ABSTRACT
This chapter is meant to present the basic ground–structure interaction principles considering as many of the influencing factors as possible. As such, it serves as a basis for the following chapters on empirical, analytical (closed form), and numerical methods. The chapter is organized into four sections. In the first one, numerical examples are used to describe the interplay between ground, construction, and support and to identify the most important parameters. The second section defines the characteristic curves method as a conceptual tool to qualitatively, and to some extent quantitatively, evaluate ground–structure interaction. The third section brings together design and construction and introduces the observational method. The last section describes the arching phenomenon, as it applies to tunneling.
