Behavior of ground and response of existing foundation due to tunneling

Abstract

An apparatus has been developed to model the excavation of a tunnel in the laboratory. With this apparatus, 2D model tests are carried out to investigate the surface settlement and the earth pressure brought about by the tunneling. Finite element analyses using an elastoplastic subloading tij model are also conducted. The influence of volume loss on the surface settlement and the earth pressure, due to the shallow tunnelling, is illustrated based on the model tests and the corresponding numerical analyses. It is revealed that the surface settlement troughs and the earth pressure distributions around shallow tunnels depend on both the volume loss and the crown drift of the tunnel. The effect of the interaction between the tunneling and existing nearby foundations is also demonstrated in this paper. For existing foundations, the building loads control the surface settlements and the zone of deformation during the tunnel excavation. The behavior of the foundations depends on the deformation mechanism of the ground during the tunnel excavation. The induced axial force and bending moments in the piles of a piled raft are investigated numerically, and it is shown that the axial force changes due to the stress relaxation of the ground. Bending moments are induced in the piles at a lower value of soil cover due to the differential settlement of the piled raft.