Stochastic Settlement Model Including Creep Effects : Simulation of Groundwater Induced Subsidence

Abstract: When underground openings are constructed, groundwater inflow can occur, which might lead to ground settlements, namely in clay. In these types of construction projects, it is beneficial to be able to quantify risks related to these settlements. A framework developed by Sundell et al. (2019, Risk Analysis, Vol. 39, 105-124) deals with this, in which one part is a statistical settlement model. However, since their model only considers primary compression, a model that accounts for secondary compression (or creep) is necessary to better represent real conditions.In this thesis, an adaptation of Sundell’s et al. (2019) model that includes creep settlement was developed and applied on a focus area of the tunnel project Stockholm Bypass. First, distributions of parameters were created based on data from the project and complementary data from literature. Thereafter, a stochastic model based on an existing creep model was coupled with the Monte Carlo method.A cell where 8 m groundwater drawdown had previously been measured was simulated with the stochastic model. Results from this show wide settlement distribution. Moreover, a scenario with a sudden groundwater drawdown of 6 m was simulated over the entire focus area. Results from the scenario show larger settlements over a larger influence area when creep effects were included compared with simulations without creep effects.The proposed model was also verified against two other creep settlement models. The verification indicates an overestimation in initial settlements, but an underestimation of the excess pore pressure. The proposed model long-term settlement results were within 0.1 m of the compared models. A sensitivity analysis shows that different size of distributions of the permeable parameters and the creep parameters used in the model had low impact on settlement distribution in the presented model.