A quasi-static finite element approach for seismic analysis of tunnels considering tunnel excavation and P-waves

The quasi-static finite element (FE) approaches are widely used for the seismic analysis of tunnels. However, the conventional quasi-static approaches may cause significant deviations when the tunnel excavation process is simulated prior to the quasi-static analysis. In addition, they cannot account for vertical excitations. Therefore, this paper first highlights the limitations of conventional approaches. A hybrid quasi-static FE approach is subsequently proposed and extensively validated for various conditions. The hybrid approach is simple and not time consuming, and it can be used for the preliminary seismic design of tunnels, especially when the tunnel excavation and vertically propagating P-waves are considered.