Soil Movements Associated with Tunneling and Their Effects on an Adjacent Pile Foundation

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to clarify the effect of tunneling in sand deposits upon the adjacent, existing structures with pile foundations. For this purpose, a series of laboratory model tests with a lowering-panel are performed. The lowering-panel is placed at the base of a container, on which an assembly of aluminum rods is made to rest, with or without a model pile-foundation being installed. The localized settlement to be created due to tunneling is simulated by allowing the lowering-panel to settle at a given rate. The associated displacement fields above the lowering-panel are measured by means of photographic techniques, and their correlation with the measured pile movements are discussed in detail. Furthermore, these experimental results are compared with results predicted from a new type of finite element analysis making full use of joint elements. It is then shown that there is good correlation between the measured and calculated results.