A simplified combined analytical method for evaluating the effect of deep surface excavations on the shield metro tunnels

Deep excavation may have impact on the adjacent tunnels. It is obvious that the excavation will adversely affect and even damage the existing tunnels if the induced deformation exceeds the capacity of tunnel structures. It hence creates a high necessity to predict tunnel displacement induced by nearby excavation to ensure the safety of tunnel. In this paper, a simplified method to evaluate the heave of the underlying tunnel induced by adjacent excavation is presented and verified by field measurement results. In the proposed model, the tunnel is represented by a series of short beams connected by tensile springs, compressional springs and shear springs, so that the rotational effect and shearing effect of the joints between lining rings can be captured. The proposed method is compared with the previous modelling methods (e.g., Euler-Bernoulli beam, a series of short beams connected only by shear springs) based on a field measured longitudinal deformation of subway tunnels. Results of these case studies show a reasonable agreement between the predictions and observations.