Abstract

This paper presents the results of laboratory investigation on the deformation behavior of tunnel face reinforced with longitudinal pipes. A series of reduced-scale model tests was carried out to investigate the effect of reinforcement layout on the tunnel face axial displacement as well as the surface settlement. Among other things, the results of the model tests indicate that the axial displacement of tunnel face as well as the ground surface settlement can significantly be reduced by pre-reinforcing the tunnel face with longitudinal pipes, suggesting that the pre-reinforcing technique may effectively be used as a positive ground control method in the urban environments. Also illustrated is that the reinforcing effect is significantly influenced by the reinforcement layout. The implications of the findings from this study are discussed in a great detail.