Abstract
For a tunnel boring machine (TBM), the cutter rock-breaking effect and mechanism are key components of the machine design and construction. Each cutter on the TBM cutterhead is affected by adjacent cutters and exhibits different rock-breaking effects under different rock-breaking sequences. Considering the influence of two adjacent cutters, the target cutter has three rock-breaking sequences, A–C, for which the target cutter cuts as the second, first, or last tool, respectively. Most previous studies considered the sequential rock-breaking method, i.e., sequence A, and ignored jumping rock-breaking, i.e., sequences B and C. To quantify the obvious differences in rock-breaking effects between jumping and sequential rock-breaking, and to analyze the jumping rock-breaking mechanism itself, a series of special experiments was performed in this work. The experiment results show that, in terms of the rock-breaking force and boreability index values, the order is sequence B > A > C. For the specific energy, when the penetration is greater than the optimal penetration of the sequence C, the order is sequence B < A < C. These differences in rock-breaking effects can be reasonably explained from the perspective of pre-damage using the crack development method. As jumping rock-breaking constitutes a considerable proportion of the TBM cutter operation, consideration of this mechanism with its unique rock-breaking characteristics provides new directions for fine-tuning the design of TBM cutterheads and selection of TBM construction parameters.
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to Professor Gong Qiuming and Professor Yin Lijun from Beijing University of Technology for their guidance on the experiment.
Funding
This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51739007), the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scientists Fund (No.: 51922067), the Taishan Scholars Program of Shandong Province of China (tsqn201909003), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (No. 51879151).
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Hu, M., Zhang, B., Li, B. et al. TBM-cutter rock-breaking effect and mechanism considering different cutting sequences. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 102 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02576-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02576-4