Static analysis of urban single tunnels in alluvial using discrete element method (DEM)

Construction of urban tunnels (metro and transportation) is an integral part of the infrastructure of modern urban. Most of urban tunnels are located in alluvium. Major problem in construction of urban tunnels is settlement at the ground surface and its influence on buildings together the control of deformations around excavation area. Therefore, the accurate prediction of deformations is an important factor in tunnels projects. Because of the discontinuum nature of soils, its modeling using conventional FEM based on continuum mechanics is not completely real. Hence, in this research, considering alluvium as discrete particles, the effects of tunnel parameters such as diameter, depth and shape (construction method) on the ground deformations is examined using DEM (Discrete Element Method).For this concern, using software PFC2D based on DEM, the static analysis of circular tunnels is done. The results of DEM are compared with respect to the FEM, field data and analytical results. The comparison shows the results of DEM are more accurate than FEM especially in shallow depths and it can model the surcharge effect of tunnel smoothly.