Abstract
In metropolitan areas, the static load of high-rise buildings may result in uneven settlement, which seriously threatens residents’ living safety. Studying the response relationship between the additional stress of high-rise buildings and foundation settlement plays an important role in ensuring the safe development of metropolitan cities. Firstly, based on Persistent Scatterers Interferometric Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) technology, we used 68 descending TerraSAR-X images to obtain the surface settlement in the study area from April 2010 to October 2018, which were validated with leveling benchmark monitoring results. Secondly, we calculated the additional stress of the building loads to quantify its effect on the uneven settlement in the Central Business District (CBD) of Beijing. Finally, two sets of characteristic points were selected to analyze the response relationships between foundation settlement and additional stress generated by building loads. The findings show: (1) The surface settlement rate varied from −145.2 to 24 mm/year in the Beijing Plain. The InSAR results agree well with the monitoring results derived from the leveling benchmark; the Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.98 and 0.95 in 2011–2013 and 2015–2016, respectively. (2) The stress results show that the depth of the influence of the static load of high-rise buildings was 74.9 m underground in the CBD. (3) The spatial distribution pattern of the additional stress is consistent with the foundation settlement. A characteristic point with greater additional stress in the same group has a higher foundation settlement rate. This relationship has also been found between the uneven foundation settlement and additional stress gradients. These findings provide scientific support for mitigating economic losses due to foundation settlement caused by additional stresses derived from building loads.
Highlights
We analyzed the effect of the additional stress generated by building loads on foundation settlement in different parts of the Central Business District (CBD)
According to the corresponding engineering construction standards (Code for design of building foundations, namely GB 50007-2002), the additional stress generated by building loads cannot cause stratum deformation when the additional stress is less than 20% of the pressure generated by the gravity of the soil above this depth [1]
Based on the research results, the depth of the influence of the additional stress generated by building loads was analyzed
Summary
Surface settlement threatens the safety of cities and damages infrastructure, through, for example, sinking foundations and rupturing underground pipelines. More than 150 countries on the Earth have experienced surface settlement to various degrees, including China [1], the USA [2], Italy [3], and Mexico [4]. The North China Plain has experienced the most serious settlement on the Chinese mainland [1]. Persistent Scatterers Interferometric Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) technology can be used to determine the surface settlement information in urban areas with millimeter-scale accuracy [5]. Using ENVISAT and ERS data from 1992–2010 and COSMO-SkyMed and Remote Sens.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
