Key Technologies for the Safe Construction of Underwater Super Large Diameter Shield Tunnels: A Case Study

This study presents key technologies for the safe construction of underwater super large diameter shield tunnels based on the engineering of Zhuhai Shizimen undersea super large diameter shield tunnel. A comprehensive introduction is carried out from three aspects of safety construction technologies, disaster optimization design and rapid disease detection. This discussion delves into high durability requirements, tunnel detection difficulty and high seismic risk for underwater super large diameter shield tunnels. And then a series of key technologies was proposed to solve the problems of the underwater super large diameter shield tunnels faced. And the application of these key technologies in Shizimen tunnel is introduced in detail. Finally, a summary of current intelligentization and automation in underwater shield tunnels was offered. The future trends of development in underwater shield tunnels are also introduced. The current overall gaps in underwater shield tunnels concerning sustainability and environmental protection are identified in an attempt to stimulate further work in these areas by the research community.