Durability evaluation of highway tunnel lining structure based on matter element extension-simple correlation...

Area of Science:

• Civil Engineering
• Infrastructure Durability
• Structural Health Monitoring

Background:

• Highway tunnel construction is rapidly increasing globally, necessitating robust methods for assessing tunnel lining structure (TLS) durability.
• Existing TLS durability evaluation methods often overlook the inherent ambiguity and randomness of evaluation indices, leading to limitations.
• Damage to TLS can compromise traffic safety and the overall load-bearing capacity of tunnels, highlighting the importance of accurate durability assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a scientifically sound and rational method for evaluating the durability of highway tunnel lining structures.
• To address the limitations of current methods by integrating the matter-element extension (MEE), simple correlation function (SCF), and cloud model (CM).

Main Methods:

• A novel durability evaluation model for highway TLS was established by combining MEE, SCF, and CM.
• The model was applied to a real-world case study using data from a Chinese highway tunnel lining inspection.
• A comparative analysis with the AHP-Extenics method was conducted to validate the proposed approach.

Main Results:

• The proposed model classified the tunnel lining into grade IV (severely damaged), aligning with actual observed conditions.
• The evaluation method achieved a high accuracy rate of 92.75%.
• The comparative study confirmed the reasonableness and feasibility of the MEE-SCF-CM based evaluation method.

Conclusions:

• This research offers a new, accurate method for assessing the durability of tunnel lining structures (TLS).
• The study provides a theoretical basis for judging highway TLS durability, crucial for maintenance and prevention strategies.
• The integrated approach effectively handles uncertainty in durability evaluation indices.