An Analytical Model for Pipe-Soil-Tunneling Interaction

Abstract

The underground space in urban areas is frequently congested with utilities, including pipelines and conduits that are affected by underground construction, e.g., tunneling. This paper develops a Winkler-based pipe-soil-tunneling interaction model for estimating pipe responses to tunneling-induced ground movement. Efforts are focused on different pipe-soil interaction in relative uplift and downward pipe movements. Governing equations are derived, and their closed-form solutions are provided. The closed-form solutions are then validated against finite element simulations. Finally, the effects of different pipe-soil interactions in relative uplift and downward pipe movements are explored. The effect of different pipe-soil interaction is shown to be significant, and it should be properly accounted for in the analysis.