ABSTRACT
The identification of the deformability modulus, the shear modulus and the coefficient of earth pressure at rest of the ground involved by the opening of a shallow tunnel is presented. The identification of these parameters is obtained by solution of the inverse problem, using field observations. The algorithm employed uses the finite element method. The analysis is 2D and assumes a plain strain state. The 3D effect of the tunnel face advance is simulated using the convergence-confinement method. A linear elastic behaviour is assumed for all the materials. The support is considered isotropic, while the ground is also considered with transverse-isotropic behaviour, attempting to simulate the inherent anisotropy that most of the natural soil deposits exhibit. Some relationships between parameters are derived in order to achieve the numerical solutions that better fit the observations carried out. Finally, the identified parameters are compared with those derived from the characterisation tests.
