Abstract:

An algorithm that can simulate the excavation problem in numerical manifold method (NMM) is proposed according to the special cover system of NMM. In this algorithm, the excavation face is considered as a special kind of discontinuity that divides the mesh it crosses into different elements but doesn’t divide the mathematical cover it crosses. Such manner ensures that the elements on both sides of the excavation face are independent while the elements in the same mesh still have the same physical covers. So the algorithm retains the advantage of NMM that a uniform mesh can be competent to any geometrical conditions, and break the limitation of NMM that the excavation face must be treated as real discontinuity, which will result in unavoidable error. After being verified, the algorithm was used in an excavation simulation of a tunnel; and the results prove that the algorithm has a wide range of application.

Key words: numerical manifold method, forming of cover system, simulation of excavation, excavating released loads