Ground settlement during tunneling in groundwater drawdown environment - Influencing factors

In this paper, the results of a parametric study on groundwater drawdown-induced surface settlement during tunneling in water-bearing ground are presented. A calibrated stress-pore pressure coupled finite element model was adopted for the parametric analysis. The results were analyzed to establish the relationships between key design issues, such as the ground surface settlement and groundwater drawdown, and influencing factors. An artificial neural network (ANN)-based sensitivity analysis was performed to obtain insight into the relative importance of the influencing factors. The results indicated that the primary influencing factors on the settlement development are the thickness and stiffness of the soil layer within the drawdown zone and the lining permeability, while the initial void ratio and the permeability of the soil layer were considered secondary influencing factors. Practical implications and findings of the study are discussed.