Abstract
Tunnel construction in the urban area is often a challenge due to the presence of masonry buildings. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the geometric characteristics of masonry buildings, on the damage caused by tunneling using numerical simulations. The results show that the width of the building is a more important factor in controlling settlement and damage to the building than its length. The analysis of the building's deformation parameters shows that the differential settlements play a greater role in damage to building. Buildings with a width of less than 10 m suffer only minor damage due to small changes in differential settlement. For buildings with a width of more than 10 m and up to 35 m, the differential settlements increase considerably and cause structural damage. The analysis shows that as the width of the building increases, mainly due to a decrease in the stiffness of the foundation, the slope and angular distortion of the foundation increase and consequently the building damage increases. Buildings with a width of less than 10 m suffered only minor damage, while buildings with a width of more than 21 m suffered structural damage. Furthermore, the tilt of the building alone is not a good parameter for assessing building damage. The length of the building has no significant influence on building damage.