In the heart of China, a team of researchers from Beijing Jiaotong University has unveiled groundbreaking insights into the behavior of soft rock tunnels, a discovery that could revolutionize the energy sector’s approach to underground construction. Led by Dr. Wang Jiachen, the team’s work, published in Shanghai Jiaotong Daxue xuebao, also known as the Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, delves into the complex world of viscoelastic rock, offering a new perspective on how these materials deform over time and space.
For decades, engineers have relied on conventional elastic solutions to predict the behavior of rock tunnels. However, these methods fall short when it comes to soft rock, which exhibits creep behavior—essentially, it deforms slowly over time under constant stress. This is where Dr. Wang and his team come in. They’ve introduced the Burgers model, a viscoelastic model that accounts for both the immediate elastic response and the delayed viscous response of soft rock.
“The conventional methods just don’t cut it for soft rock,” Dr. Wang explained. “We needed a model that could capture the space-time effects, the way the rock deforms over time and space during the construction period.”
Using numerical simulations, the team explored how various factors influence the longitudinal deformation behavior of viscoelastic rock. They found that while geostress has a negligible effect on the displacement release coefficient, factors like the Kelvin shear modulus, viscosity coefficient, Maxwell shear modulus, and excavation speed play significant roles.
But perhaps the most intriguing finding is the identification of three categories of hysteresis coefficients based on viscosity time: low, medium, and high. This categorization could lead to more precise predictions of rock behavior, allowing for safer and more efficient tunnel construction.
So, what does this mean for the energy sector? As the demand for renewable energy sources grows, so does the need for underground storage and transmission solutions. Soft rock tunnels are often used for these purposes, and understanding their behavior is crucial for preventing failures and ensuring safety.
Dr. Wang’s research offers a more convenient method for predicting the deformation of soft rock tunnels, which could lead to significant cost savings and improved safety. “Our findings provide a more accurate way to predict how soft rock will behave,” Dr. Wang said. “This could change the way we approach underground construction in the energy sector.”
The team’s work is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary research, combining principles from materials science, civil engineering, and geology. As the energy sector continues to evolve, so too will the need for innovative solutions to the challenges posed by underground construction. Dr. Wang and his team are at the forefront of this evolution, paving the way for a safer, more efficient future.
The research was conducted by a team from the Key Laboratory for Urban Underground Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Jiaotong University, the Beijing Engineering Research Center of Track Structure, and the Urban Operation Safety Research Center. Their findings, published in the Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, mark a significant step forward in our understanding of viscoelastic rock and its applications in the energy sector.
