Study on the mechanism of frction between an underground structure and sandy ground

抄録

When vehicles travel through a tunnel or when water flows through it, the gross weight of a tunnel and pressure of the earth acting on the bottom of the tunnel simultaneously increase. This change in earth pressure may induce risks such as ground settlement and ground failure. Additionally the change in the stress state in the vicinity of an underground structure influences the friction between underground structure and the ground to a certain extent. In previous work, authors evaluated surface friction calculated from residual earth pressure at the bottom and lateral earth pressure at the sidewall of an underground structure model that were associated with changes in the weight of the model using laboratory tests. They concluded that residual earth pressure at the bottom corresponded to surface friction acting on the sidewalls of the model. In this study, the earth pressure acting on the bottom and the lateral earth pressure acting on the sidewall of the underground structure model were measured with change in the weight and uplifting of the model. We examined the mechanism of the surface friction between the underground structure and the sandy ground. The results showed that the earth pressure acting on the bottom was affected by the self-weight of the structure as well as the frictional forces acting on the surface of the structure.