In order to improve the simulation accuracy of the initial stress field and the digging process in inclined shaft sinking with ANSYS, a new method combining the double-model method and the advanced overlapping-element method is put forward. With a freezing inclined shaft construction in mind, taking the frozen soil as an elastic-plastic medium, a plane model of the freezing sinking of the inclined shaft is established, and the simulation is carried out. The simulation results show that the distribution characteristics of the model initial stress and displacement qualitatively agree with the theoretical results of the original ground stress obtained by adopting the double-model for the initial stress-displacement field. An advanced overlapping-element is adopted in simulating the excavation and support process under the total unloading, and the hoop stress of the inner shaft lining below 10^-6 MPa, and the lining displacement of below 10^-7 m under different model depths are obtained, which are close to the theoretical values. It is shown that the new method is superior to the traditional method, and is more accurate.

inclined shaft  /  freezing sinking  /  initial stress field  /  excavation and support process  /  numerical simulation