The excavation of a foundation pit will break the original stress balance and affect the surface settlement of the natural foundation of adjacent buildings, so deformation control is very important. In this paper, numerical simulation results of the additional stress of a natural foundation caused by a foundation pit excavation were compared with experimental results to verify the accuracy of the numerical model of a foundation pit excavation and obtain a reliable ratio of building width to the average particle size of the sand that was not affected by the particle size effect. Then, the distribution and variation law of the surface settlement of a natural foundation caused by excavation was studied by a model test, and the relationship between the deformation of a natural foundation and the depth of a foundation pit excavation and the additional load of building was obtained.
Existing railways can no longer meet transportation requirements, and it is an urgent need to expand old tunnels. However, the existence of ventilations shaft makes expansions face greater risks. This study analyzed the tangential stress change trend during the expansion process through field monitoring, and numerical simulation was used to analyze the changes in stress and displacement under different shaft depths and width–span ratios. The results show that as one approaches the tunnel face, the tangential stress in the arch foot and side wall of the J-2 and J-3 sections gradually increased, and the tangential stress in the arch foot and side wall of the J-1 section gradually decreased. The distance of the tunnel expansion’s influence on tangential stress is about 0.91 to 1.45 times the tunnel span. The largest value of vertical displacement had a linear relationship with shaft depth, and the largest value of horizontal displacement had a quadratic relationship with shaft depth. Changes in the width–span ratio only had a greater impact on the ventilation shaft section. These results can provide a reference for similar in situ expansion projects.
Relying on the Shenyang Metro Line 4 Shifu Road station, the impact of the construction parameters of the transverse pilot tunnel on the surface subsidence and the pipe curtain deformation was first studied through numerical simulation, followed by the analysis of the impact of the excavation of the transverse pilot tunnel on the deformation characteristics of the pipe curtain through on-site monitoring. The results show the following: the excavation of the middle pilot tunnel is the key stage of the construction. The excavation sequence of H2 and H4 and H6 → H1 and H3 → H5 and H7 caused the least surface subsidence. Increasing the grouting width and improving the strength of the initial support can control the pipe curtain deformation very well, and it is reasonable to choose 1.5 m as the grouting width.
1 May 2026 in Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment