Abstract
Natural soils exhibit spatially non-uniform properties, bringing some uncertainties on the evaluation of tunnel stability. This study therefore investigates the face instability and in particular to the sinkhole formation in spatially non-uniform soils by conducting large-deformation finite-element (LDFE) analyses combined with a three-dimensional random field. The results from LDFE analyses indicate that soil spatial non-uniformity greatly affects the failure mechanism as well as the face stability. The stability factor in non-uniform soils is averagely smaller than the deterministic solution in a uniform soil, implying the assumption of uniform soil conditions likely underestimates probability of failure of a tunnel face. With regard to the sinkhole behaviour, the average ground settlement obtained from random analysis is greater than that from deterministic analysis. This underscores the necessity of considering the soil spatial non-uniformity in the analysis of the sinkhole behaviour. This study provides an improved understanding on the face stability and sinkhole formation during tunnelling through non-uniform soils.
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