Measured Spatiotemporal Development and Environmental Implications of Ground Settlement and Carbon Emissions Induced by Sequential Twin-Tunnel Shield Excavation

Abstract

Sequential twin-tunnel excavation has become increasingly common as urban rail networks expand, making both deformation control and construction-phase carbon management essential for sustainable underground development. This study investigates the spatiotemporal development of ground settlement induced by parallel Earth Pressure Balance shield tunnelling in a twin-tunnel section of the Hangzhou Metro, based on long-term field monitoring. The settlement process is divided into three stages—immediate construction settlement, time-dependent additional settlement, and long-term consolidation—each associated with distinct levels of energy input, grouting demand, and embodied-carbon release. Peck’s Gaussian function is used to model transverse settlement troughs, and Gaussian superposition is applied to separate the contributions of the leading and trailing tunnels. The results indicate that the trailing shield induces ahead-of-face settlement at approximately two excavation diameters and produces a deeper–narrower settlement trough due to cumulative disturbance within the overlapping interaction zone. A ratio-type indicator, the Twin-Tunnel Interaction Ratio (TIR), is proposed to quantify disturbance intensity and reveal its environmental implications. High TIR values correspond to amplified ground response, prolonged stabilization, repeated compensation grouting, and increased embodied carbon during construction. Reducing effective TIR through coordinated optimization of shield attitude, face pressure, and grouting parameters can improve both deformation control and carbon efficiency. The proposed framework links geotechnical behaviour with environmental performance and provides a practical basis for risk-controlled, energy-efficient, and low-carbon management of sequential shield tunnelling.