Objective This study accurately calculates the stress and deformation fields of deep-buried pressure pipelines subjected to high internal water pressure, with a specific focus on the influence of fractures in the concrete layer. The mechanisms of load transfer and distribution within the pipeline bearing system are elucidated by considering various influencing factors, including internal water pressure levels, the interlayer gap between structural components, and the geological categories of the surrounding rock. Methods The bearing behavior of pressure pipes was simplified as a plane strain problem, and the stress and deformation fields were solved using the power series method of complex function theory. The core of this approach lies in determining the potential functions for the steel lining and surrounding rock layers, as well as the contact stresses between each structural layer. 1) Considering the presence of an interlayer gap, the bearing process was divided into two stages: the free bearing stage and the joint bearing stage. During the free bearing stage, only the steel lining underwent radial expansion under internal water pressure until its outer boundary came into contact with the inner boundary of the concrete layer. At this stage, the corresponding internal water pressure and the form of the steel lining potential function were determined based on the prescribed deformation value at the outer boundary of the steel lining. 2) In the joint bearing stage, when the internal water pressure exceeded a critical threshold, the steel lining and concrete layer achieved complete contact and continued to expand simultaneously. At this point, the concrete layer and surrounding rock acted as an external constraint system and jointly supported a portion of the internal water pressure. 3) Under high internal water pressure, the concrete layer experienced significant circumferential tensile stress, which inevitably led to the formation of radial cracks and the loss of circumferential load-bearing capacity. In this case, the concrete layer transmitted only radial loads and was therefore modeled as an equivalent spring layer with a defined stiffness coefficient. 4) Based on the deformation compatibility conditions among the steel lining, concrete layer, and surrounding rock during the joint bearing stage, the contact stresses and the forms of the potential functions between the structural layers were determined. 5) The final stress distribution and deformation characteristics of the pressure pipe structure were obtained, which enabled the calculation of the load-sharing ratio of the surrounding rock by applying the superposition principle of elasticity theory. Results and Discussions This study investigated the influence of internal water pressure, the gap size between structural layers, and the classification of surrounding rock on the joint load-bearing behavior of pressure pipelines. Comparative analyses were conducted with and without consideration of concrete cracking effects. The key findings were summarized as follows: 1) Internal water pressure induced radial expansion of the pressure pipeline, and its effects, manifested as stress increments and deformations, diminished progressively outward from the inner boundary. When the interlayer gap was small, the external concrete layer and surrounding rock bore a significant portion of the internal water pressure. Therefore, in engineering design, if the surrounding rock is structurally sound and stable and the quality of concrete filling is ensured, the thickness of the steel lining can be appropriately reduced to optimize construction costs. 2) When cracks developed in the concrete layer, leading to the loss of circumferential load‒bearing capacity, the corresponding internal water pressure was redistributed between the steel lining and surrounding rock based on their respective stiffness characteristics. This redistribution resulted in increased radial stress, deformation, and circumferential stress in both components. Due to its high stiffness and direct exposure to internal water pressure, the steel lining assumed a larger share of the load, while the contribution of the surrounding rock decreased. The extent of this redistribution depended on the overall structural parameters and the magnitude of the applied internal water pressure. 3) Given that the deformation of the steel lining under internal water pressure typically occurred at the millimeter scale, even minor interlayer gaps significantly affected load transfer and distribution within the composite system formed by the steel lining, concrete layer, and surrounding rock. For example, based on the parameters adopted in this study, the load-sharing ratio of the surrounding rock decreased from 71.31% under zero-gap conditions (t = 0 mm) to 44.35% when the gap increased to 1 mm. 4) The classification of the surrounding rock had a significant influence on the load-sharing ratio of the surrounding rock. Without considering concrete cracking, the difference in circumferential tensile stress in the steel lining between Class Ⅱ and Class Ⅴ surrounding rock conditions reached 40.93 MPa, with a corresponding difference of 20.56% in the load-sharing ratio of the surrounding rock. When concrete cracking was considered, these differences became more pronounced, as the maximum difference in circumferential stress increased to 118.03 MPa, radial deformation differed by up to 1.6 mm, and the load-sharing ratio of the surrounding rock varied by as much as 59.31%. These results indicated that Class Ⅴ surrounding rock contributed minimally to resistance against internal water pressure under such conditions, implying that the steel lining became the primary load-bearing component. Reinforcement measures such as grouting were required to enhance the contribution of the surrounding rock. Conclusions A power series solution method based on complex variable functions was proposed to address the calculation problem of load transfer and distribution in deep-buried pressure pipelines under high internal water pressure conditions. The stress state, deformation at any position of the bearing structure, and the surrounding rock load-sharing ratio can be accurately determined by solving the potential functions of the steel liner and surrounding rock, as well as the contact stresses between to address the calculation challenges associated with load transfer and distribution in deep-buried pressure pipelines subjected to high internal water pressure, the bearing components. The proposed method accounted for the reduction in circumferential bearing capacity caused by cracking of the concrete layer by representing it as a spring layer characterized by a specific stiffness coefficient. Based on this modeling approach, the variation patterns of the joint bearing sharing ratio under different internal water pressures, gap sizes, and surrounding rock types were systematically investigated. The proposed analytical calculation method adopts a framework-based approach, allowing for high adaptability. In addition, supplementary conditions can be incorporated based on specific engineering characteristics, enabling targeted and refined analysis.
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