Failure mechanism of large-diameter shield tunnels and its effects on ground surface settlements

A new technique for the analysis of the three-dimensional collapse failure mechanism and the ground surface settlements for the large-diameter shield tunnels were presented.The technique is based on a velocity field model using more different truncated solid conical blocks to clarify the multiblock failure mechanism.Furthermore,the shape of blocks between the failure surface and the tunnel face was considered as an entire circle,and the supporting pressure was assumed as non-uniform distribution on the tunnel face and increased with the tunnel embedded depth.The ground surface settlements and failure mechanism above large-diameter shield tunnels were also investigated under different supporting pressures by the finite difference method.

Shallow Tunneling Method and Control Measure for Ground Surface Settlement

In order to ensure that the tunnel deformation and surface settlement are controlled within the allowable range during the construction process,the design unit has compiled technical measures and monitoring schemes for ground settlement control of this project.Based on the example of a shallow tunneling project on Subway line 8,this paper analyzes and discusses the shallow tunneling method in detail and puts forward corresponding technical measures for ground settlement control.

Analysis of ground surface settlement in anisotropic clays using extreme gradient boosting and random forest regression models

Excessive ground surface settlement induced by pit excavation(i.e.braced excavation) can potentially result in damage to the nearby buildings and facilities.In this paper,extensive finite element analyses have been carried out to evaluate the effects of various structural,soil and geometric properties on the maximum ground surface settlement induced by braced excavation in anisotropic clays.The anisotropic soil properties considered include the plane strain shear strength ratio(i.e.the ratio of the passive undrained shear strength to the active one) and the unloading shear modulus ratio.Other parameters considered include the support system stiffness,the excavation width to excavation depth ratio,and the wall penetration depth to excavation depth ratio.Subsequently,the maximum ground surface settlement of a total of 1479 hypothetical cases were analyzed by various machine learning algorithms including the ensemble learning methods(extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost) and random forest regression(RFR)algorithms).The prediction models developed by the XGBoost and RFR are compared with that of two conventional regression methods,and the predictive accuracy of these models are assessed.This study aims to highlight the technical feasibility and applicability of advanced ensemble learning methods in geotechnical engineering practice.

Ground settlement sedimentation time-space effect and ground settlement control standards

Since different underground engineering contains different geological conditions,structure and excavation methods,their disturbing degree on the ground also differs,but ground surface settlement caused by excavation has one common point that they will form a ground surface settlement curve.Based on data statistical analysis,the article puts forward the relationship between point of inflection in digging tunnels with shallowburied method and the span of tunnel excavation against typical geological conditions in Changchun so as to predict the impact of tunnel excavation and improve reasonable ground surface settlement control standard.Research result will be useful for study on ground surface control standard in digging tunnels with shallow-buried method and setting settlement standard.

Predictions of ground surface settlement for shield tunnels in sandy cobble stratum based on stochastic medium theory and empirical formulas

This paper focuses on the prediction of ground surface settlement induced by shield tunnelling in sandy cobble stratum.Based on the stochastic medium theory,an analytical solution to predict the surface settlement is developed considering the difference between soil and tunnel volume loss.Then,the effects of tunnel geometries,influence angle and volume loss on the characteristics of surface settlement are discussed.Through back analysis,a total of 103 groups of field monitoring data of surface settlement induced by shield tunnelling in sandy cobble stratum are examined to investigate the statistical characteristics of the maximum settlement,settlement trough width and volume loss.An empirical prediction is presented based on the results of back analysis.Finally,the analytical solution and empirical expression are validated by the comparisons with the results of model tests and field monitoring.Results show that the soil at ground surface has an overall dilative response for most of the shield tunnelling in sandy cobble stratum.In addition,the developed analytical solution is applicable and reasonable for surface settlement prediction.Meanwhile,the proposed empirical formula also shows good per-formance in some cases,providing an approach or a reference for engineering designers to preliminarily evaluate the surface settlement.

Effect of Wall Deformation on Dewatering-Induced Ground Surface Settlement

In practice,dewatering for pressure relief is commonly undertaken during ongoing excavation to secure bottom stability against basal upheaval.Simultaneously,through unloading,wall deflection is obviously observed.Noticing that both cause soil deformations,this research is to study the effect of wall deformation on dewateringinduced settlement.A coupled numerical analysis of finite-difference software is employed to model Shanghai soft soils under multi-aquifer-aquitard systems(MAASs)by analyzing the results in association with an empirical approach.Consequently,through gradual force reduction,shear strength at soil-wall interface is significantly diminished.As wall deformation increases instantaneously upon lower loading,wall surface becomes deformedly bending;this condition causes the challenge to workability of shear strength.Moreover,wall deformation caused by unloading affects dewatering-induced settlement substantially.Under smaller loading,large wall deflection is observed;soil plane of failure caused by both sliding and compression occurs along slip curve,with weaker shear-strength soils at rD=0.4 and stronger shear-strength soils between rD=0.4 and rD=0.65,where rD is the distance from the wall that is normalized by the depth measured from ground surface.During dewatering,stronger soils tend to drag weaker soils upward to reduce large differential settlements caused by additional compression.Consequently,settlement becomes larger at rD=0.4 and smaller at rD=0.65.Remarkably,at rD>2.3,both settlement curves that result from numerical analysis and empirical method show overlapping;this indicates that the unloading effect on dewatering-induced settlement at rD>2.3 is insignificant.Furthermore,as wall reaches maximum allowable wall deflection by 67%applied force,additional compression caused by dewatering after loading remains smaller than that under 70%applied force,contributing to smaller dewatering-induced settlement.

Numerical Modeling of Ground Response during Diaphragm Wall Construction

Construction of diaphragm wall panels may cause considerable stress changes in heavily overconsol- idated soil deposits and can induce substantial ground movement. The 3D Lagrangian method was adopted to model the mechanical response of ground, including horizontal normal stress and shear stress, lateral ground displacement and vertical ground surface settlement, during the slurry trenching and concreting of diaphragm wall panels. Numerical results show that slurry trenching leads to horizontal stress relief of ground, reducing the horizontal stress of the ground from initial K0 pressure to hydrostatic betonite pressure. Wet concrete pressure lies between the hydrostatic bentonite pressure and the initial K0 pressure, so it can compensate partially the horizontal stress loss of the ground adjacent to the trench and thus reduce the lateral movement of the trench face as well as the vertical settlement of the ground surface.

Comparison of shallow tunneling method with pile and rib method for construction of subway station in soft ground

In the present study,a comparison between the new shallow tunneling method(STM)and the traditional pile and rib method(PRM)was conducted to excavate and construct subway stations in the geological conditions of Tehran.First,by selecting Station Z6 located in the Tehran Subway Line 6 as a case study,the construction process was analyzed by PRM.The maximum ground settlement of 29.84 mm obtained from this method was related to the station axis,and it was within the allowable settlement limit of 30 mm.The acceptable agreement between the results of numerical modeling and instrumentation data indicated the confirmation and accuracy of the excavation and construction process of Station Z6 by PRM.In the next stage,based on the numerical model validated by instrumentation data,the value of the ground surface settlement was investigated during the station excavation and construction by STM.The results obtained from STM showed a significant reduction in the ground surface settlement compared to PRM.The maximum settlement obtained from STM was 6.09 mm as related to the front of the excavation face.Also,the sensitivity analysis results denoted that in addition to controlling the surface settlement by STM,it is possible to optimize some critical geometric parameters of the support system during the station excavation and construction.