Analysis of Lateral Displacement of Pile Foundation Caused by Large-Diameter Shield Tunneling

The aim of this research is to study the lateral deformation characteristics of the pile foundation in front of a shield construction and accurately predict its displacement in the shield tunneling direction. The impact of deep-shield construction on the pile foundations was analyzed using the Mindlin elastic solution to determine the lateral displacement. The Kerr foundation model and other factors, like additional shield thrust and uneven shell friction, were considered. The study assessed the impact of the incision distance, shield outer diameter, and additional thrust on pile displacement. The theoretical and numerical solutions of lateral displacement at various shield construction stages were compared to determine the variation law. The results indicate that the theoretical method is reliable, considering its good agreement with the numerical solutions. The buried depth of the shield means that the upper part of the pile is less affected by the additional thrust, leading to less deformation at the top. We recommend using a smaller shield thrust and outer diameter to control the pile’s end and top displacement.