Ground movement induced by parallel EPB tunnels in silty soils

When constructing tunnels with poor geotechnical conditions in densely populated urban areas, there are many challenges including intolerable ground movement, face failure, and potential damage to adjacent structures (i.e., tunnels, piles, and pipelines). Earth pressure balanced (EPB) shields have been widely used to solve these problems. However, tunnel excavation causes release of in situ soil stress, which results in the soil movement. This paper focuses on field measurements of parallel tunnels using EPB shields in silty soils. Specifications on the ground profile, construction procedure, and field monitoring of pore pressure in the soils, ground subsidence, subsurface settlement, and horizontal displacement are reported. During shield advancement, the pore pressures in the soils showed the zigzag-shape distribution along the distance. The settlements indicated upheaval-subsiding behavior in the longitudinal direction. The soil settlement decreased from the crown of the excavation face to the ground surface and to the invert of the excavation face in the transverse direction. Outward horizontal displacements of soils adjacent to the tunnels and inward horizontal displacements of the soils near the ground surface were also observed before the tail injection. The second tunnel excavated rendered a slight squeezing effect on the first tunnel. These satisfactory measurements indicate the effectiveness of the EPB technique in reducing potential damage to adjacent structures. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.