Advances and Challenges in Pipe Roofing Technology: Towards Sustainable Urban Tunnelling

Sustainable urban development requires the use of low carbon, green construction technologies to expand underground space with minimal ecological impact. Among these, the pipe roofing method has become an important green construction solution for sustainable urban development and large span shallow tunnelling, owing to its low environmental disturbance, strong adaptability, and structural reliability. The method originated in Europe, was later systematized in Japan, and has since been structurally optimized in Korea and implemented on a large scale in China. Research on its mechanical behavior shows that joints are critical weak points, load bearing capacity depends on section properties, and shear performance is governed by joint design. While beam on foundation models (such as Winkler or Pasternak) are often used to simulate soil structure interaction, plate models offer higher accuracy, with optimal stiffness synergy occurring at an aspect ratio λ = 1.24–1.32. Under eccentric loads, buckling becomes the dominant failure mode when eccentricity exceeds 0.2 times the pipe diameter, reducing load capacity by 27.8–50.1%. Deformation analyses further indicate that plate models which account for soil arching can keep prediction errors below 8% and enable coupled 3D stress deformation simulations. In terms of ground control, the pipe roofing method can reduce surface settlement to about 25% of that in unsupported excavations, and machine learning techniques have been introduced to optimize design parameters and predict settlement. However, challenges remain in improving model accuracy, understanding structural and predictive limits, and enhancing material sustainability. To advance sustainable underground development, future work should integrate artificial intelligence, low carbon advanced materials, and 3D nonlinear coupled models, aiming for “active control” and lifecycle resilience. These efforts will help achieve safe, low impact, and sustainable use of urban underground space.