Study on selection of the length of reinforced concrete segment for oil and gas shield tunnel with 3D numerical analysis

3D finite element analysis is utilized to calculate stress and internal forces in three different lengths of reinforced concrete segment for oil and gas shield tunnel subject to water and earth pressure by means of load-structure model. The rational length of concrete segment is determined to be 1.2m long after comparing the calculated stress and internal force in concrete segment with length of 1.0m, 1.2m and 1.5m respectively. Meanwhile, the safety factor is also compared in order to determine the rational length of concrete segment. The analysis shows that segment length for oil and gas shield tunnel with small cross-section should be less than 1.2m so as to facilitate its transportation and erection on construction site.