Application of physical model test in underground engineering: A review of methods and technologies

Abstract

Underground engineering occurs in a multi-field coupling geological environment, exhibiting deformation characteristics of nonlinearity, discontinuity and timeliness, with a complex disaster evolution mechanism. Physical model tests can intuitively reproduce the evolution process of engineering disasters, which are important means of studying scientific problems in underground engineering and disaster prevention. On the basis of summarizing and reviewing research achievements on the physical model test of underground engineering in five aspects: similarity theory, physical model construction, multi-field environment simulation, engineering activity reproduction and multi-source information monitoring, the future prospects of physical model test of underground engineering are proposed. It is found that the hypergravity simulation technology can widen the parameter selection range of similar materials by extending the similarity constant. The physico-mechanical properties of similar materials can be regulated quantitatively by changing the raw material proportion and mixture ratio. The curing principle of similar materials can be classified as physical compaction, inorganic cementation, organic cementation, molten sintering, and ultraviolet curing. The construction technologies of physical models can be divided into mold method, masonry method and 3D printing method. The creation of physical fields such as true triaxial stress, water pressure, temperature, gas pressure, and stress gradients, as well as the reproduction of engineering activities such as cavern excavation and tunnel mining, can be realized in a physical model. Model test monitoring technologies and data processing methods are used for data collection, processing and interpretation in the entire testing process. It is recommended to further refine the similarity theories for simulating the whole process of engineering disasters, optimize the performance of similar materials, develop refined preparation technologies of complex three-dimensional structures, similar revivification technologies of multi-field coupling environments, high-quality reproduction technologies of engineering activities, and whole-domain multi-source intelligent monitoring systems.