Controlling clay pore pressures for cut-and-cover tunnelling

摘要

To facilitate construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link through Ashford in cut-and-cover tunnels and retained cut, it was necessary to control pore water pressures in the relatively low-permeability, laminated Weald Clay. This was achieved by means of an ejector well dewatering system. This paper describes and discusses the investigations carried out to characterise the in situ permeability of the Weald Clay, the design and performance of the ejector well system installed, and the associated soil surface settlements. The correlation between the changes in pore pressure and settlements at the site is compared with that given by Preene et al. This comparison is used to evaluate the method, and to provide some insights into the selection of appropriate parameter values of soil permeability and stiffness.