Construction Sequence Optimization and Settlement Control Countermeasures of Metro Tunnels Underpassing Expressway

Abstract

The Chongqing metro line 6 underpass expressway around the city is taken as an engineering background, and the optimal excavation sequence and corresponding control countermeasures for the triangular-distributed three-line metro tunnel underpass expressway are studied. The influences of excavation sequence on the tunnel surrounding rock deformation, surrounding rock stress, supporting structure stress, plastic zone, and surface settlement are analyzed by using MIDAS/GTS NX finite element software. The numerical simulation results showed that Case 1 is the optimal excavation sequence of the metro tunnel. However, the surface settlement under the optimal excavation sequence exceeds the limit value of 30 mm, which cannot guarantee the safety of expressway traffic. On this basis, the control measure for strengthening the three-line tunnels with advanced small pipe grouting and reinforcing the middle tunnel with concrete-filled steel tube piles are proposed. Moreover, the excavation process of the metro tunnel with and without reinforcement schemes is numerically simulated. The results show that the reinforcement scheme can effectively control the surface settlement value within the limited value (16.47 mm), which is close to the maximum surface settlement of 18.31 mm after the metro tunnel excavation is completed, indicating that the proposed reinforcement scheme is beneficial to ensure the safety of metro tunnel construction and the driving safety of the expressway.