quasi-static; seismic analysis; tunnel excavation

Address

Wusheng Zhao:State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Kun Zhong:State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Weizhong Chen:State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Peiyao Xie:State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China