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•First large-diameter shield tunnel built under an active high-speed railway bridge.•Innovative steel casing method ensures safety under limited construction height.•Detailed monitoring tracks impacts on soil, bridge piers, and isolation piles.•Advanced 3D modeling predicts pier displacements, guiding protective measures.•Offers vital reference for future tunnels under high-speed rail infrastructure. This case study examines a landmark engineering project in Suzhou, China, involving the construction of two large-diameter (13.2 m) shield tunnels beneath an active high-speed railway (HSR) bridge. This pioneering project is the first of its kind in both China and the world. Advanced numerical simulations were conducted to rigorously assess construction risks. To ensure the operational safety of the existing HSR bridge, an innovative protective system, consisting primarily of segmental steel casing concrete pile barriers, was employed. A comprehensive network of monitoring sensors was strategically deployed to track soil, pile barrier, and pier displacements throughout both the protective and tunnelling phases. Simulation results indicated that tunnelling without protective measures could cause pier displacements of up to 3.1 mm along the bridge—exceeding the maximum allowable displacement of 2 mm in accordance with regulations. Monitoring data revealed that the maximum pier displacement during protective scheme installation was limited to 0.5 mm. With these protective measures, pier displacement during each tunnelling phase remained consistently below 0.5 mm, representing an approximate 80% reduction compared to the unprotected scenario, thereby ensuring the continued safety of the HSR bridge.

The medieval town of Orvieto is built on the top of a pyroclastic slab overlying a gentle slope of overconsolidated clays. The clayey slope has been constantly affected by landslide phenomena in the form of slow movements and failure events, which in turn have periodically caused instability of the marginal areas of the pyroclastic slab. Since 1982 a number of Casagrande-type piezometers and inclinometers were installed in the northern slope of the Orvieto hill within the area that was involved in the huge Porta Cassia landslide in 1900. In this paper, after a brief description of the geology and the geotechnical properties of the slope, data obtained through the monitoring system are illustrated. Piezometric data are utilized to develop a conceptual model of the hydraulic conditions in the clayey slope, and inclinometer measurements are interpreted and correlated with the geotechnical ground profile and slope morphology to understand the present complex evolution of the clayey slope. Finally, the strong correlation among the rainfall regime, the piezometric levels, and the rate of movements is discussed, and the recurrence periods of critical cumulative rainfall on displacement trends are estimated on the basis of statistical methods.Key words: overconsolidated clays, slope movements, piezometric levels, rainfall.

The influence of block forms on the shear behaviour of soil–rock mixtures with soft blocks (soft S–RMs) can be efficiently investigated by the discrete element method (DEM) on the basis of accurate 3D models accounting for the block breakage. This paper proposes a novel modelling approach, based on the spherical harmonics series, for the generation of 3D block geometries with different forms but same convexity and angularity. An already existing non-overlapping modelling approach was improved, characterized by a reduced computational cost, for the set-up of 3D block DEM models accounting for the block breakage. A number of soft S–RM DEM samples, subjected to numerical direct shear tests, were generated to analyze the influence of block forms and volumetric block proportion VBP on the mesoscopic and macroscopic behaviours. The results showed that the breakage degree is maximum for the spheroidal blocks, followed by the oblate, prolate and blade ones, due to the combined influence of the block frictional sliding and rotation. The shear strength of soft S–RMs is mainly controlled by the block interlocking and breakage, being maximum in the case of spheroidal block samples when the applied normal stress is low and in the case of prolate and blade ones for a high normal stress. It was found that a nonlinear Mohr–Coulomb criterion can provide a good description of the shear strength envelope of soft S–RMs. Soft S–RMs are characterized by a higher friction angle if composed by spheroidal and prolate blocks when the VBP is 40%, due to their elevated block interlocking, and in the case of prolate and blade blocks when the VBP is 60% at the higher normal stress, due to their lower block breakage degree.HighlightsA spherical harmonics based approach was proposed for generating 3D block geometries with different forms but same convexity and angularity.A non-overlapping approach was improved for set up of 3D block DEM models considering the possible block breakage with a reduced computational cost.The influence of block form on the meso- and macro- shear behaviours of soft S-RM were analyzed.Block form has great influence of the shear behaviour of soft S-RMs, especially when the value of VBP is high.

Three levels of seismic microzonation are considered in the Italian guidelines: 1st level allows to qualitatively recognise those areas characterised by the same seismic performance, while 2nd and 3rd levels quantify the modification of the reference signal due to the specific site conditions. The paper summarises and compares the results of 2nd and 3rd level seismic microzonation studies for the Dovadola urban area (Emilia-Romagna, Italy). The site was selected due to the availability of in situ and laboratory investigations for the definition of a detailed geotechnical seismic model of the subsoil. The 2nd level study was conducted adopting the regional charts for the quantification of the stratigraphic amplification phenomena and the regional procedures for assessing the influence of topography. The 3rd level analysis was developed through mono- and two-dimensional seismic site response analyses adopting a numerical non-linear approach. Amplification factors for the peak ground acceleration and for the velocity spectrum intensity (i.e. the integral of the pseudo-spectral velocity of a ground motion from 0.1–0.5 to 0.5–0.1 s) were determined along two geotechnical sections of the site, both characterised by a central large and surficial valley bordered by irregular topography. The study indicates a general satisfactory match between the results of the simplified regional approach and the advanced numerical tool, especially when one-dimensional seismic site conditions prevail. Further comparative studies are encouraged to validate the 2nd level microzonation as a reliable tool for seismic risk mitigation.

In this paper, a comparison between numerical analyses and centrifuge test results relative to the seismic performance of a circular tunnel is provided. The considered experimental data refer to two centrifuge tests performed at Cambridge University, aimed at investigating the transverse dynamic behaviour of a relatively shallow tunnel located in a sand deposit. For the same geometry, different soil relative densities characterise the two tests. The four seismic actions considered, of the pseudo-harmonic type, are characterised by increasing intensity. The 2D numerical analyses were performed adopting an advanced soil constitutive model implemented in a commercial finite element code. The comparison between numerical simulations and measurements is presented in terms of acceleration histories and Fourier spectra as well as of profiles of maximum acceleration along free-field and near-tunnel verticals. In addition, loading histories of normal stress and bending moments acting in the tunnel lining were considered. In general, very good agreement was found with reference to the ground response analyses, while a less satisfactory comparison between observed and predicted results was obtained for the transient and permanent loadings acting in the lining, as discussed in the final part of the paper.

This paper provides a summary of the investigations carried out for the preliminary assessment of potential geohazards affecting the archaeological site of Dadan in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The site is characterized by the presence of Cambro-Ordovician sandstone cliffs (Siq formation), which were quarried in ancient times (Dadan/Lihyan kingdom) for building materials. Both the steep quarried portion (Upper Siq) and the gentler underlying slope (Middle Siq) contain tombs of significant archaeological value. Landsliding and erosion are the main geomorphological processes affecting the site, posing risks to the safety of visitors, archaeological workers, and the preservation of the site. The primary processes affecting the rock cliffs, the underlying slope talus, and the tombs were identified using geological and geomechanical surveys, in addition to various geomatic acquisitions. The mechanical properties of the rock formations and discontinuity sets were identified through laboratory testing and in situ surveying, respectively. This information represents the first step in promoting further actions for risk mitigation and site management.

The island of Stromboli (Southern Italy) is a 4,000-m-high volcanic edifice about 900 m above sea level. Most of the NW flank is formed by a wide scar (Sciara del Fuoco) filled by irregular alternations of volcaniclastic layers and thin lava flows. Between 29 and 30 December 2002, a submarine and a subaerial landslide involved the northernmost part of the Sciara del Fuoco slope and caused two tsunami waves with a maximum run-up of 10 m. Mechanisms of the rapid submarine landslide and the preceding deformation of the subaerial and submarine slope were investigated using large-scale ring shear tests on the saturated and dry volcaniclastic material. The shear behaviour of the material under different drainage conditions was analysed during tests conducted at DPRI, Kyoto University. Pore pressure generation, mobilised shear strength and grain crushing, within a range of displacements encompassing the different stages of evolution of the slope, were considered. Experimental results suggest that even at larger displacements, shear strength of the dry material explains the virtual stability of the slope. Conversely, full or partial liquefaction can be invoked to explain the submarine failure and the subsequent long runout (more than 1,000 m) of the failed materials.