Ground movement prediction for tunnels using simplified procedure

Stochastic medium theory is an effective method to predict tunneling-induced ground surface movement. However, the calculation formula of this theory is a complex double integral and the limit of integration is difficult to obtain when the cross section of tunnel is non-circular. In this paper, the stochastic medium theory is simplified, and the simplified procedure is proposed to predict the ground surface movement. In order to evaluate the validity of the simplified procedure, the numerical results using the stochastic medium theory are compared with those using the simplified procedure. The comparisons show that the present results by the simplified method agree well with the results by the stochastic medium theory except for very shallow tunnel, which means that the simplified method is an effective technique for predicting ground surface movement.

Research highlights
► The stochastic medium theory is simplified, and the simplified procedure is proposed to predict the ground surface movement.
► Ground movement by the simplified method agree with the result by the stochastic medium theory except for very shallow tunnel.
► For the simplified procedure, the complex numerical integration is avoided.