Analysis of the mechanism and effects of advanced pipes support in roadways | Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports volume 15, Article number: 15230 (2025) Cite this article

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With the increasing depth of coal mining, the deformation and instability of high-stress soft rock roadways have become critical challenges in mining engineering. Although various support technologies have been applied to deep soft rock roadways, research on the support mechanism and mechanical effects of advanced pipes remains limited. Based on the Winkler elastic foundation model, this study establishes a mechanical model for advanced pipes. Using differential equations, the influence of various parameters on the deformation of advanced pipes is analyzed, and the mechanical effects of the advanced pipes support system are investigated through numerical simulations. The results indicate that increasing the diameter and wall thickness of the pipes, as well as reducing the excavation step and ring spacing, helps effectively control pipes deformation. At the same time, the advanced pipes support system significantly improves the stability of both the surrounding rock and the excavation face. This study not only enriches the theoretical foundation of advanced pipes support but also provides reliable parameter references for the design of advanced temporary support in deep soft rock roadways, offering significant engineering application value.

In recent years, the progressive extraction of coal resources has led to a gradual increase in mining depth and increasingly complex conditions in the coal seam mining environment1,2.Large deformation and instability in deep high-stress, loose, fragmented, and soft rock roadways have consistently posed challenges to the safe and efficient mining operations, making it one of the key issues in the mining industry. Soft rock roadways continue to pose a significant and complex technical challenge in modern mining and underground engineering worldwide3,4,5.Supporting deep high-stress, loose, fragmented soft rock roadways represents a crucial technology in deep resource extraction and deep underground engineering. Scholars both domestically and internationally have conducted extensive and fruitful research on this topic. He Manchao et al.6,7,8, based on the characteristics of large deformation in soft rock, proposed an active support technology system centered on constant-resistance, large-deformation anchor-mesh-cable combined support, and developed a corresponding mechanical analysis system; To address the challenges associated with supporting deep, high-stress roadways, Wang Qi et al.9,10 designed a U-shaped confined concrete (UCC) support system by adapting conventional U-shaped steel arches; Meng Qingbin et al.11,12 proposed a combined support system incorporating bolts, cable bolts, and grouting anchors, known as the “three-anchor” support system, which has demonstrated favorable results in supporting coal mine soft rock roadways; Jing Hongwen et al.13, based on their insights into the deformation and instability mechanisms of surrounding rock in deep soft rock roadways, proposed a rigid-flexible coupled dynamic reinforcement technology. The support of deep high-stress loose and fractured soft rock roadways14 continues to present numerous novel challenges, with temporary advanced support for soft rock roadways remaining particularly critical as it constitutes the core technology for ensuring both excavation efficiency and safety.

Although some studies have proposed a support system combining advanced pipes, metal mesh, and metal arch supports15, research on the mechanism and mechanical effects of advanced pipes remains limited. This paper aims to construct a mechanical model for advanced pipes using the Pasternak foundation model16, thoroughly analyzing the influence of various parameters on the deformation of the pipes, and further exploring the mechanical effects of the pipe support system through numerical simulations. This research not only fills the gap in the study of the mechanical effects of advanced pipes but also holds significant theoretical and practical value for improving the stability and safety of soft rock roadway support and optimizing the support structure. As mining depth continues to increase and complex geological conditions gradually emerge, studying the mechanical behavior of the advanced pipe support system will provide strong support for the development of support technology in soft rock roadways, with important practical significance.

The principle of roadway advanced support17 builds upon existing support design theories18,19,20, integrating advantages from multiple construction techniques. It systematically elucidates the mechanical relationship among the self-bearing capacity of surrounding rock P, support resistance T, and original stress of the surrounding rock P0, highlighting the interaction within the “surrounding rock-support structure” system during roadway excavation.

On the exposed surface formed by roadway excavation, the surrounding rock’s radial stress is released, while strata distant from the excavation surface retain their original stress state. Assuming a uniform ground stress field and defining the support force F as the total bearing capacity provided by the support system, we have F = T + P, where F is the advanced support force, T is the resistance of the support structure, and P is the ultimate self-bearing capacity of the surrounding rock. Therefore, the advanced support force comprises not only the force exerted by the support structure on the surrounding rock but also the rock’s inherent bearing capacity; together, they form the support force acting on the surrounding rock. Through advanced support, the ultimate bearing capacity of the surrounding rock is strengthened.

When the support force F exceeds the threshold force needed to induce significant deformation or instability in the surrounding rock, the surrounding rock reaches a stable equilibrium state. The in-situ stress P0 serves as the primary cause of instability in the surrounding rock; therefore, during excavation, it is essential to ensure that F always remains greater than P0. After excavation, the original three-dimensional stress equilibrium of the surrounding rock is disrupted21,22. Stress redistribution leads to a reduction in radial stress, and, influenced by factors including gravity, water pressure, expansive forces, and tectonic stress, the surrounding rock deforms inward toward the cross-section. At this stage, the internal structure of the surrounding rock gradually deteriorates, its ultimate bearing capacity decreases, and an interactive support system between the surrounding rock and the support structure forms.

When the surrounding rock is in relatively good condition, it experiences some deformation post-excavation; however, this deformation gradually stabilizes through self-adjustment. The support force F remains greater than the original in-situ stress P0, thereby maintaining stable equilibrium. However, when the surrounding rock is in a weakened state, its ultimate bearing capacity quickly declines to a level below P0. In such cases, it is essential to implement advanced support to enhance the self-stabilizing capacity of the surrounding rock, followed promptly by initial support structures after excavation to ensure rock stability. This advanced support not only improves the ultimate bearing capacity of the surrounding rock but also helps establish a balanced and effective support system.

Advanced pipes support involves driving a set of steel pipes into the rock layer along pre-drilled holes outside the excavation profile. To fully utilize their bearing capacity, the pipes are effectively combined with U-shaped steel to form a robust advanced support reinforcement system. The layout and on-site layout of the advanced pipes support are shown in the Figs. 1 and 2.

Advanced pipes support layout diagram.

On-Site layout diagram of advanced pipes support.

The principle of advanced pipes support is as follows: the advanced pipes in the support structure enhance the stability of the surrounding rock through connection, combination, and suspension effects. Similar to anchor bolts23,24, they anchor loose surrounding rock to deep, stable rock layers, coordinating deformation and reducing stress concentration. The pipes, through the beam-arch effect, distribute the surrounding rock pressure to the U-shaped steel frame, thus enhancing the stability of the roadway. The U-shaped steel, serving as a rigid skeleton, provides stable support for the advanced pipes, resisting the self-weight of the surrounding rock and ground stress, while offering a reliable foundation for subsequent construction. The combination of both forms a composite support system, effectively improving the bearing capacity and stability of the surrounding rock.

To develop the mechanical model of advanced pipes, the following assumptions are introduced to simplify calculation and analysis25,26:

The advanced pipes is assumed to function as a beam on a Winkler27 elastic foundation. Compared to the classical Pasternak model, the Winkler model involves only a single foundation stiffness parameter and neglects the interaction between different points of the foundation, making its theoretical formulation more concise and its governing equations easier to solve analytically or discretize numerically. In engineering practice, the Winkler model can be quickly applied for preliminary analysis and offers good applicability and theoretical extensibility.

The bending behavior of the advanced pipes component is characterized by Euler beam theory, excluding effects such as transverse shear deformation, membrane action, and friction between the advanced pipes and surrounding rock28.

In the excavation process, the advanced pipes primarily functions as a load-bearing beam. The longitudinal displacement of the surrounding rock ahead of the excavation face exerts thrust on the advanced pipes, while friction between the surrounding rock and the steel pipe induces compressive deformation. When considering the interaction between the advanced pipes and surrounding rock, the contact surface exhibits specific frictional characteristics, though accurately characterizing this contact condition presents certain challenges. Due to the limited strength of the surrounding rock medium, any frictional force that arises remains minimal; therefore, friction is negligible. Under this assumption, the idealized model considers the contact interface between the pipe roof and surrounding rock to be smooth and frictionless, enabling the transmission of tensile support stress.

In the immediate vicinity of the excavation face, the tunnel burial depth H remains relatively constant, allowing the surrounding rock pressure q(x) on the advanced pipes to be approximated as a uniformly distributed load.

Given the above assumptions, the mechanical model for the force analysis of the advanced pipes is presented in two forms as follows:

Type A: When the excavation face is sufficiently far from the front end of the advanced pipes and the excavation influence zone has not yet reached it, the advanced pipes is modeled as a semi-infinite elastic foundation beam. The mechanical model is shown in Fig. 3(a).

Type B: When the excavation face is near the advanced pipes, it is modeled as a finite-length elastic foundation beam. The mechanical model is depicted in Fig. 3(b).

Dynamic model of advanced pipes during Roadway Excavation.

During a construction cycle, depending on the coal seam condition, the advanced pipes temporary support system is divided into three stress regions: the unsupported zone (AB), the loosened coal seam zone ahead of the excavation face (BC/BC’), and the unloosened zone (CD).

Using the above mechanical model, the deflection equation for the advanced pipes is derived from elastic foundation beam theory as follows:

Let λ4=kb/4EI, and rearranging yields:

In the equation: b — the width of the Pasternak elastic foundation beam, taken as πd/2; d is the diameter of the steel pipe, m;

E—the elastic modulus of the advanced pipes, Pa;

I—the moment of inertia of the advanced pipes, m4;

ω(x)—the deflection of the advanced pipes, m;

k—the foundation reaction modulus, kN/m²;

Type A.

The deflection differential equation for the advanced pipes in different segments is as follows:

By solving the differential equation, the deflection equations for each section are obtained:

AB segment:

BC segment:

In the equation, A is the particular solution to the deflection equation.

CD segment:

For section BC, when x=l, the boundary condition is satisfied as follows: \(\left\{ \begin{gathered} {\omega _2}={\omega _3} \hfill \\ {\theta _2}={\theta _3} \hfill \\ \end{gathered} \right.\), the particular solution is derived as:

\(A=\frac{q}{k}\left[ {1 - ch\left( {\lambda \left( {x - l} \right)} \right)\cos \left( {\lambda \left( {x - l} \right)} \right)} \right]\)

Rearranging yields:

For section CD, when x→∞, the boundary condition is satisfied as follows:\(\left\{ \begin{gathered} y \to 0 \hfill \\ y^{\prime}=\theta =0 \hfill \\ \end{gathered} \right.\), As y→0, the solution to the differential equation must satisfy A5 = A6 = 0, It follows that:

The inclination equations for each segment:

AB segment:

BC segment:

CD segment:

The bending moment equations for each segment:

AB segment:

BC segment:

CD segment:

The shear force equations for each segment:

AB segment:

BC segment:

CD segment:

Based on the boundary conditions as ω|x=−a=ω0, θ1|x=−a=0,, ω1|x=0=ω2|x=0, θ1|x=0=θ2|x=0, M1|x=0=M2|x=0, Q1|x=0=Q2|x=0, the following system of equations can be obtained:

Among them:

\({\psi _1}=\frac{{bq{a^4}}}{{24EI}} - {\omega _0}\)

\(\begin{gathered} {\psi _2}=\frac{{bq{a^3}}}{{6EI}} \hfill \\ {\psi _3}=\frac{q}{k}\left( {1 - {\text{ch}}\left( {\lambda l} \right)\cos \left( {\lambda l} \right)} \right) \hfill \\ {\psi _4}=\frac{{q\lambda }}{k}\left( {{\text{sh}}\left( {\lambda l} \right)\cos \left( {\lambda l} \right) - {\text{ch}}\left( {\lambda l} \right)\sin \left( {\lambda l} \right)} \right) \hfill \\ {\psi _5}=\frac{{q{\lambda ^2}}}{k}\left( {{\text{sh}}\left( {\lambda l} \right)\sin \left( {\lambda l} \right)} \right) \hfill \\ {\psi _6}=\frac{{q{\lambda ^3}}}{k}\left( {{\text{sh}}\left( {\lambda l} \right)\cos \left( {\lambda l} \right)+{\text{ch}}\left( {\lambda l} \right)\sin \left( {\lambda l} \right)} \right) \hfill \\ ~~~~ \hfill \\ \end{gathered}\)

By solving Eq. (17) for the unknown coefficients A1、A2、A3、A4、A7、A8, and substituting them into Eqs. (6–19), the deflection, inclination, bending moment, and shear force at any point of the advanced pipes can be obtained.

According to the Pasternak model, the relationship between foundation reaction force and displacement is as follows:

Type B.

Since the foundation beams AB and BC’ in Type B are identical to those in Type A, the deflection differential equations for each section in Type B are given by Eqs. (3) and (4), with the particular solution to the differential equations being A = q/k. Therefore, the deflection ω, rotation θ, bending moment M, and shear force Q for each section of the advanced pipes can be obtained as follows:

Based on the boundary conditions as ω|x=−a=ω0, θ1|x=−a=0,, ω1|x=0=ω2|x=0, θ1|x=0=θ2|x=0, M1|x=0=M2|x=0, Q1|x=0=Q2|x=0, M2|x=l=0, Q2|x=0=0,the following system of equations can be obtained:

Among them:

\(\begin{gathered} {\psi _1}=\frac{{bq{a^4}}}{{24EI}} - {\omega _0} \hfill \\ {\psi _2}=\frac{{bq{a^3}}}{{6EI}} \hfill \\ {\psi _3}=\frac{q}{k} \hfill \\ {\psi _4}={\psi _5}={\psi _6}={\psi _7}={\psi _8}=0 \hfill \\ \end{gathered}\)

By solving Eq. (26) for the unknown coefficients A1、A2、A3、A4、A7、A8, and substituting them into Eqs. (21–25), the deflection, inclination, bending moment, and shear force at any point of the advanced pipes can be obtained.

Quandian Coal Mine in Yuzhou, Henan Province is taken as an application. The tunnel has an average burial depth of 850 m, the tunnel is a V-classification surrounding rock with a bulk density of 20 kN/m3,an internal friction angle of 26°,the coefficient of subgrade reaction 5 × 106 kN/m3, the excavation advance per step is 0.7 m.The advanced pipes is made of steel tubes with a diameter of 30 mm, wall thickness of 4 mm and length of 3 m. The elastic modulus of steel tube is E1 = 210 GPa, the equivalent elastic modulus E of a single steel tube is calculated by formula E=(E1I1 + E2I2)/I1 + I2.

As shown in Fig. 4, during tunnel excavation, the maximum deformation occurs approximately 0.3 m from the excavation face, with the deflection reaching a maximum of 46 mm. At this stage, no initial support has been applied, resulting in the upper load being primarily supported by the advanced pipes, which leads to significant deformation. If initial support measures are inadequate, there is a risk of complete roof collapse.

According to the results obtained from solving the differential equation in Sect. 3, the length of the advanced pipes is not significantly correlated with its deformation characteristics. Furthermore, excessively long advanced pipes do not significantly improve the support effectiveness; rather, they result in resource wastage and increased costs. Therefore, in construction design, the length of the advanced pipes should be carefully chosen, taking into account geological and construction conditions, to achieve an optimal balance between economic efficiency and the safety of the support system.

Deflection curve of the advanced pipes.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the deflection behavior of the advanced pipes exhibits similar trends, with deflection decreasing as the diameter and wall thickness increase; however, the rate of decrease gradually diminishes. Increasing the diameter and wall thickness both enhance the bending stiffness of the advanced pipes, thereby improving its load-bearing capacity. However, the support effectiveness gained from increasing the diameter is more pronounced compared to increasing the wall thickness. Therefore, in practical engineering, optimizing the parameters of advanced pipes should prioritize adjustments to diameter. advanced pipes with excessive diameter and wall thickness are difficult to insert into loose coal seams, significantly increasing construction difficulty and time. Additionally, they lead to material waste and increased costs. Thus, selecting an appropriate diameter and wall thickness during construction not only enhances efficiency and safety but also ensures cost-effectiveness.

Deflection curves of advanced pipes with different diameters.

Deflection curves of advanced pipes with different wall thicknesses.

As shown in the Fig. 7, the deflection of the advanced pipes increases with the excavation step distance; the larger the excavation step distance, the greater the gradient of deflection increase. The maximum deformation occurs approximately 0.3 m from the excavation face, which is relatively close to the face. When the excavation step distance increases from 0.5 m to 0.7 m, the maximum displacement rises by 37 mm. When it increases further to 1.0 m, the maximum displacement rises by 107 mm, suggesting that the advanced pipes may have fractured and failed, leading to a significant increase in maximum displacement. Therefore, a reasonable excavation step distance must be selected during tunnel construction to ensure safety.

Deflection curves of advanced pipes with different excavation step distance.

As shown in Fig. 8, the deflection of the advanced pipes decreases as the ring spacing reduces, but the gradient of this decrease remains relatively constant. This indicates that while smaller spacing improves the support effect, the improvement becomes less pronounced. Although reducing the ring spacing of advanced pipes can enhance the support effect and improve tunnel stability—particularly in fractured or weak surrounding rock and when combined with anchor-net support—excessive density significantly increases material and construction costs, as well as construction time and difficulty. An excessive number of advanced pipes may interfere with the arrangement of other support structures, such as steel arches and anchor nets. Overly dense pipe insertion can also exacerbate disturbances to the surrounding rock, especially in softer or more fractured strata, potentially leading to rock failure and increasing the risk of roof collapse or subsidence. Therefore, in designing tunnel support, it is essential to balance support effectiveness, economic considerations, and construction feasibility, ensuring an optimal layout of advanced pipes density to achieve the best support outcomes.

Deflection curves of advanced pipes with different spacing.

To more accurately and intuitively reflect the mechanical effects of the advanced pipes support system, this paper uses FLAC3D finite element software to conduct numerical simulations of the roadway without support, with U-shaped steel support, and with a combined U-shaped steel and advanced pipes support. The simulation results are then compared and analyzed. For simplicity in subsequent descriptions, the combined U-shaped steel and advanced pipes support will be referred to as advanced pipes support. The numerical simulation is modeled based on the Mohr-Coulomb criterion, with the following specific modeling process: the model dimensions are set to 40 m × 40 m × 30 m, and the model consists of 392,340 elements. Fixed boundary conditions are applied, with horizontal constraints on the surrounding rock on both sides of the roadway, a free boundary at the top, vertical constraints at the bottom boundary, and an initial stress set at 17 MPa, adjusted through a static equilibrium process. The numerical model is shown in the Fig. 9, where advanced pipes are simulated using beam elements, and the U-shaped steel and mesh are modeled using shell elements. The parameters for the surrounding rock are listed in Table 1. As indicated in Sect. 4,the optimal parameters for the advanced pipes in this project are as follows: a length of 3 m, a diameter of 40 mm, a wall thickness of 5 mm, and a ring spacing of 200 mm, with an excavation step of 0.6 m. Accordingly, the numerical simulations in this section are conducted based on these parameters.

Numerical simulation.

The displacement of the surrounding rock in the excavated tunnel under different support conditions is shown in Fig. 10.

The displacement of the surrounding rock.

A comparison of the deformation of the tunnel roof, floor, and sidewalls under three schemes reveals that after excavation, the deformation of the surrounding rock is significantly greater in the unsupported case than in the two supported cases.

In the unsupported case, the maximum roof displacement reaches 189.06 mm. With U-shaped steel support, it decreases to 112.30 mm, a reduction of 40.6% compared to the unsupported case. Under advanced pipes support, the maximum roof displacement is 95.95 mm, a reduction of 49.2% compared to the unsupported case.

In the unsupported case, the maximum displacement of the sidewalls occurs at the middle, with a displacement of 392.89 mm. Under U-shaped steel and advanced pipes support, the maximum displacement occurs at the corners of the sidewalls, measuring 204.33 mm and 169.49 mm, respectively, representing reductions of 45% and 56.9% compared to the unsupported case.

The state of the surrounding rock in the excavated tunnel under different support conditions are shown in Fig. 11.

The state of the surrounding rock.

As shown in the figure, in the unsupported case, the plastic zone exhibits a distinct distribution pattern surrounding the tunnel, with tensile and shear failure being more pronounced at the top and distal sides. Under U-shaped steel support, shear and tensile failure mainly occur at the roof, floor, and excavation face. With advanced pipes support, shear failure is instead concentrated at the lower regions of the sidewalls.

The excavation face displacement of the excavated tunnel under different support conditions is shown in Fig. 12.

The displacement of excavation face.

As shown in the figure, after roadway excavation, the maximum displacement in the unsupported case occurs in a large central area of the excavation face, reaching 397 mm, indicating a risk of instability at the excavation face. Under the advanced pipes support system, the maximum displacement mainly occurs at the lower regions of the sides, while with U-shaped steel support, the maximum excavation face displacement is 253.10 mm. With combined U-shaped steel and advanced pipes support, the maximum excavation face displacement is 198.73 mm, representing reductions of 36.2% and 50%, respectively, compared to the unsupported case. This demonstrates that advanced pipes significantly enhance the stability of the excavation face.

To further verify the feasibility of the advanced pipe support, an on-site experiment was conducted in the 21,050 upward roadway excavation face of the Quandian coal mine. Two measuring points were set up in the roadway to monitor the roof and floor displacement as well as the sidewall displacement. The observation period was 30 days, with measurements taken every 2 days. Figure 13 shows the monitoring chart of surrounding rock deformation.

Surrounding rock deformation monitoring chart.

As can be seen from the figure, the displacement and deformation patterns of the roof and floor as well as the sidewalls at survey points 1 and 2 are roughly the same. The roof experiences significant deformation in the first 10 days, and after day 22 of observation, the convergence stabilizes, reaching 207 mm and 188 mm, respectively. The sidewalls exhibit considerable deformation during the first 14 days of monitoring, and after day 18, the sidewall displacement begins to stabilize, reaching 195 mm and 183 mm, respectively. The monitoring data indicate that the deformation of the roof and sidewalls in the original plan eventually stabilized at 240 mm and 221 mm, which are larger than the values at the two survey points. This is consistent with the results of numerical simulations, confirming that the use of advanced pipes for roadway support effectively controls the surrounding rock deformation and validates the rationality of the advanced pipe support system.

Based on the Pasternak elastic foundation beam and Bernoulli-Euler beam theory, the boundary conditions on both sides of the advanced pipes are set as simply supported, and a mechanical model for advanced pipes is constructed. Using differential equations, the deflection, tilt angle, bending moment, and shear force in each stress region are analytically derived. The impact of key parameters on the mechanical performance of the advanced pipes is discussed through computational analysis, and the mechanical effects of the advanced pipes support system are ultimately analyzed through numerical simulations. The following conclusions are drawn:

Several factors are studied to clarify their influence on the deformation of the advanced pipes. The results show that increasing the diameter and wall thickness of the pipes effectively reduces their deformation and enhances bending stiffness, thereby improving the bearing capacity of the support system. Notably, increasing the diameter has a more significant impact on improving the support effect. However, excessively large diameters and wall thicknesses will increase construction difficulty, lead to resource waste, and extend construction time, necessitating the selection of appropriate parameters. Additionally, reducing the excavation step and ring spacing can also decrease the deformation of the pipes and enhance the stability of the support structure. A reasonable selection of excavation step and ring spacing can balance support effectiveness and construction feasibility, avoiding poor support effects or uneven stress distribution caused by excessively large spacings.

A comparative analysis of the numerical simulation results reveals that in roadway support, the pre-reinforcement effect of advanced pipes effectively improves the self-bearing capacity of the surrounding rock. At the same time, the high-strength support provided by U-shaped steel offers continuous constraint to the roof, optimizing the redistribution of surrounding rock stress, and significantly reducing vertical displacement of the roof. However, due to the lower support stiffness of U-shaped steel and advanced pipes in the sidewalls, stress redistribution leads to significant stress concentration in the side regions. This transforms the originally high-bearing capacity straight-wall semicircular arch support structure into a weaker bearing capacity sidewall-concave structure, causing the maximum bending moment at the foot of the sidewalls and leading to the first failure in these areas. Both U-shaped steel and advanced pipes supports effectively improve the stability of the surrounding rock. However, when U-shaped steel is used alone, the surrounding rock stress is released more evenly, whereas the addition of advanced pipes creates different constraint effects at the sidewalls and top/bottom plates, changing the stress release path. This leads to insufficient or concentrated stress release in the lower sidewall regions, resulting in shear failure. Although the stability of the surrounding rock with advanced pipes support increases by only 10% compared to using U-shaped steel alone, its overall performance in reducing excavation face displacement by 14% fully demonstrates its key role in enhancing the stability of the excavation face.

Overall, the deformation at the corner of the two sidewalls of the roadway is the largest, and the deformation at the center is greater than that at the surrounding sidewalls. In general, the deformation of the advanced pipes is controlled within 20–30 mm, which effectively maintains the stability of the roadway and meets the site requirements. For this project, the optimal parameters for the advanced pipes are: length 3 m, diameter 40 mm, wall thickness 5 mm, ring spacing 200 mm, and excavation step 0.6 m.

The next step will be to consider the load pattern and structural mechanical response of the advanced pipes under the influence of overlap length, analyzing the reasonable overlap length. The effect of the external insertion angle on the mechanical response of the advanced pipes will be systematically considered, continuously improving the theoretical calculation model of the mechanical response of advanced pipes and enhancing the scientific approach to advanced pipes construction in roadways.

The datasets generated during or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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China University of Mining & Technology, Beijing, 100000, China

Renliang Shan, Haotian Wu, Peng Sun, Gangjie Huang, Haobo Bai, Yongzhen Li & Xinpeng Zhao

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The manuscript was drafted by W.The concept provided by S and W. Wand H conducted the literature review and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. B performed numerical simulations and analyzed the results. L and S wrote and created the equations and figures in the article. Z was responsible for the typesetting of the article.All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Correspondence to Haotian Wu.

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Shan, R., Wu, H., Sun, P. et al. Analysis of the mechanism and effects of advanced pipes support in roadways. Sci Rep 15, 15230 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00035-0

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Received: 09 December 2024

Accepted: 24 April 2025

Published: 30 April 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00035-0

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