Mechanical behavior of an FGM-type frozen soil wall: Theory and numerical analysis

With a laminate model foundation, we have used the complex variable function method to calculate the boundary displacement and stress of a frozen soil wall in a horizontal connecting passage. Using an actual engineering case, the effects of the number of divided layers of a functionally graded material-type frozen soil wall, the position of the freezing pipe and the section shape of the connecting passage on the displacements and tangential stresses of the frozen soil wall are discussed. The results indicate that the frozen soil wall as a temporary support structure exhibits a good supporting effect. With the increase of layers, the material strength of the frozen soil wall weakens, and the displacements and tangential stresses of the inner boundary increase. When the midline of the freezing pipe moves toward the inner boundary, the tensile area in the frozen soil wall begins to shift, and the displacements and tangential stresses of the inner boundary decrease differently. Thedistributions of internal boundary displacements and tangential stresses are significantly affected by the section shape of the frozen soil wall, and the internal boundary displacements and tangential stresses of the frozen soil wall of the small section are more uniform than those of the frozen soil wall of the large section.