Shield tunneling and environment protection in Shanghai soft ground

Large scale and intensive metro construction through dense urban area increases sharply the impaction on risk control and environment protection. Three typical cases of shield crossing building above ground (SCBA), shield crossing tunnel from above (SCTA) and shield crossing tunnel from below (SCTB) are studied, respectively, based on field measurements and site investigations of actual projects in Shanghai soft ground. The risks of shield crossing sensitive buildings and subways, ground movement prediction and its control regulations, the settings of shield driving parameters such as earth pressure, driving speed, postures and grouting are demonstrated and summarized in detail. It is proposed that stringent stipulations on controlling ground volume loss (GVL) ratio (GVLR) and strengthened monitoring measures are necessary and substantial for eliminating/reducing potential construction risks. It is urgently decisive to improve the performance of shield machine and to make it more flexible for counteracting complications of geology and environment, as refer to the present status of shields in Shanghai, most of them being overused or out of date. Crown Copyright (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.