Chapter 6 Summary and Conclusions

Chapter 6 Summary and Conclusions

6.1 Summary
In the current study, generally the deep water tunnel liner was investigated in terms of the buckling of free pipe, restrained pipe and jointed pipe, and the corresponding solutions were discussed and presented. In Chapter 1, the worldwide water crisis problem and rapid urban development were introduced. The existing several water tunnel structures and the relating problems/measures were also discussed. In addition, a steel liner was classified into locally supported liner and uniformly supported liner according to installation method, and the separated-type structure was selected as the water tunnel structure on account of many advantages in construction. As for the key issue for application, the liner safety should be investigated in terms of buckling under hydrostatic pressure. The buckling of encased liner was considered as the free pipe bucking for uniformly supported case and the non-symmetric bucking for the locally supported case. In Chapter 2, the encased liner as a free pipe was investigated especially, the ring-stiffened pipe was discussed in terms of buckling behavior and theoretical analysis. The existing theories on buckling, nonlinear and imperfection were reviewed, and the numerical analysis method was examined firstly. The buckling behavior of ring-stiffened pipe involving the two buckling forms of general buckling and local buckling and the buckling form change with flexural rigidity of stiffener was confirmed. In addition, that the buckling critical pressure is not only related with the stiffener but also the geometries of pipe was also identified. Based on the bucking behavior, the buckling theoretical equations corresponding to the buckling form were derived using the potential energy principle and Ritz method, and the applications of these equations were discussed in terms of the critical pressure estimation and the buckling behavior simulation. As the solution for stiffened pipe buckling the two stage method was presented. The validation of two-stage method was identified by comparing with the results of numerical analysis and literature experiment. Furthermore, the existing theories were also examined and the limitation for application was identified. In Chapter 3, the liners encased in water tunnel as restrained pipe, its buckling behavior was investigated through numerical contact analysis and experimental approach. The prediction method for buckling location was discussed and presented, as well as the application method for Amstutzs equations. The buckling of encased liner was investigated using the numerical contact analysis with respect to the practical and theoretical loading conditions, and the single-lobe buckling behavior and mechanism were clarified that the liner is formed detached part and attached part by filling the void and finally fails in detached part. The existing buckling theories were examined in terms of single-lobe buckling equations proposed by Amstutz and Jacobsen, and enhancement factor theory. Meanwhile the presented buckling location prediction

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Chapter 6 Summary and Conclusions

and application methods for Amstutzs equation were verified. Generally, the single-lobe buckling equations proposed by Amstutz and Jacobsen can be used for plain pipe while not for stiffened pipe were identified. The experimental investigation of single-lobe buckling failure was carried out, and a new analytical solution of critical pressure estimation according to stiffening conditions was presented based on the experimental results and single-lobe buckling mechanism. The verification was also conducted by comparing with numerical analysis results. In Chapter 4, the influence of transverse joints was investigated through the experimental approach and numerical analysis. From the experimental approach, that the buckling critical pressure and the buckling forms changes with flexural rigidity of joint were identified. The semi-analytical solution for buckling of jointed pipe was discussed and presented by taking into account the flexural rigidity of joint, and the validation was identified by the results of experiment and numerical analysis. In Chapter 5, based on the results obtained in former chapters, the design method for steel liner installed in deep water tunnel was given using a practical example. The corresponding design methods were discussed and the steel liner in terms of the plain pipe and stiffened pipe were designed for conventional integrated type and new separated type tunnel structures and two support conditions in later structure, respectively. Based on the designed results, the water tunnel structure and the support condition were discussed and the most rational water tunnel structure for deep water tunnel was proposed in terms of the safety and economics of tunnel lines.

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Chapter 6 Summary and Conclusions

6.2 Conclusions
To build a deep water tunnel, various tunnel structures including integrated type and separated type, and the various liners in terms of plain pipe and stiffened pipe can be selected. How can provide a safe and economical water tunnel for urban water supply was investigated as the finial purpose of the study. Through this study, the buckling of encased liner was clarified with respect to the free pipe bucking for uniformly supported case and the single-lobe bucking for the locally supported case. As buckling of free pipe, the ring-stiffened pipe has two buckling forms and the critical pressure equation of two buckling forms varies from each other has been confirmed. The buckling forms will eventually change from general buckling to local buckling with the increasing of stiffness of ring stiffeners. Based on this behavior, the efficient two-stage method of judging the buckling form and estimating critical pressure was proposed. Generally when analytical estimates the critical pressure of an arbitrary ring-stiffened pipe, the presented two-stage method should be used. However, if the buckling form is known previously, it can also use the buckling equations proposed by Tokugawa and Timoshenko for local buckling and those proposed by Kendrick and Bryant for general buckling. Moreover, the two-stage method can be used to simulate the buckling behavior was identified, by which the accurately analysis for bucking of any stiffened pipes become possible, in terms not only the buckling form and critical pressure but also the various buckling phenomenon. As the buckling of restrained pipe, both the plain liner and stiffened liner always buckle in single-lobe buckling. The mechanism of the single-lobe buckling was identified that the encased liner experiences the formulation of detached part and attached part of liner and the single-lobe formulation in detached part liner two stages under the external pressure, the final material failure causes the general liner failure. As for the buckling location, the presented prediction method can be used to estimate the potential buckling location accurately. The critical pressure increases with the decreasing of gap ratio and the increasing of thickness was identified, as well as that the initial imperfections of shape and stress distribution have little effects on single-lobe buckling of encased liner. Moreover, the Amstutzs equations can be used to estimate a precise critical pressure if the variation requirement is satisfied, while Jacobsens equations always give a conservational critical pressure for plain pipe, and both theoretical equations can not be used for stiffened pipe were clarified. From the results of single-lobe buckling experiment, the failure criterion of outer fiber reaching the yield point is just suitable for the plain liner, rather not for stiffened pipe was identified. The new analytical solution with respect to the stiffening conditions should be used to investigate the buckling of stiffened pip. As for the effects of welded joint, the buckling behavior of jointed pipe is affected not only by the geometrical properties of pipe, but also by the flexural rigidity of joints. Buckling may occur in the vicinity of the joint under lower external pressure, as a single-lobe buckling, if the

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Chapter 6 Summary and Conclusions

transverse joint is sufficiently flexible; and the more flexible the joint, the more readily the buckling occurs. In addition, as for the welding joint, the effects on the buckling critical pressure can be disregarded. Moreover the accurate critical pressure can be estimated using the presented theoretical solution which taking into account the influence of transverse joints. The liner is inevitably determined by buckling design was clarified by the design example, no matter for which tunnel structure and support condition. The conventional integrated-type structure should not be adopted because of the difficulty of backfill work for stiffened liner and the inevitable defect region existing in backfill layer. As for the liner encased in separated-type tunnel, the locally supported liner is rather prevailed over the uniformly supported liner in terms of the economic issue for plain liner; whereas for stiffened liner, although there is no distinctive difference between the uniformly supported and locally supported liner, locally supported liner is recommended considering the extra work setting supports around the liner in the case of uniformly supporting. Generally, the locally supported stiffened pipe encased in new separated-type structure should be adopted for the deep water tunnel construction. However, since there are so many related elements affecting its buckling, the buckling of restrained pipe should be investigated using experimental approach, and the analytical solutions are also required to modify with taking them into account.

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