Soil-structure-interaction of tunnels and superstructures during construction and service time

Abstract

The increasing size and population density of metropolitan areas and the along going traffic demands lead to the construction of large infrastructure projects. In many cases these infrastructure projects are close to sensitive properties. The construction of new underground structures often has an influence on existing superstructures and the deconstruction of existing structures often has an influence on existing underground structures. The experiences of two large projects from Germany and Spain will be presented in the paper. The first project is the new tunnel of the Spanish high speed railway line under the city centre of Barcelona, Spain. The tunnel with a diameter of 11.55 m passed next to two buildings that belong to the World Heritage Properties of the UNESCO. The second project is the deconstruction of an up to 14 stories high building in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Under the deconstructed building are an underground station and tunnels of the urban rapid-transport metro system. The uplift and deformations of the underground structures had to be limited to guarantee the serviceability. The paper focuses on the extensive geotechnical and geodetic measurement programs that were installed regarding the observational method according to the EC 7 and on the measurement results. The experiences made in the planning and construction phases of these complex projects are explained and for new inner urban projects recommendations are given.