Analysis of Stress-Strain Behaviours and Stability of the Ground around the Tunnel in

Ho Chi Minh City during the Construction Stages

Nguyen Anh Tuan

Faculty of Transportation Engineering
Hochiminh City University of Transport
Hochiminh City, Vietnam
e-mail: tuanna@[Link]

Abstract—Currently, the research on the construction of metro In this paper, the author uses Mohr-Coulomb model to
routes in our country is still fresh. There has not been any make calculation on Plaxis 3D Tunnel program. Morh-
specific procedures, regulations or instructions for the design Coulomb elastic model involves five soil parameters such as
and construction of metro lines. Therefore, the paper is elastic modulus E and poisson coefficient  for elasticity;
dedicated to analyze the stress-strain behaviours and stability angle of interior friction  and cohesion force c for plasticity
of the background around the tunnel in the Ho Chi Minh City
and angle of dilation . The Morh-Coulomb model is
during the construction stages. This is a necessary problem to
be studied and it is highly scientific and practical.
recommended to use for initial studies. Each soil layer is
considered homogeneous. Apart from above parameters, the
Keywords-tunnel; soft soil; stress-strain; stability; FEM value K0 should be also considered when there is initial
horizontal stresses.
I. INTRODUCTION
III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SIMULATION
Ho Chi Minh City is a growing city with the increase of
construction area and population. The road traffic routes are Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien tunnel route is 19.7km length. It
being developed; however, the urban roads have not yet been includes 2.6km underground tunnel and 17.1km rail on
formed which leads to the large influx of vehices to the city ground. It is studied and designed by Japanese companies.
center. [13]
In developed countries in the world, the land allocation - Cross section of tunnel:
for transportation is around 20-25% while this figure is only Rounded tunnel, diameter D = 6.65m and thickness d =
13.42% in Ho Chi Minh City. 0.6m at the depth of 15.6m. [13]
Therefore, it is necessary to have a well-developed public - Tunnel construction method:
transport to make sure the quick, convenient, reliable and According to the soft soil condition in Ho Chi Minh City,
safe transport between the city’s areas. One of solutions is to it is believed that the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is the
build metro lines with high speed and capacity to carry a most suitable method to execute the tunnel. [14]
large number of passengers in the rush hours without
releasing polluting emissions. This will satisfy the long-term
development requirements of the city for public passenger
transport.
However, the lack of experience on technology and
management in the first time of metro construction requires
Vietnam to evaluate the factors affecting the soil
environment to the structure of the metro tunnel. From there, Figure 1. Simulation of tunnel construction by TBM.
it is important to choose an appropriate structure with
Vietnam conditions in general and the soft soil conditions in The problem was simulated on Plaxis 2D and Plaxis 3D
Ho Chi Minh City in particular. Tunnel program. Select material:
- Material model for soil layers: the Mohr - Coulomb
II. RESEARCH METHODS (MC) model.
Plaxis 3D Tunnel program is based on the finite element - Material model for tunnel lining: The Elastic model.
method. The program can calculate internal forces, analyze
stability and deformation of geotechnical constructions. TABLE I. PARAMETERS OF SOIL PROPERTIES [13]
Plaxis 3D Tunnel, with simple interface, allows users to Soil parameters Layer 1 Layer 2 Layer 3 Unit
build construction models and provides fairly accurate
results. [7] Material model MC MC MC
Plaxis 3D Tunnel is equipped with special features that Natural density unsat 15.8 20.2 20.9 kN/m3
allow it to create circular and non-circular tunnels composed Saturation density sat 16.1 20.4 21.02 kN/m3
of different arcs. In particular, the program can be used to
analyze tunneling construction processes in soft soil. [7] Elastic module Eref 1040 15330 12105 kN/m2
Poisson's coefficient  0.35 0.27 0.32
Cohesive force c’ 7.3 14.1 80.4 kN/m2
Angle of interior 5.12 27.58 21.3 degree
friction ’
Angle of dilation  0 0 0 degree
-5 -5 -5
Permeability k 1.83x10 0.5x10 1.36x10 m/s
Layer’s thickness 16.7 16 15 m

The model is formed as follows:

Figure 3. Vertical displacement corresponding to the burial depth in 2D
and 3D model.

Figure 4. Horizontal displacement corresponding to the burial depth in 2D

and 3D model.

Analysis on a 6.65m diameter tunnel shows that if the

burial depth increases, the ground surface settlement
decreases. The settlement is negligible when the burial depth
Figure 2. Simulation of tunnel construction by FEM.
reaches a particular value which is more than or equal to
20m in this case.
IV. ANALYSIS RESULT
The value of horizontal displacement experiences a large
A. Stress State Analysis - Deformation and Stability of the reduction corresponding to the burial depth and reach
Soft Soil around the Tunnel with the Change of Burial approximately zero when the depth is more than or equal to
Depth 20m.
When the tunnel is located at a depth of 15.6m in soft
The results of stress - deformation of the soil mass
soil, the displacement value and deformation are relatively
around the tunnel with the different burial depths of the
high. The vertical compressive deformation appears in the
tunnel are mentioned as Tables II, III and Fig. 3, 4.
position near the tunnel cycle at the height of the horizontal
TABLE II. CALCULATION RESULT IN 2D MODEL
diameter of the tunnel while tensile deformation appears
above and below the tunnel of the vertical diameter. The
Burial depth (m) 15.6 20 30 40 largest vertical settlement in a land mass is concentrated
Uz (cm) 8.45 2.53 2.13 1.70 above and below the tunnel, at the height of the horizontal
diameter of the tunnel. This displacement value is zero,
Ux (cm) 1.99 0.6 0.35 0.11 while the horizontal displacement reaches the greatest value
Stress (kN/m ) 2
140 186 283 406 at the height of the horizontal diameter of the tunnel. It will
Deformation (%) 8.66 0.44 0.2 0. 2 be zero at the top and bottom of the tunnel.
The width of the settlement area is quite large and in
direct proportion to the depth of the tunnel. However, the
TABLE III. CALCULATION RESULT IN 3D MODEL
further away from the tunnel axis, the greater the settlement
Burial depth (m) 15.6 20 30 40 value will reduce. Influence area of settlement in the flat
Uz (cm) 6.9 2.05 1.77 1.49 diagram is larger than in the spatial diagram and the value of
settlement increases 1.3 times to 2 times.
Ux (cm) 0.95 0.33 0.07 0.07
Stress (kN/m2) 158 186 349 436 B. Comparision the Model in Finite Element Method
(FEM) and Schmidt-Peck Method [8,10,11,12]
Deformation (%) 4.25 0.68 0.68 1.15
 Table V gives the summary results of twin tunnels when
The author will make the comparison between the result there is change in the burial depth and Fig. 6 is the
in the Schmidt-Peck calculation (called the Gaussian curve) relationship between the vertical displacement and the burial
and the one given in the paper. depth.
This method is based on the assumption that the curve The twin tunnels with a distance of 5m have a greater
shape of the settlement area is given as the equation: [16] total surface subsidence than that of a single tunnel from
36% to 73%. When the second tunnel is located next to the
 S  V /[( 2 )1/ 2 .i]. exp  x  
2
 first built tunnel, the ground subsidence of the second tunnel
L  2i 2  will be larger than that of the first tunnel. After both tunnels
 
are completely constructed, the center line of land
In which: VL - is the loss of total volume, which is the subsidence between the two tunnels will be asymmetric. The
empty space between the edge of the dug and the outer edge deeper it is, the subsidence of the tunnels decreases. When it
of the shell (the gap U1 is equal to 3cm). reaches to a depth of 30m, the two tunnels will bear a force
i = 0.43 Z0 + 1.1 (cohesive soil); independently and has the equal subsidence.
i = 0.28 Z0 - 0.1 (non-cohesive soil) TABLE V. CALCULATION RESULT OF TWIN TUNNELS CORRESPONDING
TO THE BURIAL DEPTH
Z0: the depth of tunnel axis to the ground.
x: distance from the vertical tunnel axis. Depth (m) 15.6 20 30 40
Uz (cm) 10.8 7.4 3.15 2.82
The calculated results of this method are mentioned in
Tunnel 1 3.9 3.04 1.09 0.76
Table 4 and Fig. 5.
Tunnel 2 4.1 3.18 1.11 0.77
TABLE IV. CALCULATION RESULTS IN GAUSSIAN METHOD Ux (cm) 2.8 1.67 0.84 0.71
Tunnel 1 1.54 1.47 0.76 0.52
Burial depth 15.6m 20m 30m 40m
Tunnel 2 1.56 1.54 0.77 0.55
3
VL (m ) 0.37 0.37 0.37 0.37
Stress (kN/m2)
Z0 (m) 11.7 16.1 26.1 36.1 Tunnel 1 316 279 297 428
i 3.18 4.41 7.21 10 Tunnel 2 280 244 339 413
x (m) 0 0 0 0 Strain (%) 6.16 3.8 1.36 1.82
ơ

S (cm) 4.62 3.33 2.04 1.47

Figure 6. Relationship between the vertical displacement and the burial

depth of twin tunnels.
Figure 5. Comparison of results in FEM and Gaussian method.
2) The change of distance between two tunnels
The calculation result of the maximum vertical settlement [3,4,5,15]
in this paper is closed to that of the Gaussian curve method. The calculation results of twin tunnels when changing the
This figure in the Gaussian curve method is larger than that distance between two tunnels are summarized in Table VI.
of the method in the thesis (14% to 38%). However, at the The change of horizontal displacement and stress of twin
tunnel depth of 15.6m in soft soil layer, the settlement as the tunnels when changing the distance between two tunnels are
author’s method is larger than that of the Gaussian curve described in Fig. 7, 8.
method (33%). It can be seen that the maximum value of The first tunnel is affected by the construction of the
vertical settlement in both methods are closer to each other in second one. After the construction of the second tunnel, it
case the depth of buria tunnel increases. will increase the stress on the first tunnel which make the
C. The Analysis of Stress State - Deformation and Stability first tunnel to be compressed.
of Soft Soil around the Twin Tunnels When two tunnels is built together, if the distance is too
close, the pressure is great and the land mass between the
1) The change of burial depth [1,2,6,9] two tunnels will not be able to bear and may be destroyed.
The calculation results show that two tunnels will bear a - The maximum subsidence on the ground changes with
force independently if the distance between them is greater the burial depth of the tunnel. The greater the burial depth of
than 20m, is about 2.5D (D is the diameter of the tunnel). tunnel is, the smaller the surface subsidence is. In case, the
burial depth is three times greater than diameter, the surface
TABLE VI. THE CALCULATION RESULT OF TWIN TUNNELS WHEN deformation is a negligible value.
CHANGING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO TUNNELS - The value of horizontal displacement at the ground
Distance (m) 5 10 20 25 30 surface experiences a greater decrease than that of the
vertical displacement. It can be considered insignificant if the
Vertical burial depth of tunnel is more than 20m.
displacement (cm)
- Influence area of settlement in the flat diagram is larger
Tunnel 1 3.9 3.05 2.91 2.97 2.79 than in the spatial diagram and the value of settlement
Tunnel 2 4.1 3.2 3.12 3.01 3.08 increases 1.3 times to 2 times.
Horizontal - When two tunnels is built together, if the distance is too
displacement (cm) close, the pressure is great and the land mass between the
Tunnel 1 1.54 1.51 0.98 1.01 1.16 two tunnels will not be able to bear and may be destroyed.
Tunnel 2 1.56 1.55 0.99 1.04 1.18 The calculation results show that two tunnels will bear a
force independently if the distance between them is greater
Stress (kN/m2) than 20m, ie about 2.5D (D is the diameter of the tunnel).
Tunnel 1 316.2 161.7 155.6 164.1 157.6
Tunnel 2 279.5 152.2 143.3 148.5 153.5 VI. FURTHER WORK
Strain (%) 6.16 3.21 3.21 3.18 3.15 - Study the deformation mechanism of the ground
foundation when constructing a new tunnel next to the
existing one.
- Study the effect of tunnel construction on the working
of piles of adjacent structure.
- Study the stability of tunnels in fractured rock
environment.
REFERENCES
[1] Anagnostou G., Perazzelli P. (2015), Analysis method and design
charts for bolt reinforcement of the tunnel face in cohesive-frictional
soils, Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 47:162–181.
[2] Atkinson, J. H. and Potts, D. M. (1977), Subsidence above shallow
tunnels in soft ground, Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering
Division, Vol. 103, No. 4, pp. 307-325.
Figure 7. The change of horizontal displacement of twin tunnels when [3] Attewell, P. B. (1978), Ground movements caused by tunnelling in
changing the distance between two tunnel. soil, Proceedings of the International Conference on Large
Movements and Structures (ed. J.D. Geddes), London, pp. 812- 948,
Pentech Press.
[4] Attewell, B., Ground deformation caused by tunneling in silty alluvial
clay, Ground Engineering 11, 1978.
[5] Attewell, P. B. and Yeates, J. (1984), Ground movements and their
effects on structures, Blackie and Son Ltd, Attewell, P.B. and Taylor,
R.K.
[6] Broms, B. B. and Bennermark, H. (1967), Stability of clay at vertical
openings, ASCE Journal of Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering Division SM1, Vol. 93, pp. 71-94.
[7] R. B. J. Brinkgreve and P. A. Vermeer. PLAXIS Finite Element Code
for Soil and Rock Analyses. A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 2001.
[8] Ibrahim E, Soubra A-H, Mollon G, Raphael W, Dias D, Reda A
(2015), Three-dimensional face stability analysis of pressurized
tunnels driven in a multilayered purely frictional medium, Tunnelling
Figure 8. The change of stress of twin tunnels when changing the distance and Underground Space Technology 49:18–34
between two tunnels.
[9] Khezria N, Mohamada H, HajiHassania M, Fatahi B (2015) The
stability of shallow circular tunnels in soil considering variations in
V. CONCLUSION cohesion with depth. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology
Based on the analysis results, it can be concluded on the 49:230–240.
stress - strain behaviours and stability of the soft soil around [10] Kovari K., Anagnostou G. 1996. Face stability in slurry and EPB
shield tunnelling. Proc Int. Symp. on Geotechnical Aspects of
the metro tunnel in soft soil conditions in Ho Chi Minh City Underground Construction in Soft Ground, City University, Balkema,
during the construction as follows: 453-458.
[11] Loganathan N, Poulos HG (1998), Analytical prediction for River Tunnel in China. Tunnelling and Underground Space
tunnelling induced ground movements in clays, J of Geotech. and Technology 46:18-27.
Geoenviron. Eng. ASCE, 124 (9), 846-856. [15] Paul Sweeney (2006), A study of interaction effects due to bored
[12] JG Wang, SL Kong and CF Leung (2003), Twin tunnel induced tunnels in clay, Massachuset Institute of Technology.
ground settlement in soft soils. [16] Schmidt, B. (1969), Settlements and ground movements associated
[13] Management of urban rail (2010), The document of Designing. with tunneling in soil, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Illinois.
[14] Min F, Zhu W, Lin C (2015), Opening the excavation chamber of the
large-diameter size slurry shield: a case study in Nanjing Yangtze