Effect of joint deformation on the waterproof performance of utility tunnel
Diao Yu1,2 Guo Yongzhi1,2 Song Xinxin3 Min Haihua4 Jia Zhenyang1,2 Gao Zedong1,2 Chu Zhenxi1,2
1. Key Laboratory of Coast Civil Structure Safety of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China;
2. School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China;
3. Tianjin Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute, Tianjin 300051, China;
4. North China Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300051, China
Abstract:The leakage of the utility tunnel joint has not been well studied. A series numerical models were developed to investigate the waterproof performance of the deformed joints. Two adjacent rings of utility tunnel was applied uniformly distributed load to obtain the critical opening angle of leakage for the joints in utility tunnels with single cabin, double cabins and three cabins, under different joint style and initial stress of waterproof rubber. The results show that the deformation angles of joint in utility tunnel without single cabin, double cabins and three cabins are all proportional to the applied load linearly, despite of the different joint styles (prestressed-steel-bar connection and bolt connection). The waterproof performance of the joint with prestressed-steel-bar connection is better than that with the bolt connection . Waterproof performance mainly depends on the initial stress of the rubber, and is slightly influenced by the segment stiffness. The deformation angle of the settlement joint is also proportional to the load. Based on the settlement curve of a tunnel in Shanghai, the stress of the waterproof rubber and joint bolts were analyzed and the failure mode of tunnel joint were also investigated.