With the popularized application of underground cable tunnels in China, various structural defects such as cracking, deforming and material deteriorating also emerge. In cable tunnels that have been poorly maintained for a long time, there is always a coexistence of several kinds of defects, and with the current methods of monitoring, it is difficult to identify the major defect affecting the load-carrying capacity and resolve it. However, the finite element method (FEM) can better solve this problem by analyzing the effect of a single defect parameter separately. In this paper, four different types of cable tunnels, namely the circular, rectangular, arched and trenched sectional tunnels, are modelled and analyzed with FEM. Defect parameters, including crack dimensions and concrete deterioration, are considered as variables, which are controlled and studied respectively. The results of the simulation indicate that the impact of crack propagation on the residual-bearing capacity of cable tunnels is much larger than that of concrete deterioration, especially the deepening of cracks. Works in this paper have the potential to be further referenced for cable-tunnel structure estimation and defect prevention.

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