Taking the Qingdong Mine as the research object, combined with field measurement data, numerical simulation and theoretical analysis are used to examine the temperature field and stability of the frozen wall in the mine, respectively. The results show that during the active freezing period, under the same freezing time, the average temperature of the effective frozen wall of the fine sand layer is 0.2–1.0 and 0.5–2.5 °C lower than that of the sandy clay layer and clay layer, respectively. The effective frozen wall thickness of the fine sand layer is 0.04–0.17 and 0.17–0.33 m larger than that of the sandy clay layer and clay layer, respectively. The soil cooling between the two circles of freezing holes is the fastest. Due to the deflection of the freezing holes, the interface temperature field is asymmetrical. For deep clay with a depth of 200–250 m, it is most economical and reasonable for the brine temperature in the active freezing period to be −25 and −30 °C. At the designed brine temperature for cooling, during the excavation of the control layer of the topsoil layer (−216 m sandy clay), the side-wall temperature, average temperature, and thickness of the frozen wall meet the design requirements. The ultimate bearing capacity of the frozen wall is 3.20 MPa. When the well is empty for 30 h after excavation, the maximum radial displacement is 26.85 mm, so the frozen wall strength and stability are in a safe state. Overall, the findings of this study can serve as a useful reference for similar freezing projects.

We aimed to assess the temporal and spatial evolution law of the freezing temperature field of water-rich sandy soil in underground freezing engineering, taking the newly built west ventilating shaft freezing engineering in the Yuandian No. 2 Mine of Huaibei Coalfield as the engineering background. The influence of groundwater seepage on the freezing temperature field was qualitatively analyzed using field measured data. Based on the mixture medium theory, a hydrothermal coupling numerical calculation model of the freezing temperature field was established. The temporal and spatial evolution law of the freezing temperature field of water-rich sandy soil was obtained via the analysis of field measured data and numerical calculation results. It was found that the proportion of water that froze into ice in the soil mass within the freezing pipe circle is more than that outside of the freezing pipe circle; thus, the phase change in the soil mass within the freezing pipe circle is highly obvious. Groundwater seepage has an “erosion” effect on the upstream and side frozen walls and a “cooling superposition” effect on the downstream frozen wall. Under the effect of groundwater seepage of 2.81 m/d, the average temperature of the effective frozen wall during excavation is below −15 °C, while the thickness is above 5 m for the selected sandy layer at the site, meeting the construction and design requirements. When the groundwater flow rate increases from 0 to 10 m/d, the closure time of the frozen wall increases from 27 to 49 days, an 81.48% increase; the upstream thickness of the effective frozen wall decreases from 5.635 to 4.65 m, which represents a 17.48% decrease, while the downstream thickness increases from 5.664 to 7.393 m, an increase of 30.60%. The numerical calculation model in this paper can be used to predict the development law of the freezing temperature field of the water-rich sandy layers in the Yuandian No. 2 mine and to adjust the on-site cooling plan in real time according to the construction progress. This study provides some theoretical basis and reference for the construction and designs of the freezing temperature fields of water-rich sandy soil layers.

Layered rock masses with holes are common in nature. Their mechanical behavior plays an important role in the safety and stability of engineering structures. However, previous studies have concentrated on a single lithological layer, and few studies have reported on the mechanical behavior of layered rock masses with holes. Based on the concept of symmetry, uniaxial compression tests and numerical simulations were performed on rock-like specimens with three layers and a hole in the interlayer. The hole was in the center of the sample and was symmetrical up and down. The influence of the thickness and strength of the interlayer on the mechanical behavior and failure processes of the layered rock masses with holes was investigated. The results show that the peak strength and elastic modulus were associated with the thickness and strength of the interlayer. Three failure modes were observed in the specimens, which were not only related to the thickness and strength of the interlayer, but also affected by the presence of the hole. When the thickness of the interlayer is small, mainly a single failure mode was observed (tensile failure or shear failure). However, when the interlayer was thick, the failure mode was tension-shear mixed failure. The failure mechanism of the specimens was primarily crack propagation at the edge of the hole. These research results can provide a basis for site selection, and the design of surrounding rock protection and support parameters, and thus have important practical significance for improving surrounding rock stability and ensuring construction safety.

In order to study the elastic–plastic stress field distribution of a double-row-pipe frozen wall, the temperature field of the double-row-pipe frozen wall is equivalent to a trapezoidal distribution, and the frozen wall is regarded as an elastic–plastic thick-walled cylinder with functionally gradient material (FGM) characteristics in the radial direction. Considering that the elastic modulus and cohesion of the frozen wall material change linearly with the radius, the elastic–plastic analysis of the frozen wall is carried out based on unified strength theory. The analytical solutions of the elastic–plastic stress field distribution, the elastic ultimate bearing capacity, the plastic ultimate bearing capacity, and the relative radius of the plastic zone of the frozen wall are derived. The analytical solution is calculated based on the engineering case and compared with the numerical solution obtained based on COMSOL. At the same time, the influence of strength theory parameters on the mechanical properties of heterogeneous and homogeneous frozen walls is analyzed. The results show that the analytical solution and the numerical solution are in good agreement, and their accuracy is mutually verified. The external load on the frozen wall of the selected layer is greater than its elastic ultimate bearing capacity and less than its plastic ultimate bearing capacity, which indicates that the frozen wall is in a safe state of stress. The radial stress increases with the increase in the strength theoretical parameter b and the relative radius r, the tangential stress increases with the increase in the strength theoretical parameter b, and first increases and then decreases with the increase in the relative radius r. The larger the strength theoretical parameter b, the smaller the relative radius of the plastic zone of the frozen wall. The strength theoretical parameter b increases from 0 to 1, the elastic ultimate bearing capacity and plastic ultimate bearing capacity of the heterogeneous frozen wall increase by 33.3% and 40.8%, respectively, and the elastic ultimate bearing capacity and plastic ultimate bearing capacity of the homogeneous frozen wall increase by 33.3% and 41.0%, respectively. Therefore, considering the influence of intermediate principal stress, the potential of materials can be fully exerted and the ultimate bearing capacity of frozen walls can be improved. This study can provide theoretical reference for the design and construction of frozen wall.