Research on modeling method for freezing tunnel with fractured surrounding rock

The modeling method for freezing tunnel with fractured surrounding rock is discussed. Frost weathering of rock in cold regions poses serious threat to the stability of geotechnical engineering. Fracture in the freezing rock plays an important role in the mechanical features of the rock mass. However, most of the previous study on freezing rock considered the rock as continuous media, in which the effects of fracture are not reflected sufficiently. This paper overcomes the above mentioned insufficient and considers the fracture as an important factor while modeling. The model of frost fracture is built by AutoCAD and then transferred into ANSYS for meshing, and finally imported into FLAC3D for calculating by converting procedure. The method of equivalent coefficient of thermal expansion is used to simulate the expansion of water while freezing. The stress and thermal fields after some steps of calculation are ultimately simulated and the influence of fractures is reflected in the results.