Influence of Pipe-Jacking Reaction on Earth Pressure of Back Wall of Pilot Tunnel of Subway Station

Abstract

The study of the distribution form and calculation method of the earth pressure on the back wall of a pilot tunnel under a jacking reaction is very important to ensure the safety and smooth construction of the pipe jacking. Based on a metro station in Shenyang, this paper firstly investigates the effects of the changes in the jacking reaction parameters, such as the loading intensity, loading position, and loading area on the earth pressure and the displacement of the back wall in a pilot tunnel through numerical simulation, and then proposes a formula for calculating the soil reaction on the back wall and verifies it by comparison with the FEA (finite element method) results. The results show that the earth pressure distribution pattern of the back wall is similar to the normal distribution curve under the action of the jacking reaction. The horizontal displacement and earth pressure of the back wall will gradually increase with the increase in the jacking reaction. The horizontal displacement of the back wall is greatest when the load is applied to the middle wall, followed by the top wall and the bottom wall. The maximum horizontal displacement is reduced by approximately 24.25% when the loading position changes from the middle to the bottom. As the loading area increases, the maximum horizontal displacement of the back wall decreases, in the order of 11.8% and 14.45% relative to the previous level. The earth pressure of the back wall also decreases, in the order of 17.92% and 22.76% relative to the previous level. The equations presented are applicable to the calculation of the soil reaction in the limit state.