A real-life stability model for a large shield-driven tunnel in heterogeneous soft soils

The current models that have been published to date only allow for homogeneous soil at the tunnel face. This paper presents a real-life face stability model to determine the minimal pressure needed at the tunnel face for a large shield-driven tunnel in heterogeneous soft soils. It is found that the influence of multilayered soil boundaries is significant, especially for the mixed-layer (e.g., sand and clay) soils. The suggested M-M model is developed by considering the influence of the heterogeneity of the soil on the angle of slip and the minimal support pressure. Comparisons of the solutions in mixed-layer soils are conducted, and the effects of the involved parameters for a large, multilayered, shield-driven tunnel are also investigated.