Effect of joints on the behavior of a segmental sub-rectangular tunnel lining

The increasing population in major cities around the world requires a significant improvement in transport infrastructure, which can be achieved by developing the underground space of cities. This involves expanding the construction of additional underground lines and increasing the capacity of tunnels. In the field of underground construction, there is a trend towards cross-sectional shapes that combine circular and rectangular tunnels. This innovative shape combines the advantages of both shapes. The sub-rectangular cross-section is a special case of such cross-sections. Only separate scientific works are devoted to the study of stress state formation of such linings. The paper presents a method of calculating the stress state of a prefabricated lining of a sub-rectangular cross-section, taking into account the presence of connections between individual segments characterised by finite stiffness. The study is aimed at investigating the influence of the rotational stiffness of the connection of two adjacent segments, as well as their number on the stress state of the tunnel lining. The results obtained in this paper show that as the rotational stiffness decreases and the number of lining segments increases, the internal forces in the tunnel lining decrease, while the radial displacements increase, i.e. the stiffness of the lining decreases. With further increase in the number of lining segments, a decrease in the influence of their number on the integral indices of the stress state of the lining and its radial displacements is observed.

Nguyen Tai Tien, Karasev M. A., Do Ngoc Anh Effect of joints on the behavior of a segmental sub-rectangular tunnel lining. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(7):55-72. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2025_7_0_55.

This research was supported by the Hanoi University of Mining and Geology under grant T23-44. This funding is greatly appreciated.

Nguyen Tai Tien¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.) e-mail: taitien12@gmail.com.vn, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5246-9252, 
M.A. Karasev, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Empress Catherine II Saint-Petersburg Mining University, 199106, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, e-mail: karasevma@gmail.com, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8939-0807,
Do Ngoc Anh¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), e-mail: dongocanh@humg.edu.vn, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4862-1688,
¹ Sustainable Development in Underground Engineering Research Team, Hanoi University of Mining, and Geology, Vietnam.

M.A. Karasev, e-mail: karasevma@gmail.com.

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