Abstract: The construction and operation time of salt cavern gas storages is short in China; compared with gas storages in salt dome-type formations constructed with mature technology in foreign countries, most of them are in complex layered rock salt formations. Some problems exist, such as low grade of salt deposit, multiple interlayers, and formation of irregular caverns, and higher requirements are proposed for the stability of salt caverns and the safety evaluation of storage operation. Using the large-scale experiment equipment for physical simulation, based on the similarity principle of rock mechanics, similar materials and models were developed to conduct the cyclic injection-production simulation of salt cavern gas storages, so as to study the laws of injection and production of salt cavern gas storages, the stress-strain characteristics around salt cavern and the deformation characteristics of salt cavern. The results show that during the experiment, the response of stress and strain around the cavern laggs behind the change of air pressure in the salt cavern. The stress around the cavern increases and the strain also increases consequently during gas production and depressurization, and stress concentration is more likely to occur in the cavern top position than in other parts, and the deformation at the waist and the maximum diameter of cavern is relatively large. In combination with numerical simulation research and field production test, the paper studies the stress and deformation characteristics of salt cavern and salt plug of JT salt cavern gas storage. Studies have shown that compressive stress is distributed in all stages of operation, stress concentration mainly occurs at the top and the middle of salt cavern, but there is no tensile stress, and no tensile stress damage and failure occurs. When the internal pressure is the smallest, around the salt cavern, the safety factor is above 1.5, and the safety factor is above 3 when the pressure is maximum; no dilatation damage and failure occurs in either state. The research results have an important guiding role in the design of operation schemes, stability evaluation, cavern damage assessment and disaster prevention for similar salt cavern gas storages in China.