Element Joint Stiffness Properties of Large Immersed Tube Tunnels
(1 Shanghai Underground Space Architectural Design & Research Institute, Shanghai 200125; 2 Department of Geotechnical Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092; 3 Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Administration,Zhuhai 519015)
Abstract：
Element joints of immersed tube tunnels play important roles during tunnel operation, and they can ad?
just mechanical behavior and adapt to uneven deformation of a tunnel. A 3-D nonlinear finite-element model is established to analyze the mechanical properties of the element joints used in the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao (HZM)immersed tube tunnel. This paper studies the relationship of axial compression stiffness, bending stiffness and axial compressive loading, compressive bending moment. The results indicate that axial compression stiffness increases with an increase of the axial compression load; and axial bending stiffness increases with an increase of the axial loading, while bending stiffness decreases with an increase of the bending moment under the same axial compression load. In addition, a model test is conducted to study the variation rule and influence factors of axial compression stiffness and bending stiffness of element joints. The results of the model test are compared with those by the finite-element method, and the variation rule of axial compression stiffness and bending stiffness agrees well with those of the FEM results.
2017, Vol. 54 