A numerical study on the influence of tunnel excavation on pile foundation

Tunnel construction in cities faces many geotechnical challenges, and the effect on pile foundation is possibly one of the most complex ones. Most tall buildings in big cities mostly have pile foundations, and any tunneling nearby might significantly influence those existing foundations. In the present study, a 3-dimensional Finite Element (FE) analysis has been carried out to investigate tunneling effects on pile foundations. The investigation is done for a single pile with multiple stages of tunnel excavation where the pile foundations are assumed to reach below the base of the excavation of tunneling. A tentative rate of excavation was also included in this investigation and found that a faster rate of excavation results in better performance of foundations affected by tunneling. The study also extended to see the effect of tunneling on pile groups. Attempts were made to compare the results with some of the previously published literature.