Theoretical Study on Soil Deformation Induced by Shield Tunneling Through Soil–Rock Composite Strata

To investigate the soil displacement rule caused by shield tunneling in soil–rock composite strata, the convergence mode of the shield excavation surface was analyzed. The research accounts for the variations in the slopes of the tunnel and the rock–soil interface along the excavation direction. Based on the stochastic medium theory, the calculation formula of soil displacement under different depths is derived. Surface subsidence was computed and evaluated using three engineering case studies. The results show that the calculated surface subsidence curves exhibit strong symmetry and are similar to the distribution pattern of the measured data. When tunneling through composite strata, the segments are prone to an upward floating motion, leading to a convergence pattern in the cross-section that tends toward a non-equal radial convergence mode with top tangency. Within the same project context, the grouting filling rate (δ) diminishes as the hard rock ratio (B) increases, exhibiting an approximate linear correlation. An increase in the hard rock ratio results in reduced values for lateral and longitudinal subsidence, the width of the lateral subsidence trough, and the main impact zone of the shield tunneling operations.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Symmetry
Published
2025-12-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/sym17122104
Primary Topic
Geotechnical Engineering and Analysis
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Theoretical Study on Soil Deformation Induced by Shield Tunneling Through Soil–Rock Composite Strata

Yongjie Qi, Hangkai Zhu, Jie Yin, Feng Chen et al.
Symmetry
Geotechnical Engineering and Analysis
article

Theoretical Study on Soil Deformation Induced by Shield Tunneling Through Soil–Rock Composite Strata

Yongjie Qi, Hangkai Zhu, Jie Yin, Feng Chen, Bin Chen, Jian Zhou, Xuan Zhu
article en

Abstract

To investigate the soil displacement rule caused by shield tunneling in soil–rock composite strata, the convergence mode of the shield excavation surface was analyzed. The research accounts for the variations in the slopes of the tunnel and the rock–soil interface along the excavation direction. Based on the stochastic medium theory, the calculation formula of soil displacement under different depths is derived. Surface subsidence was computed and evaluated using three engineering case studies. The results show that the calculated surface subsidence curves exhibit strong symmetry and are similar to the distribution pattern of the measured data. When tunneling through composite strata, the segments are prone to an upward floating motion, leading to a convergence pattern in the cross-section that tends toward a non-equal radial convergence mode with top tangency. Within the same project context, the grouting filling rate (δ) diminishes as the hard rock ratio (B) increases, exhibiting an approximate linear correlation. An increase in the hard rock ratio results in reduced values for lateral and longitudinal subsidence, the width of the lateral subsidence trough, and the main impact zone of the shield tunneling operations.

SymmetryVol. 17(12)
China Railway Group (China) (CN), Hangzhou City University, City University of Macau (MO), Zhejiang University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 54%
Geotechnical Engineering and Analysis
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.