Abstract: Based on the sectional shield tunnels of metro in China, mechanical behavior of segment structure of shield tunnel under the different erection methods has been studied with geometric proportion of 1:12 through the simulated model tests of 3D ‘ground-shield tunnel’ in which joint effects of segments and mutual action effects between segments and ground are considered. And the conclusion that has been drawn through comparing the obtained results with the theoretical results based on ‘beam-spring’ model can be presented as the references for the designs for shield tunnels.