Influence Of Tunnel Excavation Research Articles

Study on progressive failure mode of surrounding rock of shallow buried bias tunnel considering strain-softening characteristics

Mountain tunnels portal often have to pass through slope terrain unavoidably, thus forming a shallow buried bias tunnel. During the construction of shallow buried bias tunnel, disasters such as slope sliding and tunnel collapse frequently occur. The failure mode of surrounding rock obtained by current research is based on the limit equilibrium theory, which cannot reflect the progressive failure characteristics of the surrounding rock of shallow buried bias tunnel. In order to reveal the failure mechanism of the gradual instability of surrounding rock of shallow buried bias tunnel, the problem of gradual failure of the surrounding rock is reduced to an elastic–plastic analysis problem for surrounding rock considering the strain-softening characteristics. Based on the elastic–plastic analysis of the failure process of shallow buried bias tunnel, MATLAB was used to compile a program to read the finite-difference calculation result file, extract the effective information such as shear strain and tensile strain at the center point of each unit, and establish the analysis method of the progressive failure mode of shallow buried bias tunnel. The reliability of the method proposed was verified by comparing the failure process of the model test with the development process of shear strain increment. Under the condition of no support, the formation mechanism of failure plane of surrounding rock on both sides of shallow buried bias tunnel is different. The shallow buried side is the shear failure plane formed by the collapse of surrounding rock, while the deep buried side of the tunnel is the shear failure plane formed by the collapse of surrounding rock and slope sliding. Under the conditions of excavation and support, the failure plane of the shallow buried bias tunnel can be divided into three parts according to the formation sequence and reasons. The part I is the failure plane, which is formed by active shear under the influence of tunnel excavation. The part II is the failure plane formed by tensile crack of slope top. The part III is the failure plane formed by passive shear under the push of the soil in the upper part of the slope.

Mechanical characterization of subway tunnel construction in urban shallow distributed karst stratums

To address the challenges posed by rapid urban and population growth, China has undertaken extensive urban subway construction. In order to explore the mechanical characteristics of subway tunnel construction in urban shallow karst environment, based on the first phase project of Guiyang rail transit line 3, the concept of “distributed Karst” is proposed according to the occurrence characteristics of karst in urban environment. The dry ice and model soil were used to characterize the karst strata, and the similar model test study on the influence of different volume karst rates on subway tunnel construction was carried out. The influence of tunnel excavation on surrounding rock disturbance, internal force of arch structure and ground settlement under distributed karst stratum condition is studied comprehensively. The following key findings emerged:(1) Karst presence causes an abrupt change in the release curve of surrounding rock earth pressure. Higher degrees of karst development result in smaller changes in earth pressure on the arch top and shoulder after tunnel excavation, with final earth pressure changes of 91.1 kPa, 83.5 kPa, and 74.8 kPa for volumetric karst rates of 5%, 10%, and 20%, respectively. (2) Distributed karst in the tunnel arch has a limited impact on the lateral excavation displacement of the arch girdle but significantly affects the vertical settlement of the tunnel vault. Increasing volumetric karst rates by twofold (from 5% to 10% and 20%) reduces arch settlement by 48.9% and 55.6%, respectively. (3) At volumetric karst rates of 5%, 10%, and 20%, the axial force values at the tunnel top are 58.2 kN, 52.8 kN, and 50.3 kN, while the corresponding bending moment values are 49.6 kN-m, 37.1 kN-m, and 26.0 kN-m, respectively, indicating a more significant difference in bending moment values than axial force values. (4) Karst presence leads to increased surface settlement, with a 48.8% increase in peak ground settlement observed as the volumetric karst rate rises from 5% to 20%.

Declining trees growth and vegetation productivity resulting from decreasing soil water contents induced by tunnels excavation in karst mountain areas

Tunnel construction in karst areas greatly impacts the local hydrological conditions. The drawdown of groundwater levels and the loss of soil water storage due to tunneling limit the available water resources on the karst land surface, and this may affect the function of plants. Here, we evaluated the responses of the radial growth rates of two major tree species (Masson pine and Camphor laurel) to a tunneling induced water stress event in a typical karst trough valley. Meanwhile, to discuss the overall influence of tunnel excavation on plant growth in all vegetation cover types, the dynamics of vegetation productivity around the tunnel were evaluated using remote sensing indices, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Net Primary Productivity (NPP). Furthermore, we estimated the spatial–temporal variations of NDVI and NPP in other tunneling regions of Southwest China. The results showed that the soil moisture contents (SMC) around the Zhongliang Mountain Railway Line 6 (ZMRL6) tunnel had dramatically declined −5.06%∼−10.53% within the areas < 1500 m. After the excavation of ZMRL6 tunnel, the basal area increment (BAI) for the tree-ring widths of Masson pine and Camphor laurel within 1500 m of the tunnel central reduced by 94.8%∼135.8% and 116.6%∼139.9%, respectively, while the trees beyond this distance range were less influenced. Meanwhile, the remote sensing indices showed that tunnel excavation can reduce 3.3%∼7.6% of the NDVI and 15.7%∼17.4% of the NPP within 1500 m of the ZMRL6 tunnel. A similar distance range of such declines in NDVI and NPP was also found in other tunneling regions throughout the karst mountain areas of Southwest China. The findings in this study suggest that tunnel excavation may cause severe ecosystem degradation within 1500 m of the tunnel center, which should be considered in ecosystem management and conservation strategies in karst mountain areas.

Influence of Tunnel Excavation on the Deformation of a Frame Building

Tunnel excavation inevitably causes surface deformation. In urban areas, surface deformation could lead to the deformation of surrounding buildings, which may cause damage to communities when accumulated to a certain extent. However, the current construction organization and management mainly rely on on-site deformation measurements, and there is still a lack of reliable prediction methods. Here, we proposed an effective evaluation method for frame building deformation based on the stochastic medium theory and the equivalent beam theory. This method could effectively evaluate the surface and building deformation after a horseshoe tunnel excavation by considering the non-uniform convergence. Furthermore, its accuracy and practicability were verified using the Nanyan Fourth Circuit Transmission Reconstruction located in Dalian, China. The results show that the spatial distribution and characteristic values of the maximum tensile strains were closely related to the ratio of Young’s modulus to the shear modulus (E/G), the building height (h), the tunnel depth (H), the tangent of the tunnel influence angle (tan β) and the convergence radius (ΔR). These achievements can provide a theoretical basis and analytical ideas for investigating the influence of shallow buried tunnel excavation on frame structure buildings in cities.

Settlement and Stress Characteristics of the Ground in the Project of a Double-Line Tunnel Undercrossing an Airport Runway in a Sandy Cobble Region

The engineering technology of undercrossing an airport flight area is relatively mature; however, the use of shield tunnels crossing the operating airport flight area in high liquidity sandy cobble stratum has rarely been reported. To discuss the feasibility of a double-line shield tunnel undercrossing the airport flight area in a sandy cobble region. Based on the case of the Chengdu Metro Line 10 that undercrosses the Shuang-Liu Airport, which is located in sandy cobble region, the deformation and stress laws of airport runway pavement structures were investigated via a three-dimensional numerical model. Stratum displacement, ground settlement and pavement tensile stress under different tunnel depths were analysed. Then, the pavement tensile stress was taken as the safety evaluation index and the vulnerable area of the pavement structure was proposed. The results show that after excavation of the double-line tunnel, the maximum ground surface settlement occurred above the tunnel centreline and the ground settlement curves presented a V-type settlement trough instead of a W-type. The existence of a runway greatly limited the deformation of the surrounding soil; with increasing depth, the effect degree of the runway pavement on the soil settlement decreased. The most unfavourable region of the runway pavement structure under the influence of tunnel excavation was found. With increasing burial depth, the maximum settlement of the surface centre point decreased continuously. It is recommended that the tunnel burial depth not exceed 23.5 m in this project. According to the displacement and stress control limitation of the airport pavement, it can be judged that the shield construction method meets the structural stability requirements of the pavement. The calculated results provide a reference for the shield tunnel construction in the same geological condition areas.

Geological conditions of saturated soft loess stratum and influence of tunnel excavation and dewatering system on its groundwater environment

Geological conditions of saturated soft loess stratum and influence of tunnel excavation and dewatering system on its groundwater environment

Analysis on excavation stability of tunnel portal with different design methods

The stability of tunnel portal has its particularity. Due to the influence of natural or human factors, it is easy to produce cracking, landslide, collapse and other diseases. Taking the No.5 highway tunnel of F3 bid in Georgia as the background, using the finite element analysis software MIDAS-GTS to establish a three-dimensional model to simulate the tunnel construction process. The tunnel portal adopts two design schemes of micro pile wall support and bolt mesh shotcrete support. Through the analysis and comparison of the transverse and vertical displacement and stress field characteristics of surrounding rock caused by two schemes of tunnel excavation, the influence of tunnel excavation on the stability of tunnel portal is studied. The numerical results show that the maximum transverse and longitudinal displacements of surrounding rock are 3.55mm and 8.73mm respectively, and the maximum tensile stress is 1.91mpa. Compared with the micro pile wall support design, the bolt mesh shotcrete support scheme is more feasible. The conclusion has a certain guiding role for the construction of highway tunnels in mountain areas.

Influence of Tunnel Excavation on the Stability of a Bedded Rock Slope: A Case Study on the Mountainous Area in Southern Anhui, China

Tunnel excavation has a substantial effect on the stability of rock slopes. The influence of tunnel excavation on the deformation and mechanical characteristics of a bedded slope is investigated by analysing the cumulative displacement, stress, and strain of the slope using the finite-element method (FEM) and field monitoring method. The deformation characteristics of the surrounding rock of the tunnel and slope with a supporting structure were analysed using the FEM under the conditions of support or without support. The results show that the deformation characteristics of the slope are controlled by its discontinuities. The deformation of the slope is mainly concentrated in the area above the second discontinuity; in particular, the deformation above the first discontinuity is the largest. In addition, the deformation and mechanical characteristics of the support structure are analysed. The supporting structure has influence on the deformation of the slope, which reduces the cumulative displacement, stress and strain. The shear strains of the second and third discontinuities are greatly influenced by the supporting structure. The mechanical properties of the tunnel support structure are controlled by the first discontinuity, and a stress concentration occurs near the first discontinuity. Moreover, based on the combination of the numerical and field test results, the deformation of the rock slope is closely related to the distance from the slope surface. Tunnel excavation mainly has a significant impact on the deformation of surface slope within a certain range, especially the slope deformation within the range of 4 m, which is the largest.

Centrifuge Study on the Influence of Tunnel Excavation on Piles in Sand

AbstractTunneling-induced ground movements can affect the equilibrium state of an existing pile, causing uneven settlement among pile groups and damage to connected structures. This paper presents ...

Influence of Tunnel Excavation on Tower Foundation Settlement Constructed on Sandy Soil

Tunnel excavation below or alongside towers will be affected on stability and performance of towers because of soil movement and stress distribution changes around and below towers. A finite element model using program Plaxis 3d is carried out to investigate the settlement that occurs in the tower foundation as a result of advancement of tunnel in sandy soil. Mohr-Coulomb model is used to idealize sandy soil while linear elastic model used for idealizing concrete in tunnel lining and tower foundation. Many parameters have been investigated such as influence of vertical and horizontal distance from tower foundation and tunnel location on stability of tower during tunnel excavation. The results showed that the direction of wind load is affected by tunnel excavation direction, if the direction is the same direction tunneling and wind load leads to higher foundation tower differential settlement than in transverse direction. The location of tunnel in lateral direction (x) must be at least 2.5D from the centerline of the tower foundation and in vertical direction (y) must be at least 3D from base level of tower foundation to ensure stability of tower frame.

Model test for water inrush caused by karst caves filled with confined water in tunnels

In this study, a water inrush model test system for high ground stresses and hypertonic tunnels is developed to examine the evolution process of karst cave water inrush events induced by tunnel construction and rainfall. A 3D fluid-solid coupling model test is performed to simulate the tunnel excavation and increasing karst cave water pressure, and the evolutionary mechanism of karst water inrush induced by tunnel construction is revealed. The results indicate that seepage occurs during the tunnel excavation, and water seepage ceases after timely support. During hydraulic loading, the experiment successively obtained the stages corresponding to the occurrence of partial dripping, water streams, support bulging, partial and complete support block falls, and water inrush. The influence of tunnel excavation on the stability of the surrounding rock of the monitoring surface increases sharply when the distance between the tunnel excavation surface and the monitoring surface is approximately 0.5–1 times the diameter of the tunnel. The research results are significant for studies examining the water inrush mechanism and the prevention of tunnel water inrush disasters.

Study on the settlement of large-span metro station’s baseplate caused by the tunnels newly built beneath it

The influence of tunnel excavation on adjacent buildings or structures must be considered when new tunnels pass through existing buildings or structures. In this article, based on the project of th...

Theoretical Analysis on the Effect of Tunnel Excavation on Building strip foundation

In this paper, according to the characteristics of the ground settlement troughs curves, the influence of tunnel excavation on the effect of strip foundation was studied by inverse analysis firstly. The differential equation of the synergistic effect of the strip foundation and foundation under the tunnel excavation was established by using the equilibrium condition of the micro-element physical force. Then, the conceptual definite initial parameter method was used to solve the corresponding homogeneous equation. According to the plane section assumption, combined with the basic theory of material mechanics, considering the differential characteristic of hyperbolic trigonometric function, and using matlabmathmatica software, the theoretical calculation expression of displacement and internal force which is about the tunnel passes through the strip foundation was obtained. Finally, combined with engineering case analysis, changes of the relative position between the tunnel and the foundation, the influences of the main parameters on the foundation effect were studied. The results show that: The influence scope of the tunnel on the foundation is [-0.5 ~ 1.5] times of the foundation length, and when the tunnel center at the end of the foundation, there exists the maximum settlement. The parameters about the soil loss rate, the excavation section and the buried depth of the tunnel have great influence on the foundation effect. The change of foundation height has a great influence on its internal force.

Mechanical analysis about the influence of tunnel excavation on vertical effect of adjacent bridge pile

Tunnel excavation will bring additional deformation and internal force of adjacent bridge piles, if the deformation is large, it will threat the upper structure safety of the bridge. According to the complexity of the existing three - dimensional numerical simulation modeling and the time - consuming calculation, a two - stage analysis method of tunnel excavation based on Winkler foundation model was proposed. Firstly, Loganathan and Polous solutions were used to obtain the vertical displacement of the soil free field at the pile position when tunnel excavated, and the corresponding polynomial fitting displacement curve was taken. Secondly, the differential equation was established by means of the equilibrium condition of micro - element physical force and considering the pile group effect. Then, through the logical derivation, the calculation expressions of the tunnel excavation on the effect of the adjacent bridge pile (settlement, axial force and friction resistance) were obtained. Finally, based on the background of the tunnel project of Yanxing Door Station ∼ Xianning Road Station in Xi’an Metro Line 3, the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method were proved by comparing the calculated values with the numerical simulation values. It provides theoretical guidance for the effective analysis about the influence of tunnel excavation on the adjacent pile foundation effect.

Analysis of Pipe-Roof in Tunnel Exiting Portal by the Foundation Elastic Model

The Pasternak double-parameter elastic foundation model of pipe-roof during the construction of tunnel exits is first established. Based on the portal project of Hanjiashan highway tunnel, an inclinometer is adopted to measure the settlement deformation of a pipe-roof and demonstrates the deformation law in tunnel exiting portals. The formulas for calculating the deflection and internal forces are derived to analyze the deformation of the pipe-roof in each excavation stage, and the results are compared with field monitoring data. Finally, the influences of excavation height, excavation footage, and stiffness of the pipe-roof on the support effect are investigated. Analysis indicates that the longitudinal settlement curve shows a groove distribution, which can be divided into five stages: micro, rapid, continuous, resilience, and stable deformation. Moreover, the subsidence rate reaches its maximum at the tunnel face. The influence of tunnel excavation on the deformation mainly has a range of 1.5 times the excavation height. To control the deflection of the pipe-roof, excavation height should be controlled in the range of 3.5 m, excavation footage should be controlled in the range of 1–1.4 m, and the diameter and thickness of the selected pipe-roof should be in the ranges of 89–159 mm and 5–8 mm, respectively.

Combined freeze-sealing and New Tubular Roof construction methods for seaside urban tunnel in soft ground

Construction of seaside urban tunnels is significantly difficult due to the densely adjacent buildings and underground facilities in conjunction with unfavourable geological conditions. For this, this paper investigates the construction methods used for Gongbei Tunnel, which is a typical seaside tunnel connecting Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in China. The construction methods and stability of the undercutting section will be focused. In the tunnel section of interest, dozens of thick steel tubes are jacked into the soft soil, and freeze-sealing method is applied to form a thick water-proofing wall. In this study, the combined freezing and New Tubular Roof (NTR) method are simulated by thermo-mechanical coupling analysis. The temperature field obtained in the freezing process indicates that the thickness of frozen wall grows approx. 2.0m after 50days of freezing. Besides, the stability of the surrounding ground and supporting structures in the bench-cutting stage are also investigated. Then the thawing process is simulated and associated suggestions for post-grouting to prevent excessive thawing settlement are proposed. The numerical results show that the tunnel is stable and the influence of tunnel excavation on adjacent buildings is within the permissible range. It also shows that the designed construction methods can be used to adequately meet safety and stability standards when adopting the proposed construction and supporting system.

Effects of Pillar Depth and Shielding on the Interaction of Crossing Multitunnels

AbstractAny new tunnel excavation may damage adjacent existing tunnels in congested cities. To evaluate the impact of new tunnel construction on nearby existing tunnels, a series of three-dimensional centrifuge model tests were conducted with numerical backanalyses using an advanced hypoplasticity constitutive model. The influences of the pillar depth-to-diameter ratio (P/D) on two-tunnel interaction and the effects of shielding on three-tunnel interaction were investigated. The maximum measured settlement of an existing tunnel caused by a new tunnel excavation at P/D of 0.5 underneath was approximately 50% larger than that when P/D was 2.0. This is attributed to a smaller mobilized shear modulus, resulting from a larger reduction in confining stress of soil acting on the invert of the existing tunnel in the former than in the latter. When the new tunnel was excavated underneath two perpendicularly crossing tunnels, the lower existing tunnel “shielded” the upper one from the influence of tunnel excavation...

Influence of Tunnel Excavation on Adjacent Rigid-Flexible Pile Bearing Horizontal Loads

In order to investigate the influence of tunnel excavation on adjacent rigid-flexible pile bearing horizontal load，many three-dimensional numerical analysis were conducted by altering the pile-soil stiffness resulted from the change of elastic modulus, radius, and length of pile. Many useful conclusions can be drawn. The longitudinal shear force and transverse bending moment of pile increase with the increment of longitudinal horizontal loads and pile-soil stiffness ratio for the pile of constant length. Therefore, different measures must be executed to protect adjacent piles with different stiffness during tunneling. This study can provide some references for the design and construction of tunnel.

Surface Settlement Law Induced by Shield Tunnel Excavation Using Modified Gap Model

GAP model will be modified and programmed by FISH language, which can be used in FLAC2D programs. The modified GAP model is used to study the variation of surface settlement shape with depth, the variation of the maximum settlement value with depth, and the variation of settlement gradient with depth. The results show that: the settlement shape is narrow and deep with the conditions of shallow buried depth of tunnel; on the contrary, the settlement shape is wide and shallow; When the tunnel depth is less than the critical value, the tunnel depth and the maximum surface settlement is approximately linear; when the tunnel depth is greater than the critical value, the curve of maximum surface settlement value with depth becomes flat and with the increase of the tunnel, the surface settlement gradient gradually decreases and eventually tends to zero. It is more reasonable to assess the influence of tunnel excavation near adjacent buildings, using the maximum surface settlement and the settlement gradient as a control standard.

Study on Influence of Tunnel Excavation on Seismic Performance of Underground Pipeline

It is often necessary to study on the seismic performance of the buried pipelines subjected to tunnel excavation, because the ground motion will inevitably endanger the nearby underground pipelines. In this paper, modeling and analysis of earthquake-resistant performance of tunnel excavation to the upper underground pipeline have been carried out. The changes of stress and displacement of the upper underground pipeline under action of the same seismic wave before and after tunnel excavation was compared. It is showed that there’s a greater impact on the stress and displacement of upper underground pipeline under seismic action, and a tunnel with reasonable supporting would support the underground pipeline to some extent.