Prediction of tunnel displacement induced by adjacent excavation in soft soil

Deep excavation may have impact on the adjacent tunnels. The interaction between new excavations and existing tunnels has been increasingly serious with the rapid development of underground space and metro system in urban area. It hence creates a high necessity to predict tunnel displacement induced by nearby excavation to ensure the safety of tunnel. In this paper, a semi-analytical method to evaluate the heave of underlying tunnel induced by adjacent excavation is presented and verified by field measurement results. The influence of excavation and the resistance of tunnel are obtained based on Boussinesq’s and Mindlin’s solutions, respectively. Then the soil–tunnel interaction behavior is analyzed based on the displacement coupling condition by assuming the tunnel as an elastic beam. A visco-elastoplastic model (VEP model) is employed to simulate the rheologic deformation of soil. The behavior of the tunnel underneath excavation is studied by the new method to discuss the influence of different factors, including excavation area, relative distance and construction procedure. Results of case studies show a good agreement between prediction and measurements.

► A semi-analytical method is presented to estimate the heave movement of underlying tunnel induced by deep excavations.
► The influence of different factors on the behavior of the underlying tunnel is studied.
► The new method is employed to predict project cases and verified by field measurements.