City metro tunnels are usually constructed as twin-parallel tunnels and their adjacent construction may lead to surface deformation,affecting the surface environment and the safety of the tunnels.Due to its strong dispersion,sandy cobble strata can be easily disturbed by shield tunneling.Based on the project of the Chengdu Metro Line 1,field and model tests were carried out to study the surface settlement caused by shield tunneling in sandy cobble strata by measuring surface settlement curves,ground loss ratios and construction influence zones.The discrete element method(DEM) was used to study the factors affecting the formation of ground arches in sandy cobble strata at the microscopic level.Results show that the shape of the surface settlement curve in sandy cobble strata is different from that in soft soil.The buried depth and clear spacing of the two tunnels had a significant impact on the formation of ground arches.
Based on the first underwater railway shield tunnel,the Shiziyang shield tunnel of Guangzhou Zhujiang River,the prototype test was carried out against its segmental lining structure by using"multi-function shield tunnel structure test system". And the mechanical characteristics of segmental lining structure using straight assembling and staggered assembling were studied deeply. The results showed that,the mechanical characteristics of segmental lining structure varied with the water pressures;especially after cracking,the high water pressure played a significant role in slowing down the growing inner force and deformation. It also testified that the failure characteristics varied with straight assembling structure and staggered assembling structure.Shear failure often occurred near longitudinal seam when using straight assembling.
The section of shield tunnel of the Chengdu Metro line passes primarily through sandy cobble strata.There are many buildings with spread foundations along the lines. Shield tunnel construction will disturb the ground, causing displacement or stress to adjacent spread foundations. Based on the similarity theory, a laboratory model test of shield tunnel driving was carried out to study the influence of shield tunnel excavation on the displacement of adjacent spread foundation. The results show that foundation closer to the tunnel has greater displacement or settlement than that further away. The horizontal displacement is small and is influenced greatly by the cutting face. The displacement along the machine driving direction is bigger and is significantly affected by the thrust force.Settlement occurs primarily when shield machine passes close to the foundation and is the greatest at that time.Uneven settlement at the bottom of the spread foundation reaches a maximum after the excavation ends. In a numerical simulation, a particle flow model was constructed to study the impact of shield tunnel excavation on the stresses in the ground. The model showed stress concentration at the bottom of the spread foundation. With the increasing ground loss ratio, a loose area appears in the tunnel dome where the contact force dropped. Above the loose area, the contact force increases, forming an archshaped soil area which prevents the loose area from expanding to the ground surface. The excavation also changed the pressure distribution around spread foundation.
