Study on numerical method for the minimum rock covers of subsea tunnels

At present,many subsea tunnels are being constructed and planned.The safety and cost of subsea tunnels are directly restricted by the minimum rock covers.On the basis of domestic and foreign literature about subsea tunnel,the numerical methods which could obtain the minimum rock covers of the subsea tunnel were discussed.In the numerical method,using damage-fracture model and numerical analytical software,the displacement convergence criterion for the minimum rock covers of the subsea tunnel was developed.Namely,the displacement convergence condition and the allowable displacement value were discussed at the same point above the tunnel for the same cross section at the different bottom floor position.The basic idea of the numerical method to obtain the minimum rock covers of the subsea tunnels was given by investigation of two subsea tunnels.The minimum rock covers of the subsea tunnel could be determined by numerical analysis quantitatively.