Abstract: In water conservancy projects using cellular diaphragm walls, changes in the structural stress mode may induce tensile effects in the joint region.However, systematic researches on the tensile performance of cross steel plate joints remains relatively limited.In this study, using the Fuchi ship lock as a case study, a 1 ∶3 scaled model test was carried out to thoroughly investigate the tensile bearing capacity and failure mechanisms of single and double cross joints in grid-connected walls.The test results indicate that during the tensile process, the strain in the steel plates and reinforcement bars of both single and double cross steel plate joint specimens increases with the applied load, with no yielding observed prior to specimen failure.Moreover, both specimens exhibit similar crack development patterns during tensile failure, with cracks distributed in a bulge-shaped pattern around the joint.The ultimate tensile capacities of the single and double cross steel plate joint specimens are 100 kN and 162 kN, respectively.Based on the stress mechanism and failure mode analyses, a formula for calculating the ultimate tensile bearing capacity of cross steel plate joints in grid-connected walls is proposed.The comparison between the calculated results and the experimental values shows an error of less than 5%, indicating high reliability.