Semi-coupled modelling of soil-structure interaction during tunnel construction: Two case studies from Bank Station Capacity Upgrade

Detailed site investigation and monitoring data gathered during underground construction projects creates an opportunity to evaluate and improve the techniques used to model the influence of tunnelling on existing buildings. This paper discusses the application of the semi-coupled modelling technique to two historic buildings affected by the construction of new tunnels for the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade in London, UK. Using the semi-coupled modelling approach, the buildings were idealised as equivalent elastic anisotropic solids, while high fidelity models were used to model nonlinear behaviour of the soil and tunnel excavation process. These analyses highlight the flattening of displacement profiles, and the important influence of tunnel advance on skew facades. However, comparison of modelling results to levelling data, highlight some limitations of using equivalent solid models to represent masonry buildings.