Structural Responses of a Tunnel Lining Due to an Adjacent Loaded Pile

Abstract

The work reported in this article numerically investigates the structural forces in a tunnel lining after applying an adjacent loaded pile for varying pile tip positions considering the tunnel and soil stratum. Analysis reveals that the structural responses are strongly associated with the distorted elliptical shape of the deformed tunnel, which depends on the relative position of the pile tip with respect to the tunnel crown. The change in bending moment in the tunnel lining is of greater concern than the change in the axial force of the tunnel lining. Although the maximum change in structural forces can be up to 115% of the initial value, assessment in terms of maximum change in the structural forces is unsuitable. This is because the maximum change does not occur at the location that has large initial forces. The total combined bending moment and axial force in the lining at the tunnel spring line and in the tunnel invert zone are recommended for cases where the pile tip level is at the tunnel spring line and cases with the deepest possible pile tip elevation, respectively, for the assessment.