The development of urban mobility implies the construction of tunnels, often
interacting with valuable historical structures. It is thus necessary to develop rational and
reliable procedures to estimate the potential excavation-induced damage, dealing with complex
soil-structure interaction problems. Classical approaches are often characterised by relatively
simple schematisations for either one or both components of the problem, as, for example,
springs for the soil or equivalent plates for the structure. Such simplified assumptions prove to
be appropriate for simple soil-foundation cases, while show several limitations when tackling
more complex problems, as those involving the excavation in the vicinity or beneath historical
masonry structure. In such cases, the need for reliable prediction of the potential damage on
surface structures induced by construction activities justifies the adoption of advanced
numerical approaches. These need to be based on realistic constitutive assumptions for both
soils and masonry elements and require the definition of the three-dimensional geometry as
well as an accurate modelling schematisation of the excavation process. In this paper a 3D
Finite Element approach is proposed to model in detail the excavation of twin tunnels,
accounting for the strongly non-linear soil behaviour, interacting with monumental masonry
structures, carefully modelling their geometry and non-linear anisotropic mechanical
behaviour. The work focuses on a specific case-study related to the ongoing construction of the
line C of Rome underground.
Abstract
The development of urban mobility implies the construction of tunnels, often
interacting with valuable historical structures. It is thus necessary to develop rational and
reliable procedures to estimate the potential excavation-induced damage, dealing with [...]