Segmental lining elements – Full scale test considering optimized force transmission. During excavation of a tunnel by means of shield tunnel boring machines, segmental lining elements provide stability for the excavated cavity and act as internal liner. Therefore, it is essential to have knowledge about their structural load-bearing capacity and performance under specific stress situations. After installation, the segmental lining element is exposed to a variation of loads from the surrounding rock mass. For the full-scale tests performed at the Montanuniversität Leoben, a combined force application was used to simulate a realistic loading of a segmental lining element. To simulate the normal forces resulting from the circular load carrying behavior in the cross-section, a force is applied in the horizontal direction at the beginning of the test. After reaching this load value, the vertical force is increased until failure of the element occurs, while the horizontal load is kept constant. Due to the specific segment geometry, a force in the vertical direction is also necessary simultaneously during the loading of the horizontal force in order to prevent buckling of the test specimen. The required force can be determined using a numerical simulation, or as an alternative, the vertical force can be determined in a simplified form by means of conventional static calculation, which is demonstrated in the present paper. Different considerations are shown and compared.