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Free-face-Assisted Rock Breaking Method Based on the Multi-stage Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Cutterhead

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Abstract

In order to improve the rock breaking efficiency of hard rock tunnel boring, many innovative rock breaking methods have been proposed (e.g., the water jet cutting, the high-power laser cutting, the impact-rotary drilling, and the undercutting method). However, most of the methods are not applicable to TBMs due to some structural reasons. Aiming on this problem, a free-face-assisted rock breaking method based on the multi-stage TBM cutterhead has been proposed. Series of proof-of-concept tests includes (1) the static compression test with vertical free face and (2) the rotary cutting tests in different free surface conditions were designed and carried out. The results show that the rock breaking force and efficiency can be significantly reduced and improved, respectively, with the assistance of the free face, due to the failure of the rock close to the free face is tensile-dominated failure. The influencing distance of the free face in the radial direction is at least 330 mm which covers about 5 disk cutters. Finally, the general structure of a small two-stage cutterhead (4 m in diameter) was tentatively designed in order to provide a possible approach to apply the free-face effect to TBMs.

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Abbreviations

TBM:

Tunnel boring machine

UCS:

Uniaxial compressive strength

BTS:

Brazilian tensile strength

RPM:

Revolutions per minute

PR:

Penetration rate per revolution

PD:

Penetration depth

RR:

Rotary radius

CCS:

Constant cross section

PID:

Particle flow impact drilling

SE:

Specific energy

FPI:

Field penetration index

SER:

Specific excavation rate

V:

Rock debris volume

l:

Cutting distance

RCM:

Rotary cutting machine

AE:

Acoustic emission

DS2-8B:

The product ID of the applied AE system

BSTST:

Beijing Softland Times Scientific & Technology Co.Ltd

CSM:

Colorado school of mines

CMM:

Continuous mining machine

TBE:

Tunnel boring extender

H 1 :

Height of the outer free face

H 2 :

Height of the inner free face

S 1 :

Spacing from the outer penetration point to the outer free face

S 2 :

Spacing from the inner penetration point to the inner free face

d 1 :

Distance from first sensor to the wave source

d i :

Distance from (i)th sensor to the wave source

Δt 1i :

The difference of the time when the first and the (i)th sensors capture the wave

V P :

The transmission speed of the sound wave in the rock

(x e, y e, z e):

The coordinates of the sound wave source

(x 1, y 1, z 1):

The coordinates of the first sensor

(x i , y i , z i ):

The coordinates of the (i)th sensor

e :

The overall error

FN :

Normal force

FR :

Rolling force

θ :

The included angle between the upper and the broken surface

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (the 973 program) (Granted No. 2013CB035402).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Qi Geng, Zhengying Wei & Hao Meng

  2. Department of Civil and Transport Engineering, NTNU, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Qi Geng, Francisco Javier Macias & Amund Bruland

  3. SINTEF Building and Infrastructure, Rock and Soil Engineering, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Francisco Javier Macias

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  1. Qi Geng
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  2. Zhengying Wei
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  4. Francisco Javier Macias
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Correspondence to Qi Geng.

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Geng, Q., Wei, Z., Meng, H. et al. Free-face-Assisted Rock Breaking Method Based on the Multi-stage Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Cutterhead. Rock Mech Rock Eng 49, 4459–4472 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-016-1053-6

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