Yara Aslan defended her doctoral thesis on vibrations induced by tunnel boring machines
On Wednesday 21 January 2026, Yara Aslan brilliantly presented her doctoral thesis at ENTPE entitled ‘Propagation of ground vibrations induced by tunnel excavation: experimental study and modelling’.
This thesis was funded by the French National Research Agency through the E-PILOT project.
It involved conducting campaigns to measure vibrations induced by tunnel boring machines on real projects: during the excavation of line 18 of the Grand Paris Express and on line C of the Toulouse metro. CETU contributed significantly to the implementation of these two experimental campaigns.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank TISSEO Ingénierie, Société des Grands Projets, VINCI Construction and BOUYGUES Travaux Publics, without whom these measurements would not have been possible.
These measurement campaigns, which involved installing sensors in the tunnel boring machines, underground and on the surface, have enabled us to build up a rich and original database on an international scale.
Finite element and boundary element numerical models were then developed for different configurations (different soil stratigraphies, in open ground or in the presence of piles, etc.), which provided a better understanding of wave propagation in the ground and the response of foundations to these waves.
Finally, a methodology for numerical modelling of the vibration source constituted by the tunnel boring machine was proposed and calibrated using experimental observations.
This work significantly improves existing knowledge of the vibrations induced by TBM excavation (orders of magnitude of particle velocities, frequency content of signals, variation of these quantities depending on the nature of the ground, response of deep foundations, principles of numerical modelling of these phenomena, etc.), and also opens up interesting prospects for continuing to make collective progress on this subject of recurring questions in the context of urban underground projects.