Curved pipe jacking is a satisfying technique for laying the buried pipeline in trenchless crossing scenarios. Estimation of frictional resistance in curved pipe jacking exhibits a more complex pipe-soil interaction compared with linear drives. Deflection differential equations for curved pipes embedded on a Pasternak foundation are established, and the finite difference method is used for estimating the foundation reaction force and frictional resistance. As verified, the proposed model exhibits good rationality compared to a practical drive. Parametric analysis indicates that small-radius curvature induces a larger foundation deformation, while the easement curvature restricts the constraints influence of pipe boundaries on frictional resistance along the axial direction. Limited pipe diameter weakens the influence range of the foundation reaction force on the normal pipe-soil interaction. The axial force transfer within the shear layer diminishes as the foundation reaction coefficient enlarges, while the integral value of the foundation reaction follows a decrease-then-increase pattern. Moreover, increased shear stiffness enhances the force transfer performance among the soil springs in the shear layer, but declines the normal contact behavior between the pipe and foundation, contributing to an expanding frictional resistance.
Liu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.