Interaction between surface structures and tunnelling in sand: Centrifuge and computational modelling

Giorgia Giardina*, Matthew J. DeJong, Robert J. Mair

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

71 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Tunnelling in urban areas requires a careful estimation of the consequence of soil settlements on existing buildings. In this paper the interaction between the excavation of a tunnel in sand and surface structures is investigated. A two dimensional finite element model is presented and validated through comparison with centrifuge test results, both with and without structures. The model is then used to perform a sensitivity study on the effect of building weight on soil movements and structural deformations. The results of the validation indicate that assuming a no-tension interface between the soil and the structure is essential to capture the soil-structure interaction that was experimentally observed. The parametric analyses show that the relation between the building stiffness and the tunnelling-induced deformations depends on the building weight.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)465-478
Number of pages14
JournalTunnelling and Underground Space Technology
Volume50
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Centrifuge testing
  • Numerical modelling
  • Settlements
  • Soil-structure interaction
  • Tunnelling

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