Abstract
In regions such as Chongqing where high-fill areas are prevalently distributed, cut-and-cover tunnels traversing such terrains are subjected to considerable structural risks due to unconsolidated or unstable high-fills. In the study presented herein, the maximum filling height examined for a cut-and-cover tunnel is 65 m. It uses a combination of settlement monitoring curve analysis prediction and numerical simulation to analyze the causes of overall and differential settlement of the cut-and-cover tunnel and conduct research on the main influencing factors of structural defects. Additionally, key influencing factors for the structural defects are scrutinized. The findings reveal that joint defects manifest primarily in the form of joint anomalies, characterized by the appearance of opening, upward-downward movement, and extrusion between lining joints. Main body defects are predominantly distinguished by the occurrence of longitudinal cracks, with the maximum observed crack length being 36.0 m. Such cracks are typically localized at the arch and inverted arch positions. The structural cumulative settlement progresses through four distinct stages: initial slow acceleration, followed by linear acceleration, gradual deceleration, and ultimately convergence to stability. In the representative section designated as JDK14 + 855, the ultimate anticipated settlements for the vault and inverted arch are calculated to be 1235 mm and 1047 mm, respectively. Conversely, in the representative section JDK14 + 955, the terminal predicted settlements for the vault and inverted arch are estimated to be 924 mm and 788 mm, respectively. Longitudinal differential settlement markedly influences the stability of deformation joints, consequently destabilizing the structural stress framework. Transverse differential settlements induce tensile stresses, leading to tensile cracks in the vault and inverted arch. An inverse correlation is observed between the thickness of the cushion layer and the settlement of cut-and-cover tunnels. Furthermore, the stiffness of the deformation joints exerts a significant influence on both the overall and longitudinal differential settlements of the structure. Likewise, the strength of the base grouting markedly impacts both the overall and lateral differential settlements of the structure.
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Acknowledgements
The study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41972266), and the National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (52104076). Additionally, the authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their highly valuable and constructive comments on the manuscript.
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National Natural Science Foundation of China, 41972266, **nrong Liu, National Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China, 52104076, **aohan Zhou.
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Liu, X., Xu, Q., Zhou, X. et al. Research on Structural Defect Characteristics and Influencing Factors for High-Fill Cut-and-Cover Tunnels in Mountainous Areas. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Civ Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-024-01472-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40996-024-01472-z