Track Differential Settlement in a Culvert-Embankment Transition Zone Due to Adjacent Shield Tunneling: A Case Study

Shield tunneling beneath an existing railroad leads to the track differential settlement, which will directly affect the operation safety of the railroad and the ride comfort of the passengers, especially in culvert-embankment transition zones. In this paper a case study is taken to investigate the track differential settlement distribution discipline due to an adjacent shield tunnel construction based on a tunnel construction project in Jinan, China. A double - line shield tunnel is planned to be constructed beneath an existing railroad between Beijing and Shanghai. A three-dimension finite element method combined with field monitoring data is employed to investigate the influence of the shield tunneling on the track differential settlement in a culvert-embankment transition zone. The results show that the construction of shield tunnel under-passing railway will cause uneven settlement of the railway subgrade and bridge transition culvert section, and by monitoring the feedback in real time, controlling the construction parameters and taking protective measures, the deformation of railway bridge can meet the control requirements.