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Experimental and numerical investigations on tunnel face failure under cutterhead vibration in soil–rock layered ground
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PRE
AI
Z
J
刘
C
C
J
DOI：10.1007/s11440-026-03178-0.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
When shield tunnelling in soil–rock layered ground (SRG), the tunnel face tends to suffer the combined effects of excavation-induced unloading and cutterhead vibration (CEUV), which poses great risks to ground stability. This study developed an apparatus to reproduce face failure under CEUV and conducted a series of physical model tests alongside discrete element method (DEM) simulations. The findings include that cutterhead vibration attenuates rapidly within the ground due to energy dissipation, although the bedrock can facilitate its propagation. The loosened zone in both SRG and homogeneous sandy ground (HSG) comprises a wedge and an overlying column. Due to the restriction of bedrock, a narrower, upward-shifted loosened zone emerges, and the soil arching effect is enhanced, resulting in lower limit support pressure (σs,lim) in SRG than that in HSG. Nevertheless, the cutterhead vibration significantly expands the loosened zone width and weakens the soil arching effect, which makes σs,lim increase by up to 3.2 times relative to that in a non-vibrational case. Through comparisons with previous studies and DEM simulations, the validity of experimental results is well confirmed. A parametric study further reveals that σs,lim is positively related to vibration amplitude, but negatively related to rock height. Meanwhile, σs,lim increases as vibration frequency f increases from 0 to 60 Hz but decreases as f ≥ 80 Hz. These insights highlight the importance of optimising vibration parameters through tunnelling control and point to the need for integrating real-time geological and vibration data for adaptive tunnel face stability control in SRG.
Keywords:
DEM modelling
Model test
Shield cutterhead vibration
Soil–rock layered ground
Tunnel face failure
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