Existing numerical simulation methods tend to neglect some details of shield tunnelling and the cyclic shear characteristics of pile-soil interface. In this paper, an elaborate simulation method is firstly proposed to simulate the advancing of shield machines according to the details of shield tunnelling. Then an improved constitutive model for pile-soil interface, which can factually consider the cyclic shear characteristics, is also developed. Finally, through a case study, it can be found that the proposed simulation method can provide reliable estimation for this problem, and it is important to factually consider the cyclic shear characteristics of pile-soil interface.
