Temperature Field Evolution of Soils Surrounding a Cross-River Tunnel

Abstract

During the operation period, soils surrounding a cross-river tunnel are under persistent disturbance owing to heat conduction, resulting in a change in the microstructure and engineering properties. Long term observations of temperatures outside of a shield tunnel segment and shallow soil temperatures are carried out, and the annual change characteristics are analyzed. A 3D heat transfer numerical model of the shallow-buried section of a cross-river tunnel is established, the measured temperature of ground surface and tunnel segment are applied as boundary conditions, and the finite difference method is used to simulate the soil temperature field. The simulation results are compared to the measured data to verify the model reliability and precision, and the characteristics of the temperature field evolution of the region surrounding the tunnel are investigated. The analysis results can be used as a reference for designers in related fields.