Centrifuge study on the use of protective walls to reduce tunnelling-induced damage of buildings

Song, Geyang; Marshall, Alec M.

Abstract

Tunnel excavation in urban areas causes ground movements that could damage existing nearby piled structures. In practice, to protect structures from tunnelling-induced damage, a stiff protective wall can be constructed between the tunnel and the adjacent piled structure. In this paper, results from four hybrid geotechnical centrifuge tests (where data are coupled between the centrifuge and numerical models) are used to quantify the effect of protective walls on reducing the impact of tunnelling on an adjacent framed building with four piles. Two protective walls with different embedded depths are considered: a ‘shallow’ wall with its toe at the tunnel axis depth and a ‘deep’ wall with its toe below the tunnel invert. Compared to the ‘no-wall’ case, the ‘deep’ protective wall is shown to significantly reduce uneven pile settlements, structural distortions, and load transfer (through the building) between piles; the ‘shallow’ wall is shown to have little benefit. Data from the instrumented walls and piles are used to explain the dominant mechanisms at play and investigate how the load is redistributed within the piles.

Citation

Song, G., & Marshall, A. M. (2021). Centrifuge study on the use of protective walls to reduce tunnelling-induced damage of buildings. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, 115, Article 104064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2021.104064

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 9, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jun 17, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Deposit Date: Jun 17, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 18, 2022
• Journal: Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology
• Print ISSN: 0886-7798
• Electronic ISSN: 1878-4364
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 115
• Article Number: 104064
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2021.104064
• Keywords: Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology; Building and Construction
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5689806
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0886779821002558?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Centrifuge study on the use of protective walls to reduce tunnelling-induced damage of buildings; Journal Title: Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2021.104064; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.