| Summary: | There are large bending moments in quasi-rectangular shield tunnels due to their deviation from the circular shape, and as for other types of shield tunnels, the longitudinal joints are the most critical parts in the lining structure. A new type of joint with ductile iron joint panels (DIJPs) was installed in quasi-rectangular tunnels to solve these problems. The distance from the bolts to the segment’s inner surface was improved for better performance under specific bending moment types. Both tests and finite element modeling (FEM) simulations were conducted to investigate the effect of the bolt position improvements. The resistances to crack appearance increased by 33.6% and 18.0% for positive and negative moment cases, respectively. The resistances to crack penetration increased by 13.8% and 18.4% for positive and negative cases. From the FEM approach, it was found that the behavior of the joint under the design bending moment range can be divided into three stages, whereby the bolts are only active from the second stage on. The effects of other optimizing methods, such as enhancement of concrete properties and increase of bolt diameters and numbers, are explored. Through comparison, it is believed that optimizing the joint section to increase the lever arm between bolts and the compression zone can improve the joint behavior most effectively. This optimization direction is recommended when designing a shield tunnel joint with DIJPs.
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