Performance of the Prestressed Composite Lining of a Tunnel: Case Study of the Yellow River Crossing Tunnel

Abstract

This paper presents the performance of a new prestressed composite lining applied in shield tunnels for water conveyance. The Yellow River Crossing Tunnel of the Middle Route Project of the South-to-North Water Division Project is adopted in this study as a case, and a three-dimensional finite element model is established to analyse the stress distribution and deformation feature of the prestressed composite lining when the tunnel is under the assembly condition, the tension condition and the water-filled condition. The finite element model is verified by comparing with the results of the full-scaled simulation experiment. The calculation and analysis results reveal that further open of the segmental joint gaps can be limited and full circumferential compression of the secondary lining can be realized when the tunnel is under the water-filled condition, which are conducive to long-term operation of the prestressed composite lining. The membrane has a significant effect on preventing stresses from being transmitted between the segmental lining and the secondary lining. The numerical calculations are verified by the results of the full-scaled simulation experiment, and the three-dimensional numerical model combined with the analysis method used can simulate the structural characteristics and the bearing mechanism of the prestressed composite lining.