The project stems from the need of updating the current engineering practice in underground constructions in urban areas, which is based on simplified design assumptions that necessarily lead to rather conservative construction solutions, often complemented by damage prevention systems in the structure and/or containment measures in the soil. This leads to a general increase in project time and costs and often inhibits the use of historic structures by inhabitants for a long time.
The proposed research has the following objectives: i) identify a new metrics to classify the level of damage induced in masonry structures subjected to typical tunnelling-related displacement patterns; ii) select the procedures to run coupled numerical models accounting for the underground excavation processes, their effects on the involved soil deposits and the resulting interaction with masonry surface structures; iii) validate the outcomes of the above objectives by carrying out the challenging numerical back-analyses of the tunnelling-induced effects in a real historical structure, the Aurelian walls at Porta Metronia, recently under passed by the twin tunnels of the metro C line in Rome.
The scientific outcomes of the proposed project are expected to impact the civil engineering academic community, with particular reference to the geotechnical and tunnelling engineering ones. The proposed framework might also impact the industry involved in the design and construction of tunnels in urban area, providing more reliable and cost-effective design tools to be adopted in fragile environments involving historical community assets. Finally, at the social and community level, the outcomes of this research will rise interest from public and private facility managers and owners of historical buildings, committed to guarantee high standards of protection of their assets.
