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.

Mechanical responses of multi-layered ground due to shallow tunneling with arbitrary ground surface load

An analytical model based on complex variable theory is proposed to investigate ground responses due to shallow tunneling in multi-layered ground with an arbitrary ground surface load.The ground layers are assumed to be linear-elastic with full-stick contact between them.To solve the proposed multi-boundary problem,a series of analytic functions is introduced to accurately express the stresses and displacements contributed by different boundaries.Based on the principle of linear-elastic superposition,the multi-boundary problem is converted into a superposition of multiple single-boundary problems.The conformal mappings of different boundaries are independent of each other,which allows the stress and displacement fields to be obtained by the sum of components from each boundary.The analytical results are validated based on numerical and in situ monitoring results.The present model is superior to the classical model for analyzing ground responses of shallow tunneling in multi-layered ground;thus,it can be used with assurance to estimate the ground movement and surface building safety of shallow tunnel constructions beneath surface buildings.Moreover,the solution for the ground stress distribution can be used to estimate the safety of a single-layer composite ground.

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.

Deformation mechanism and collapse treatment of the rock surrounding a shallow tunnel based on on-site monitoring

When tunnels are constructed at shallow depths in areas with poor geological conditions,such as portal sections,valleys and hillsides in regions with granitic bedrock,considerable excavation-induced deformation of the surrounding rock may occur,potentially resulting in tunnel collapses.The main reason for these problems is the lack of understanding of the deformation mechanism and evolution of the soft granitic rock surrounding the tunnel and the adoption of inappropriate construction technology and methods.This article analyzes the deformation mechanism of the rock surrounding a shallow tunnel based on in situ monitoring data as a case study and suggests that certain measures should be taken to effectively control the deformation of the surrounding rock and to minimize the potential for tunnel collapse.The results show that the deformation of the granitic soil surrounding the tunnel can be divided into three stages:the rapid deformation stage,the slow deformation stage and the stabilization stage.Appropriate construction methods should be carefully selected to ensure safety during tunnel excavation in the first stage.To avoid secondary disasters caused by tunnel collapses,three treatment measures may be implemented as part of safety management:enhancing the monitoring of the surrounding rock deformation,adjusting the construction methods and optimizing the support systems.In particular,accurate monitoring data and timely information feedback play a vital role in tunnel construction.Therefore,engineers with considerable engineering experience and professional knowledge are needed to analyze the monitoring data and make accurate predictions of tunnel deformation to ensure that reasonable measures are taken in the process of shallow tunnel excavation.

Control of rock joint parameters on deformation of tunnel opening

In this paper, stress behavior of shallow tunnels under simultaneous non-uniform surface traction and symmetric gravity loading was studied using a direct boundary element method（BEM）. The existing fullplane elastostatic fundamental solutions to displacement and stress fields were used and implemented in a developed algorithm. The cross-section of the tunnel was considered in circular, square, and horseshoe shapes and the lateral coefficient of the domain was assumed as unit quantity. Double-node procedure of the BEM was applied at the corners to improve the model including sudden traction changes. The results showed that the method used was a powerful tool for modeling underground openings under various external as well as internal loads. Eccentric loads significantly influenced the stress pattern of the surrounding tunnel. The achievements can be practically used in completing and modifying regulations for stability investigation of shallow tunnels.

Novel hybrid method to predict the ground-displacement field caused by shallow tunnel excavation

Based on machine-learning(ML) and analytical methods, a hybrid method is developed herein to predict the ground-displacement field(GDF) caused by tunneling. The extreme learning machine(ELM), as a single hidden layer feedforward neural network, is used as an ML model to predict maximum settlement smaxof the ground surface. The particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm is applied to optimize the parameters for the ELM method, namely, weight and bias values from the input layer to the hidden layer. The mean square error of the k-fold cross validation sets is considered the fitness function of the PSO algorithm. For 38 data samples from published papers, 30 samples are used as the training set, and 8 samples are used as the test set. For the test samples, the error of five samples ranges between-5 and 5 mm. The error of only one sample is slightly greater than 10 mm. The proposed PSO-ELM method demonstrates good prediction performance of smax. A deformation parameter of the nonuniform displacement mode for the tunnel cross-section is calibrated based on predicted smax. When the determined nonuniform displacement mode is used as the boundary condition of the tunnel cross-section, the GDF of a shallow circular tunnel is analytically predicted based on the complex-variable method prior to tunnel excavation. For a specific engineering case,i.e., the Heathrow Express tunnel, the proposed PSO-ELM-analytical method can well predict the surface-settlement trough curve, horizontal displacements at different depths, and vertical displacements above the tunnel.

The role of dilatancy in shallow overburden tunneling

The mechanical behavior of sandy ground during shallow circular tunneling is explored for various overburden heights H(=0.5D,1.0D,1.5D and 2.0D;D is the diameter of the tunnel)and various dilatancy coefficients(w//=0,1/3,1/2,and 1;/and w are the internal friction angle and dilation angle,respectively)through finite difference analyses.The ground is modeled as a linear elastic-perfectly plastic material that employs the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion and obeys the non-associated flow rule.The ground reaction curve is applied in conjunction with the stress path as a conceptual tool for interpreting the mechanical response of the ground to tunneling.It is revealed that,at a certain relaxation value,a yield zone develops during tunneling and extends to the surface.This relaxation value increases with increases in the overburden and w//values for the cases of less shallow tunnels(i.e.,H=1.0D,1.5D and 2.0D),while for the shallowest case(H=0.5D),the extent of the yield zone to the ground surface is not sensitive to the w//value.The shear strain due to tunneling also increases with an increase in the w//value.Moreover,the w//value affects the radial displacement and the surface settlement due to tunneling.The magnitudes of the surface settlement and the radial displacement at the tunnel crown both decrease with an increase in the w//value.The relative difference in the displacement at the tunnel crown between the upper bound and lower bound values,w//(at the last computed stage),increases with an increase in the overburden height.It is recommended,therefore,that careful consideration be given to the dilatancy angle in the case of relatively less shallow tunnels.

Dynamic evolution in mechanical characteristics of complex supporting structures during large section tunnel construction

The shallow tunnelling method(STM)often uses temporary supports to divide large section tunnels into several closed or semiclosed sections so as to share the upper load.The complex support system composed of primary and temporary supports can ensure safety during tunnel construction.Based on the large section tunnel of Beijing Subway Line 12,the mechanical characteristics of support system by the double-side-drift method(DSDM)during excavation and demolition were analyzed through numerical simulation and monitoring.The study showed that the middle cave excavation was the most critical stage of the DSDM,during which the load on the supporting structure increased significantly.The temporary vertical support bore most of the new load during middle cave excavation.During the demolition stage,the load was redistributed,which caused arch settlement and section convergence.The removal of the temporary vertical support exerted the greatest impact in this process.The lateral temporary inverted arch changed from axial compression to axial tension after the middle and lower caves were excavated.Based on the mechanical characteristics of the support system,some engineering suggestions were proposed for large section tunnel construction.These research results can provide reference for the design and construction of similar large section tunnels.

Spin dynamics of high-spin fermions in optical superlattices

We investigate the spin dynamics, starting from the initial band-insulating state, of fermionic high-spin atoms in optical superlattices. Through numerical simulations and analytical calculations, we determine the time evolution behavior of the system. When the spin-changing strength and tunneling strength are comparable, the spin dynamics feature a spin-changing oscillation with the amplitude modulated by the superexchange interaction. When the double-well potential is very shallow, the spin dynamics feature a simple harmonic oscillation with the oscillation frequencies related only to the spin-changing strength, which can be properly explained with the perturbation model.