Calculation of stress in excavation support structures in seasonal frozen soil areas under temperature effects

In seasonally frozen soil regions, the excavation engineering is significantly inflenced by temperature, making it challenging to determine the stress and deformation of excavation support structures under the combined effects of thermal expansion/contraction and frost heave. In this study, a calculation method for the analysis of stress and deformation in excavation support structures in seasonally frozen soil regions is proposed based on the Winkler foundation model. This method considers the interaction between soil frost heave deformation and load constraints, taking into account factors such as the coordination deformation between soil and support structures, elastic resistance of the soil, air temperature, support material and arrangement, soil moisture content, and frost depth. Verification of the calculation method was performed using field monitoring data with two calculation approaches: the single-factor stepwise solution method and the dual-factor solution method. The monitoring values and calculated values of maximum axial force changes in three layers of support differed by 9.12%, 4.61%, and 9.43% for the single-factor method, and by 9.08%, 6.79%, and 9.43% for the dual-factor method, respectively. The results indicate that the proposed calculation method exhibits good applicability.

Automated summary

A calculation method based on the Winkler foundation model is proposed for analyzing the stress and deformation in excavation support structures in seasonally frozen soil regions. The method considers various factors and has been validated to exhibit good applicability.