A novel testing setup for determining the flexural properties of tunnel segmental joints: Development and application

Abstract

A novel testing setup is developed for structural tests on segmental joints of shield tunnels. It lies on the ground and is a self-balanced system. The applied axial force and bending moment are coupled, and the combination of target axial force and bending moment at the joint can be achieved by adjusting the horizontally-applied forces. It is more economic and flexible than the traditional two-point bending testing setups. The effectiveness of internal force/moment transmission of the testing setup was verified by comparing the experimental data with theoretically-determined values and numerical simulation results. It was then applied to investigate the flexural behaviour of longitudinal joint of a deeply-buried tunnel subjected to both sagging and hogging moments. The rotational stiffnesses of the testing joint were determined. The influences of bending moment and axial force on joint deformation were unified through eccentricity. In both the sagging moment and hogging moment cases, the joint deformation varied with eccentricity following a bilinear trend composed of an axial-force-dominant stage and a bending-moment-dominant stage. The slopes of the relationships between eccentricity and joint rotation angle are steeper in the hogging moment case than in the sagging moment case due to the absence of bolts at the extrados.