Theoretical analysis on stress distribution characteristics around a shallow buried spherical Karst cave containing fill materials in limestone strata

The chief objective of the article is to learn the spatial characteristics of stress distribution around a shallow buried spherical Karst cave containing fill materials in limestone strata. First, considering the effect of external load, stress field in the Earth’s crust, internal filling and Karst geomorphology characteristics in China, a spatial axisymmetrical model was established. Concurrently, combing available work and the concept of elasticity, the boundary conditions are determined. Subsequently, the Love displacement method was introduced, and stress component expressions were obtained. The diagram characteristics of each stress component are summarized, which are affected by various influencing factors. Finally, to prove the rationality of the general solution, a numerical simulation was carried out based on practical engineering, and the maximum error is less than 5%. Thus, the analytical solution could represent the spatial characteristics of stress distribution around a shallow buried spherical karst cave containing fill materials in limestone strata.