Abstract:Based on the theory of critical state soil mechanics, the relationship between cavity pressure and change of cavity diameter is presented for cylinder cavity contraction. And based on the theory of soil short term settlement due to tunnelling proposed by Mair, the relationship between support pressure and the maximum surface settlement is obtained. Comparison is made between this study and centrifuge tests conducted by Grant and some case histories at home and abroad. The results show that this study is correct and rational, and can be used for predicting the soil deformation due to tunneling.