Study of the stability of tunnel construction based on double-heading advance construction method

Abstract

The deformation and significant settlement of surrounding rock often occur during tunnel construction with the condition of abundant water and weak cementing sand. In order to study the construction method and stability under such soft stratum, this article takes Taoshuping tunnel as the engineering background and puts forward a new tunnel construction method—double-heading advance construction method by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of various traditional construction schemes. The numerical simulation of tunnel construction process using this method is carried out to illustrate the rationality and feasibility of the method. The conclusions are drawn by comparing the numerical simulation results with the field monitoring data analysis. The numerical simulation results show that the maximum settlement value caused by excavation construction is in the parts 5 and 6 of the upper half-section and the part 7 of the central section. The settlement values of parts 5, 6, and 7 accounted for 32.4%, 24.3%, and 18.9% of the total settlement values, respectively. So, the supporting measures for double-heading advance excavation construction of these three parts should be strengthened properly. The stress of the right hance changes greatly before and after the demolition of temporary support. The maximum positive value of stress is 23 kPa and the maximum negative value of stress is −32 kPa. Therefore, the length of temporary bracing should be strictly controlled during construction and the monitoring of the right hance area should be strengthened. Furthermore, it is necessary to strengthen the supporting measures and monitoring in the right spandrel area as the surrounding rock pressure in the right spandrel area is higher than the left spandrel area. The optimum excavation height of the upper half-section in Taoshuping tunnel is determined to be 5.4 m and the reasonable excavation distance between parts 1 and 5 is determined to be 25–30 m by parameter optimization. Finally, the variation law of numerical simulation and field monitoring results is consistent, which shows that the double-heading advance construction method has a better effect on the stability control of surrounding rock, and the rationality and feasibility of this method are validated effectively. Therefore, the double-heading advance method is suitable for tunnel construction in the sand stratum with rich water and weak cementation, and the successful implementation of this method in Taoshuping tunnel also provides a reference for subsequent tunnel construction in the sand stratum with rich water and weak cementation.