Numerical Research on Multi-Directinal Deformation Control of Shield Tunnels under Surface Surcharge
Pengfei Zhao1,*, Youlin Ye2
1 China Railway 15 Bureau Group Urban Rail Transit Engineering Co, Ltd., Guangzhou, China
2 School of Transportation and Geomatics Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, China
* Corresponding Author: Pengfei Zhao. Email: 
Structural Durability & Health Monitoring https://doi.org/10.32604/sdhm.2026.072074
Received 19 August 2025; Accepted 28 October 2025; Published online 28 April 2026
Abstract
Under soft soil geological conditions, tunnel engineering disturbances can induce changes in ground surface surcharges and lead to stress redistribution in the surrounding soils. As relatively unfavorable loads during engineering disturbances, ground surface surcharges significantly influence both transverse and longitudinal deformations of shield tunnel structures, resulting in increased ellipticity, segment dislocations, joint openings, and tunnel settlement. This study investigates the effect of two different steel plate reinforcement methods—annular steel plates and cross-joint steel plates—on tunnel structures under surface surcharge loading. Using the Mohr–Coulomb elastoplastic constitutive model, the influence of surface surcharges on shield tunnel segment deformation and adjacent soil behavior is analyzed. Numerical modeling is performed based on surface loading parameters obtained from the river channel section of Metro Line 9 in an eastern region of China, and the model is validated through correlation between finite element analysis results and measured tunnel settlement data. The results indicate that annular steel plates exhibit effectiveness comparable to that of cross-joint steel plates in controlling tunnel ovalization and circumferential joint separation under surface surcharge conditions. However, cross-joint steel plates perform better in mitigating longitudinal deformations of the tunnel, including differential settlement and vertical displacement. In addition, cross-joint steel plates demonstrate a stronger capacity to control shear stress distribution within tunnel segments compared to annular configurations. These findings provide valuable references for shield tunnel engineering in load-disturbed environments.
Keywords
Ground surface surcharge; transverse and longitudinal deformations; reinforcement of steel plates; numerical simulation
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