Abstract

In the current work, a series of three-dimensional finite element analyses have been carried out to understand the behaviour of pre-existing single piles to adjacent tunnelling by considering the tunnel face pressures and the relative location of pile tips with respect to the tunnel. The numerical modelling has analysed the effect of the face pressures on the pile behaviour. The analyses concentrate on the ground settlements, the pile head settlements, the axial pile forces and the shear stress transfer mechanism at the pile-soil interface. The head settlements of the pile (the vertical distance between the pile and the tunnel: 0.25D, where D is the tunnel diameter) directly above the tunnel crown with the face pressure 50% of the in-situ horizontal soil stress at the tunnel springline decreased by about 38% compared to corresponding settlements with a face pressure 25% of the in-situ horizontal soil stress at the tunnel springline. Furthermore, it was found that the smaller the face pressure, the larger the tunnelling-induced ground movements and the axial pile forces were and the higher the degree of the shear strength mobilisation at the pile-soil interface. When the piles were outside the tunnel influence zone, compressive pile forces were developed due to tunnelling. It has been found that the ground settlements and the pile settlements are heavily affected by the face pressures and the position of the pile tip relative to the tunnel. In addition, the computed results have been compared with relevant studies previously reported in literature. The behaviour of the piles has been extensively examined and analysed by considering the key features in great detail.