Pipe beam roof is a supporting and shielding system primarily used for tunneling through under railways without interrupting railway services. The pipe beam roof is formed by connecting the pipes over the full length with the interlocking joints after driving them horizontally below rails. By these joints, loads are distributed to adjacent pipes, and the rigidity of this structure is fairly improved for the moving train.
In this study, theoretical investigations are made on the load distribution by joint in order to propose a design method for the structure. The governing paramaters as well as their numerical range corresponding to real structures are presented for the load distribution. Then, within this range, the effect of these parameters are examined in detail.