Abstract
A three-arch NATM tunnel with a total length of 53.5m has been constructed for a metropolitan subway station in Daejon, Korea. The tunnel, whose crown is located 22m below the ground, crosses the old Daejon station underneath. Since the tunnel comprises a very large section (10${\times}$28 m; largest in Korea), it shows complicated mechanical behaviors, especially near portal, due to its short length relative to width. As far as its construction step is concerned, the center tunnel is excavated with pre-excavated pilot tunnel, which is a unique feature of this tunnel (first in Korea) to secure safety during construction and prevent excessive settlements. The both side tunnels are then excavated along with the center tunnel. Since significant amount of settlement was predictable from the design stage, extensive monitoring was performed during construction. During excavation of the side tunnels, unexpected large settlements up to ${\~}$140mm (estimated 41.8 mm at design stage) was measured at the center tunnel. In this paper, we study the causes of this unusually large ground settlement. We believe that the extra-wide tunnel excavation increases the stress influence zone of portal in longitudinal direction and consequently add more settlements to the existing due to excavation and consolidation.