Mechanical behavior of sspc segment used in launching and arrival of shield machine in soft ground

Soft ground usually has complicated geological surroundings and lacks enough carrying capability. Due to this, uneven settlement of shield tunnel is inevitable and can be fairly large even if the construction technology has improved observably. SSPC (steel segments with pre-filled concrete) segment has been developed and used for reducing ground settlement and smoothly launching and receiving shield machine in soft ground. However, a rational design method for SSPC segment can not be established because its mechanical behaviors are not clarified up to now. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study the mechanical behavior of SSPC segment using finite element method and groups of four-point bending tests. The failure modes of SSPC segment were also investigated through experiments and finite element analysis. Comparisons show that the proposed finite element model is suitable for SSPC segment and can predict the mechanical behaviors of SSPC segment accurately. The relevant conclusions of this study, therefore, will provide improved methodology and guidance for the design and numerical analysis of SSPC segment.