Research and application of final joints of immersed tunnels

In recent years, with the continuous development of traffic engineering in China, many large-scale cluster projects across rivers and seas have been started and completed. As an important structural form of crossing water, immersed tunnel has been paid more and more attention. However, the joints between precast segments of immersed tunnel, especially the final joints of the closure section, are the key problems in the construction of immersed tunnel, where there are multi-directional needs such as permeability, safety, convenience and economy. The final joint technology in the construction of large immersed tunnel, such as Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, is a controlling problem, and innovative technology is still needed. In this paper, five kinds of final joint structures and construction methods of immersed tunnel are investigated, and the characteristics of each joint are summarized and introduced. The final joint forms in the existing representative projects in China are also investigated and summarized. Finally, on the basis of the existing research, the problems that need to be paid attention to in the construction of the final joint of Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link are pointed out, which provides a reference for the construction of similar projects.