In order to solve the water sealing problem of soil between pipes of long distance curved pipe-jacked technology, Freeze-Sealing Pipe Roof (FSPR) as an innovative pre-supporting method in tunnel engineering is being applied to the Gongbei Tunnel in the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. The definition of FSPR is that large diameter steel pipes are laid out in a circle around the cross section of tunnel in advance, then the artificial ground freezing method is adopted to freeze soil between steel pipes to form water-sealing curtain. An effective freeze control system, which contains master freezing tubes, enhancing freezing tubes and limiting freezing tubes, is established for building up the frozen soil curtain, maintaining its stability during excavation and controlling the volume of frozen soil to limit frost heave dynamically. An in-situ test was carried out to explore the optimal freezing scheme and control mode. The results of the test show that the principal freezing scheme of the solid pipe with hollow pipe as a complement is the most optimal scheme in active freezing phase of the real construction. Meanwhile, cold control mode is suggested to control frost heave in maintained freezing phase. The conclusions have important guiding significance for this kind of engineering construction.

The multi-piped freezing method is usually applied in artificial ground freezing (AGF) projects to fulfill special construction requirements, such as two-,

A new pre-supporting technology named the freeze-sealing pipe roof (FSPR) method was adopted in the construction of Gongbei tunnel (Zhuhai, China), a critical part of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau bridge (HZMB) project. The method combined pipe-roofing with artificial ground freezing (AGF). The pipe roof which included a number of large-diameter steel pipes was designed to play a primary role in load bearing, while the frozen wall between pipes was designed for water sealing. The refrigeration proceeded in two stages called the active freezing period and excavation period. This paper mainly focuses on the freezing characteristics of FSPR to explore how the frozen soil wall developed and changed over time during both periods based on field temperature data. The results show that the development of the frozen wall met the design requirements in fewer than 80 days of refrigeration considering the most unfavorable situation. The distribution of frozen soil along the entire tunnel was non-uniform. Frost heave and thaw weakening problems should be taken into account, since some of the bottom section of the frozen wall was more than 3 m. The frozen soil at the excavation side was visibly influenced by the replenishment of heat due to excavation, while the frozen soil outside the excavation face was much less influenced. The thermal effects of Hurricane Nicole on the frozen soil wall was also observed. The conclusions provide experience, reference, and guidance for the development of similar projects in the future.

Researchers have put forward a new pre-supporting technique, the freeze-sealing pipe roof method (FSPR), combining the pipe-roofing method and artificial ground freezing method (AGF). The Gongbei Tunnel, a major part in the Zhuhai Link of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, is going to employ the FSPR method for the first time in China. We created an innovative freezing scheme with three kinds of freezing tubes (normal, enhancing and limiting) for the FSPR method. In this paper, the temperature field of the scheme in the active freeze period is analyzed by numerical simulation in order to ensure the validity and feasibility. The characteristics of frozen soil wall have been studied for different strata and controllable parameters. The results show that FSPR can form a frozen soil wall quickly and keep it stable in the different soil layers. In addition, it is indicated that the freezing effect is flexible and controllable.