Abstract:Excavation and support of pipe trenches are the common issue in municipal pipeline engineering, which is not only the key and difficult point of the project, but also an important component that affects the engineering cost. Taking the deep and weak soil, fully/strongly weathered rock layers, medium thick sand or pebble permeable layers, and underground unclear important pipelines as the examples, the difficulties of pipe trench excavation and support under complex geological conditions are discussed. For the above-mentioned strata, the methods such as foundation grouting treatment and design of long and short support piles, new retaining plate support or backfilling after drilling and then inserting steel sheet piles, underwater concrete bottom sealing combined with external dewatering of the foundation pit, reverse excavation support or forced pipe jacking can effectively solve the technical problems such as high cost of pipe trench support in deep and weak soil sites, difficulty in pressing piles in fully/strongly weathered rock layers, difficulty for construction when water inrush at the bottom of pits in medium thick sand or pebble permeable layers, and inability to drive piles in advance under unknown important underground pipeline conditions, thus ensuring the pipeline laying under complex geological conditions.