LOADING OF PIPELINE SUPPORTS IN A MICRO-TUNNEL

Sa？etak Micro-tunnelling is a trenchless method for the application of underground utilities. If a tunnel is built as a shallow arc beneath obstacles, the insertion of steel pipeline presents a particular difficulty. A computational model has been developed in order to investigate the loading of pipeline wheel supports and the stresses in pipes during the insertion. The model is based on beam elements and includes the unilateral contact problem, which is solved by the iteration procedure presented in the paper. The results of simulations for four different paths are discussed and the improved path of the micro-tunnel is proposed