Deformation and mechanical characteristics of tunnel lining in tunnel intersection between subway station tunnel and construction tunnel

•A comprehensive 3D simulation model of considered tunnel intersection is developed.•The spatial deformation, stress distribution, distribution of plastics zone were analyzed.•The internal force of tunnel lining and the probably failure and location were studied.•The affected area of tunnel intersection on deformation and stress distribution was revealed. Deformations and stress distributions in tunnel intersection areas are more complicated than those in common tunnels. The literature on deformations and stress distributions in tunnel intersections, in which the intersecting tunnel is in a different section, is limited. The Shangxinjie subway station in Chongqing, China, was selected to investigate the deformation, stress and plastic zone responses of a tunnel intersection using numerical simulations. Based on the numerical results, the scopes of influence with respect to the deformation, stresses and possible failure modes of the tunnel lining were further studied. The numerical results show that the deformation in a section close to the tunnel intersection was larger than the deformations in distant sections. Compared with the common section, the crown settlement reached the maximum value at the tunnel intersection, and the maximum rate of increase was approximately 28%. The range of the plastic zone at the tunnel intersection was much larger than that in the other areas, and it was mainly located in the side wall and tunnel crown. In the longitudinal direction, the lengths of the scopes of influence were 2.4 B and 1.6 B with respect to the deformation and stress, respectively. The magnitudes of the internal forces in the longitudinal and circumferential directions were almost equal. The bending moments of the tunnel lining within 135° and 225° significantly changed, but the axial force decreased dramatically. Tensile and compressive failures may occur at the tunnel intersection and in a section 5m away. Locally thickening the supporting structures is suggested to improve the stability of the tunnel.