ABSTRACT
The construction of pin-jointed Arched Precast Concrete (PC) Cut and Cover Tunnels provide an elegant solution for large scale rail projects as they offer clear advantages in terms of construction safety, reduced cost and waste. However, one important feature of this method of construction is that it requires relatively tight installation tolerance of the ‘knuckle’ joints that connect the arched roof to the supporting piers. To improve the construction productivity, the Project Team required a relaxation of the installation tolerance. Large scale physical testing has been adopted to facilitate the verification of the originally cast units at increased tolerances. The experimental set up investigated a number of most unfavourable installations. The novel full scale test series (first of its kind in the UK) were carried out at Cambridge University (NRFIS). The findings provided valuable information about the joint response by acquiring detailed measurement of the kinematic fields of the tested members. This Paper also presents the calibration process of an advanced non-linear numerical models that are utilised in the detailed design analysis.
