Tunnel Excavation
Application ID: 9750
This example models the behavior of soil during a tunnel excavation. The surface settlement and the width of the plastic region around the tunnel are important parameters needed to predict required reinforcements during the excavation.
Two study steps are used. The first study computes the stress state of the soil before excavating the tunnel. The second computes the elastoplastic behavior after soil removal, and uses the in situ stresses calculated from the first step. In the first step, the soil is considered elastic and in the second step, a soil plasticity feature with the Drucker–Prager criterion is added. The model is solved in 2D with plane strain conditions.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.