Experimental Study on Stiffness Softening of Soil-Rock Mixture Backfill under Metro Train Cyclic Load

Due to the thick soil layer, short backfill time, and low degree of consolidation of the soil-rock mixture backfill in Chongqing city, metro train tunnels passing through this type of strata are prone to large settlements during operation, which greatly affects the stability of the tunnel and the safety of metro train operations. In response to this problem, the dynamic triaxial test of the soil-rock mixture backfill under cyclic loading was carried out to study the dynamic characteristics of the soil-rock mixture backfill under cyclic loading. The effect of initial consolidation degree, effective consolidation confining pressure, and rock content on the stiffness softening of soil-rock mixture backfill was analyzed. The results show that the initial consolidation degree, effective consolidation confining pressure, and rock content are all important factors affecting the stiffness of soil-rock mixture backfill under cyclic loading. As the number of cycles increases, the lower the initial consolidation degree and effective consolidation confining pressure, the faster the attenuation of the softening index, and the larger the amplitude. As the rock content increases, the softening index increases and the stiffness of the backfill changes from softening to hardening. Based on the test data, the softening-hardening model of the soil-rock mixture is established, which is in good agreement with the field test results. This study can provide a reference for predicting and controlling the postconstruction settlement of the metro tunnel in the soil-rock mixture backfill.