Studying the additional force in topsoil containing multiple aquifers can have a significant impact on predicting shaft wall fracture and guaranteeing shaft safety, as the aquifer number increases as drainage occurs. In this study, a numerical model calculating the effect of drainage on additional force in topsoil, containing multiple aquifers, was established on the basis of several practical engineering cases. The changes in the stress displacement of the shaft wall was analyzed during three different stages of shaft construction using typical parameters, and the effects of the various factors on the additional force variation under different water level gap conditions, depending on whether the drainage was synchronized or unsynchronized, were studied. The results indicate that the increment in the additional force, with an increasing water level gap in the central aquifer, is obviously larger than that in the bottom aquifer, and the difference in the maximum additional force between these two aquifers is approximately 0.6 MPa. The increasing number of central aquifers results in a higher increment in this force, which reaches 12 MPa with an increasing number of central aquifers. Meanwhile, a threshold value (about 0.6~0.7 H) exists for the depth of a central aquifer in terms of its effect on the additional force.

Due to their advantages, artificial ground freezing methods are widely used in deep shaft construction and repair with the continuous exploitation of coal and other mineral resources. The boundary convection due to ventilation conditions will affect the formation and development of this frozen soil wall, which needs to be studied systematically. Thus, in this study, a numerical calculation model of a freezing temperature field was established based on the actual conditions of the east ventilation shaft in the Chengjiao coal mine during repair by the freezing method, and the temperature and thickness laws of the frozen soil wall and the shaft wall were studied by changing the influencing parameters. The results indicated that the thickness of the outside position gradually exceeded that of the inside position of the frozen soil wall due to the ventilation effect, and the difference between these two parameters was approximately 0.2~0.3 m, while the temperature difference was no more than 1 °C. The frozen soil wall did not complete a cross-loop within 180 d under ventilation conditions when the freezing tube pitch exceeded a certain threshold, which was about 2.3~2.5 m for this ventilation shaft. The soil moisture content played an important role in the initial freezing under ventilation conditions in the full combination calculation. This paper provides theoretical support for studying the application of the artificial ground freezing method for shaft construction and repair under ventilation conditions.

The vertical additional force induced by the drainage consolidation settlement of the topsoil is one of the main factors for shaft wall fracture. To date, the number of aquifers of topsoil rises with the depth increasing of shaft, which would lead to a more serious additional force effect. Thus, studying the vertical additional force law of the shaft when drainage settlement occurs in its surrounding topsoil containing multiaquifers is of great significance to predicting the shaft stress and guarantying shaft safety. In this study, mechanical analysis of the topsoil with the shaft crossing multiaquifer was carried out, and the settlement of each aquifer and aquiclude was calculated by separating the single-slope drainage consolidation and the double-slope drainage consolidation. Then, the calculation model of vertical additional force was established due to the settlement caused by the reaction of the additional force on the topsoil containing multiaquifers, and the calculation model of shaft wall stress was also developed. Verification of this model was conducted by comparing the filed measurement data of the shaft wall strain and the theoretical data calculated by the stress model. Finally, the effect laws of drainage velocity, central aquifer thickness, location, and number on the additional force were obtained and analysed. This paper is expected to provide theoretical support for predicting the additional force and shaft wall stress during its service time.

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