Evaluation of Permanent Settlement in Hangzhou Qingchun Road Crossing-River Tunnel under Traffic Loading

Abstract

The prediction of settlement is of great significance to tunnel management during operational periods. The permanent settlement of Hangzhou Qingchun Road crossing-river tunnel under traffic loading is investigated in this paper. A simple and practical prediction formulation for engineering practice is proposed. The proposed formulation takes the effect of principal stress rotation into consideration, which is not considered in a previous formulation. This formulation is validated by tests results, and the constants in formulation are determined. The stresses in subsoil induced by traffic loading are calculated through a three-dimensional dynamic finite-element analysis. Then the permanent settlement of a typical section of the crossing-river tunnel is calculated using the calculated stresses and proposed formulation. The predicted permanent settlement is in fairly good agreement with the field monitoring data. The presented prediction method can be a practical approach for engineering practice.