Experimental Research on the Mechanical Characteristics of Curved Rectangular Pipe Jacking Construction

Owing to the high utilization rate of section space and the advantages of pipe jacking technology, rectangular pipe jacking engineering has been widely constructed gradually. However, in some projects, due to the restrictions of geological conditions, environmental conditions and other factors, straight pipe jacking technology cannot meet the needs of engineering construction. In this case, curved jacking construction technology can solve these problems well. However, the stress distribution on two sides of jacking pipes is uneven, and the mechanical properties of curved pipe jacking are significantly different from traditional pipe jacking. In this paper, the model test has been carried out to simulate the construction process of curved pipe jacking. The triangular wedge gaskets of different thickness are used to form deflection angle between pipes at the horizontal direction. The stress and strain on both sides of the pipe jacking with different deflection angles are analyzed, and the conclusions are as followed: (1) With the increase of the jacking force, the axial stress of pipe sections increases. The stress concentration occurs at the left side of pipes, and the stress curve is nearly linear. (2) With the increase of the deflection angle between curved pipes, the axial stress on the pipe section increases gradually. The difference of stress in the middle part of pipe segment is significant, and the stress on the left side is larger than that on the right side of jacking pipe. The research results can provide a reference for the construction of curved rectangular pipe jacking engineering.