Randomized trial investigates seismic vulnerability in road tunnels, indicating urgent need for maintenance.
Key Points
This research aims to assess the seismic vulnerability of aging road tunnels with reduced lining thickness and to identify critical structural conditions.
Analyzed a two-lane tunnel with a starting thickness of 50 cm using two reduced thickness scenarios (20 cm and 10 cm).
Conducted 2D finite element analyses under plane strain conditions to simulate seismic loading.
Modeled the lining using elastic and notension laws while representing the ground with an elastic-perfectly plastic Mohr-Coulomb criterion.
Localized crown thinning leads to significantly increased lining vulnerability under seismic loading, resulting in critical stress conditions.
Analysis confirms that reduced lining thickness can compromise the structural safety of aging tunnels.