ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Solid Earth Geophysics
Ground Surface Deformation Induced by Grouting Construction of Shallow-Buried Shield Tunnels in Mudstone Strata
Rong Zhang 1
Xiaochuan Li 2
Yue Wang 2
Zhengping Qi 2
Zhenqiang He 2
Ming Li 2
Zhonghua Jiang 3
1. School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, chongqing, China
2. Powerchina Sinohydro Engineering Bureau 4 Co.,Ltd, xining, China
3. School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
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Abstract
Grouting is widely used to mitigate ground surface deformation during shield tunneling. However, the quantitative influence of grout solidification and hardening on deformation and its prediction remains insufficiently understood. This work investigates how time-dependent grout solidification and hardening affect ground deformation. It combines analytical solutions with numerical simulations. The time-dependent evolution of grout properties is incorporated into both approaches for shallow-buried shield tunneling in mudstone strata. Results show that explicitly simulating grout solidification yields larger settlement than neglecting it. Compared with the instantaneous setting case (0 h), an initial setting time of 4 h increases the maximum surface settlement by 59%. The grout hardening rate plays a decisive role in deformation control. Theoretical analyses further indicate that the shield tail, rather than the cutterhead, is the critical reference location governing deformation development.
Summary
Keywords
analytical method, Metro Shield Tunneling, Mudstone strata, numerical simulation, Synchronous grouting
Received
28 November 2025
Accepted
09 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Zhang, Li, Wang, Qi, He, Li and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Zhonghua Jiang
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