Numerical Simulation of the Influence of a Deep Foundation Pit Adjacent to a Utility Tunnel: Case Study

Excavation of foundation pits can cause deformation and differential settlement to nearby pipe gallery structures, potentially resulting in significant issues such as seepage and structural damage. Based on a deep foundation pit construction project for a residential building plot adjacent to the Wuhan-Jiujiang utility tunnel, a three-dimensional finite element analysis model with cement-soil mixed wall (SMW) and trench cutting remixing deep wall (TRD)-drilled pile is established to study the impact of the excavation process on the utility tunnel. The results indicate that as the foundation pit excavation depth increases, the lateral deformation of the drilled pile support structure shows an initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease, and the maximum lateral deformation occurs at the point approximately one-third from the bottom of the foundation pit. Besides, the surface settlement exhibits an initial increase, followed by a subsequent decrease and eventual stabilization. The deformation of the utility tunnel structure causing by excavation is always within specified limit of 15 mm. Compared to the structure before excavation, the maximum values of axial force, shear force, and bending moment of the utility tunnel increases by 0.09%, 0.14%, and 4.88%, respectively. The stress variation is small, which satisfies the safety requirements for its usage, the feasibility of the TRD-drilled pile support structure is demonstrated. This study can serve as a reference for safety assessment of comparable engineering projects.