Effect of the Inhomogeneity of a Substratum Soil on Longitudinal Settlements of a Shield Tunnel

Abstract

In this paper, we perform a 3D finite element analysis for the longitudinal settlement of a shield tunnel in soft soil, where a substratum soil contains a soft layer. The Mohr-Coulomb model is used for the substratum soil and soft layer. The longitudinal settlements are calculated for different elastic modulus and longitudinal length of the soft layer. The results show that a softer and longer layer will result in the larger settlement. It is also found that the maximum of the longitudinal settlements is linear function of the elastic modulus of the soft layer.