Abstract:The surface settlement induced by curved twin tunnels is different from that induced by straight twin tunnels. In recent years, the curved alignment has usually been applied to metro tunnels. Based on the in-situ data from the first phase project of MRT in Kuala Lumpur, the surface settlement induced by the excavation of curved twin tunnels was analyzed. Four observation cross sections located in the portions with different radius of curved alignment were chosen to study the surface settlement profile of curved alignment. The results show that the surface settlement profile caused by a curved single tunnel sometimes tends to be asymmetrical and the surface settlement on the internal of alignment subsides is more than that on the external, which may caused by the uneven jacking thrust. The maximum settlement occurs under the tunnel axis. When the distance between two tunnels is equal to the cover depth, the surface settlement profile caused by curved twin tunnels with different radius is always a V-shaped symmetric Gauss curve like that caused by straight twin tunnels. The maximum settlement occurs on the middle line of twin tunnels. As the radius of curved alignment decreases, the maximum surface settlement increases. Especially, when the radius decreases to be 300 m, the maximum settlement increases significantly, which could be effectively alleviated by a reasonable earth pressure and a moderate increase of grouting volume rather than by slowing down the speed of jacks.