Evaluation of earth pressure on buried pipes and stability of surroundings according to construction condition

Abstract

Earth pressure on buried pipes structure depends not only on soil type, shape and dimension of structure but also on depth, shape and dimension of excavated holes and other factors such as structure load, underground water level. Based on the selected and modified computational scheme with self-established program, the earth pressure on pipe structures according to the construction condition is evaluated and analysed. It is recommended to choose the buried depth for structure in “cut and cover” excavation method so that the influence of earth pressure is reasonably steady from the buried point downward. The replacement of backfill material to cohesive material partially can help to reduce significantly the earth pressure on the buried structure. In addition, evaluation of the the degree of approaching to limit state in surroundings in bored tunnelling excavation allows for analysing the stability in various geological conditions according to the appearance of plastic zone. The research results are useful for calculating and arranging underground structures reasonably in actual condition