ABSTRACT

To understand building behaviour under the influence of excavation-induced movements, a 2D finite element study was conducted using Abaqus. The building was modelled as a weightless, elastic beam with axial and bending stiffness properties-this is

1 INTRODUCTION

Activities associated with deep excavations and tunnelling can cause ground movements that affect buildings within their zone of influence. The current approach for building damage assessment is based on the maximum tensile strains estimated from the deflection ratio and the horizontal strains at the foundation level (Mair et al, 1996). Potts & Addenbrooke (1997) proposed the modification factor and relative stiffness approach to incorporate the influence of building stiffness for predicting building response to tunnelling-induced movements. This has since been updated by Franzius et al (2006). However, there is not much guidance on how building stiffness can be included to estimate building response to movements induced by deep excavations.