Dr. Sauer & Partners London Underground Tunnel Design with Abaqus FEA

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Dr. Sauer & Partners London Underground Tunnel Design with Abaqus FEA

Case study showing how Dr. Sauer & Partners used Abaqus FEA for 3D modeling of complex sprayed concrete lined tunnels at Bond Street Station Upgrade.

Published

June 4, 2026

Read time

3 min read

Source

Dr. Sauer & Partners performed 3D numerical analyses for the Bond Street Station Upgrade on the London Underground using Abaqus/CAE and finite element analysis. The project involved 450 meters of new SCL tunnels near existing structures with strict settlement criteria. Engineers modeled soil-structure interaction across three separate meshes ranging from 450,000 to one million elements to evaluate ground movement, stress on adjacent assets, and optimize tunnel lining design.

Key takeaways

3D FEA models provided realistic estimates of ground movement and volume loss during SCL tunneling

Analyses evaluated stress induced in existing structures from new tunnel excavation sequences

Models supported dimensioning of new tunnels and calculation of reinforcement at stress concentrations

Dividing the project into three overlapping models improved computational efficiency for large geometries

Abaqus enabled rapid geometry modifications and high-fidelity simulation of plastic behavior in complex meshes

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