Numerical study on the effect of grouting on long-term settlement of tunnels in clay

Abstract

The long-term settlements over tunnels can be rather significant, particularly when tunnels are embedded in soft and compressible soils. The influence of grouting on the evolution of long-term surface settlement, as well as ground loss, is simulated by imposing prescribed volumetric strain on the disturbed area around the tunnel due to shield tunneling. The volumetric strain could be detected from the grouting ratio of grouting volume and the volume of the physical gap of shield tunnel. Finally, some conclusions are drawn from the numerical simulations. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.