Development of a Numerical Model for Evaluation of Long-Term Mechanical Degradation of Shotcrete Lining in Tunnels

터널 숏크리트 라이닝의 장기 내구성 저하 평가를 위한 수치모델의 개발

In this study, a new concept for simulating a long-term mechanical degradation mechanism of shotcrete in tunnels has been proposed. In fact, it is known that the degradation takes place mainly by internal cracks and reduced stiffness, which results mainly from volume expansion of shotcrete and corrosion of cement materials, respectively. This degradation mechanism of shotcrete in tunnels appears similar to those of the most kinds of chemical reactions in tunnels. Therefore, the mechanical degradation induced by a kinds of chemical reaction was generalized and mathematically formulated in the framework of thermodynamics. The numerical model was implemented to a 3D finite element code, which can be used to simulate behaviour of shotcrete structures undergoing external forces as well as chemical degradation in time. A number of illustrative examples were given to show the feasibility of the model in tunnel designs with consideration of long-term degradation effect of shotcrete quantitatively for increase of long-term safety of tunnels.