Safety Management for Existing Buildings in Tunnel Construction

This paper develops a systematic approach with detailed step-by-step procedures for safety management of existing buildings adjacent to tunneling excavation. The potential safety risk of a specific nearby building is assessed within four different risk levels, with the spatial neighbor relation (hazard parameter) and the building health condition (vulnerability component) taken into account. Corresponding protective measures for buildings at different risk levels are provided according to risk assessment results. A fine balance between the system safety and cost constrains is reached, where the evaluated risk level plays a decisive role in the adoption of numerous simulation analysis tools. A case concerning the protection of a five-story framed building adjacent to a twin-tunnel in China is utilized to verify the applicability of the proposed approach. The impact of the single and twin tunnel excavation on the soil displacement and building foundation deformation is further analyzed in details. Results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, as well as its application potential. The proposed safety management approach is also worth popularizing in other similar projects, and can be used to increase the likelihood of a successful project in a complex project environment.