In order to solve the problem of sealing water and bearing capacity of a connected aisle in an underwater shield tunnel, a double-circle horizontal freezing method was adopted for ground reinforcement in the connected aisle of Maliuzhou Tunnel, which is China’s first shield tunnel with superlarge diameter built in a composite stratum. This paper proposed a new double-row-pipe freezing model for the calculation of frozen wall thickness based on analytical solution to steady-state temperature field. Besides, field measurement and transient numerical studies of the active freezing period were also carried out to study the freeze-sealing effect. The results show that frozen wall thickness obtained by analytical solutions agrees well with numerical simulation results, which verifies the applicability of the newly proposed calculation method. Field analysis indicates that soil temperature gradually approaches a stable value which is far below the freezing point, and a reliable water-sealing curtain can be formed around the designed connected aisle. Maximum impact of soil excavation on the frozen wall is about 10°C, and reducing exposure time of excavation surface can effectively alleviate the weakening of frozen wall. To obtain comprehensive analysis for freezing wall thickness, a more reasonable arrangement of temperature-measuring holes is expected in future freezing engineering.
Application of Analytical Solution to Steady-State Temperature Field by Double-Row-Pipe Freezing and Verification with Field Measurement: A Case Study of Connected Aisle
