Finite element analysis of tunnel-soil-building interaction using displacement controlled model

Using some building affected by the river-crossing highway tunnels of Wuhan as engineering background, this paper investigates the interaction between the tunneling in soft soils and adjacent structures. A full three-dimensional finite element model, which takes into account the presence of the building during the excavation of the tunnel, is well analyzed. The soil behavior discussed in this paper is assumed to be governed by an elastic perfectly-plastic constitutive relation based on the widely adopted Mohr-Coulomb criterion with a non-associative flow rule. The paper consists of three parts. The first part presents the 3-D finite element numerical model, and the second part provides a full analysis of the construction of a shallow tunnel close to a five level building. Comparison between the full couple model analysis and the full 3D free-field analysis is given in the final part. The corresponding comparison results provide a fundamental guidance for the shield tunnel design and construction.