Effect of large excavation on deformation of adjacent MRT tunnels

A large excavation of approximately 140 m wide, 200 m long and 15 m deep was made close to two Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) tunnels of 6 m diameter with invert depth of 15-27 m. In view of the scale and distance of excavation, significant effects on the MRT tunnels were expected. The paper presents the monitoring of the tunnel deformations during the excavation. A sophisticated monitoring system using a motorised total station was installed in the MRT tunnels to monitor their displacements and to ensure that the stringent requirements for safeguarding the tunnels were not violated during any part of the excavation works. The paper also presents the modelling of the excavation using a finite element program. The results obtained were reasonably close to the monitoring results. It was found that the stiffness of the tunnel lining has significant influence on the displacement and distortion of tunnels caused by an adjacent excavation. A stiffer lining undergoes less displacement and distortion but is likely to experience significantly greater bending moments.