Abstract Summary
Numerical analyses conducted in the past to study energy tunnels use simple soil constitutive models. Using simple constitutive models for tunnel design may not accurately depict the complex behaviour of soil materials under different conditions, and the complex interplay among the deformation, flow and thermal models governing the soil behaviour. In this study, the coupled thermo-mechanical behaviour of energy tunnels is investigated employing a thermo-elasto-plastic constitutive model developed in the framework of the critical state soil mechanics and considering thermal softening effects.
