ABSTRACT
This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the design criteria for ground control optimization during EPB TBM tunnelling operations in a sensitive urban area. The study focuses on the Grand Paris Metro Line 15 West North project, a significant undertaking that spans nearly 7 km along the northwest region of the river Seine. The design team’s extensive experience, combined with a full 3D geological and geotechnical appraisal, mechanised tunnelling ground deformations, and volume loss design criteria, were leveraged to develop a best-practice sensitivity and vulnerability analysis. This analysis enabled reliable preliminary calculations and addressed all singularities and critical points along the project tunnel alignment, providing a solid foundation for the subsequent design stages required prior to the start of tunnelling operations reducing the risks inherent to a metro project in an urban area.
