Abstract
Construction of urban tunnels using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) is often favored over drilling-and-blasting based excavation method. Often, TBMs are customized and re-used in fields. However, little effort has been made to verify the status quo of the reused TBM prior to its placement, and no apparatus or method is available to examine the excavation performance of whole, assembled TBMs. Therefore, we present a newly developed apparatus which can examine the excavation performance of small cross-section TBMs with the cutterhead diameter of ∼3.5 m at full scale. The equipment was verified with a rock-like concrete specimen, in which the excavation of TBM was examined while varying the thrust and cutterhead rotational speed. The test results reveal the positive impact of thrust on the penetration rate (PR) and penetration depth (Pe), as well as a linear relationship between PR and the cutterhead speed. This proves that the presented full-scale TBM excavation testing method is capable to produce reliable and remarkably consistent results. The presented full-scale excavation testing method can be used to examine the functionality of a TBM of interest and further explore the effect of different ground conditions, such as rock strength, joints, and weathering, and the effect of different cutterhead design, including the number of cutters, cutter shape, and cutter location.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acaroglu O, Ozdemir L, Asbury B (2008) A fuzzy logic model to predict specific energy requirement for TBM performance prediction. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 23(5):600–608, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2007.11.003
Balci C (2009) Correlation of rock cutting tests with field performance of a TBM in a highly fractured rock formation: A case study in Kozyatagi-Kadikoy metro tunnel, Turkey. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 24(4):423–435, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2008.12.001
Bruland A (1998) Hard rock tunnel boring — Drillability test methods. PhD Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Cho JW, Jeon S, Jeong HY, Chang SH (2013) Evaluation of cutting efficiency during TBM disc cutter excavation within a Korean granitic rock using linear-cutting-machine testing and photogrammetric measurement. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 35(1):37–54, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2012.08.006
Choi JI, Lee SW (2010) Influence of existing tunnel on mechanical behavior of new tunnel. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering 14(9):773–783, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-010-1013-8
Elbaz K, Shen SL, Sun WJ, Yin ZY, Zhou A (2020) Prediction model of shield performance during tunneling via incorporating improved particle swarm optimization into ANFIS. IEEE Access 8(1):39659–39671, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2974058
Elbaz K, Shen SL, Zhou A, Yuan DJ, Xu YS (2019) Optimization of EPB shield performance with adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system and genetic algorithm. Applied Sciences 9(4):780–796, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app9040780
Entacher M, Schuller E (2018) Angular dependence of rock cutting forces due to foliation. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 71(1):215–222, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2017.08.009
Farrokh E (2020) A study of various models used in the estimation of advance rates for hard rock TBMs. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 97(1):103219, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2019.103219
Festa D, Broere W, Bosch JW (2012) An investigation into the forces acting on a TBM during driving — Mining the TBM logged data. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 32(1):143–157, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2012.06.006
Gao MY, Zhang N, Shen SL, Zhou A (2020) Real-time dynamic regulation of earth pressure for shield tunneling using GRU deep learning method. IEEE Access 8(1):64310–64323
Geng Q, Wei Z, Meng H, Macias FJ (2016) Mechanical performance of TBM cutterhead in mixed rock ground conditions. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 57(1):76–84, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2016.02.012
Gong QM, Zhao J (2007) Influence of rock brittleness on TBM penetration rate in Singapore granite. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 22(3):317–324, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2006.07.004
Gong QM, Jiao YY, Zhao J (2006) Numerical modelling of the effects of joint spacing on rock fragmentation by TBM cutters. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 21(1):46–55, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2005.06.004
Gong QM, Zhao J, Jiang YS (2007) In situ TBM penetration tests and rock mass boreability analysis in hard rock tunnels. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 22(3):303–316, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2006.07.003
Jain P, Naithani AK, Singh TN (2016) Estimation of the performance of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) using uniaxial compressive strength and rock mass rating classification (RMR) — A case study from the Deccan traps, India. Journal of the Geological Society of India 87(2):145–152, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-016-0382-0
Jing LJ, Li JB, Yang C, Chen S, Zhang N, Peng XX (2019) A case study of TBM performance prediction using field tunnelling tests in limestone strata. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 83(1):364–372, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2018.10.001
Jung HS, Choi JM, Chun BS, Park JS, Lee YJ (2011) Causes of reduction in shield TBM performance — A case study in Seoul. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 26(3):453–461, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2011.01.001
Kong SM, Jung HS, Lee YJ (2017) Investigation of ground behaviour adjacent to an embedded pile according to various tunnel volume losses. International Journal of Geo-Engineering 8(1):1–15, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40703-017-0043-1
Liu Q, Huang X, Gong Q, Du L, Pan Y, Liu J (2016) Application and development of hard rock TBM and its prospect in China. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 57(1):33–46, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2016.01.034
Pan Y, Liu Q, Kong X, Liu J, Peng X, Liu Q (2019) Full-scale linear cutting test in Chongqing Sandstone and the comparison with field TBM excavation performance. Acta Geotechnica 14(4):1249–1268, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-018-0702-1
Pan Y, Liu Q, Peng X, Kong X, Liu J, Zhang X (2018) Full-scale rotary cutting test to study the influence of disc cutter installment radius on rock cutting forces. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 51(7): 2223–2236, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1460-y
Peng X, Liu Q, Pan Y, Lei G, Wei L, Luo C (2018) Study on the influence of different control modes on TBM disc cutter performance by rotary cutting tests. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 51(3):961–967, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-017-1368-y
Phadke V, Titirmare N (2017) Construction of tunnels, by new austrian tunneling method (NATM) and by tunnel boring machine (TBM). International Journal of Civil Engineering (IJCE) 6(6):25–36
Qi G, Zhengying W, Hao M (2016) An experimental research on the rock cutting process of the gage cutters for rock tunnel boring machine (TBM). Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 52(1):82–191, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2015.12.008
Ramoni M, Anagnostou G (2010) Thrust force requirements for TBMs in squeezing ground. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 25(4):433–455, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2010.02.008
Rezaei AH, Shirzehhagh M, Golpasand MRB (2019) EPB tunneling in cohesionless soils: A study on tabriz metro settlements. Geomechanics and Engineering 19(2):153–165, DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/gae.2019.19.2.153
Rostami J (2008) Hard rock TBM cutterhead modeling for design and performance prediction. Geomechanik und Tunnelbau: Geomechanik und Tunnelbau 1(1):18–28, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/geot.200800002
Tumac D, Balci C (2015) Investigations into the cutting characteristics of CCS type disc cutters and the comparison between experimental, theoretical and empirical force estimations. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 45(1):84–98, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2014.09.009
Yagiz S (2008) Utilizing rock mass properties for predicting TBM performance in hard rock condition. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 23(3):326–339, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2007.04.011
Zhang X, Lin L, Xia Y, Tan Q, Zhu Z, Mao Q, Zhou M (2018) Experimental study on wear of TBM disc cutter rings with different kinds of hardness. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology 82(1):346–357, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2018.08.050
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank reviewers for providing valuable comments and suggestions. This research was supported by a grant (20SCIP-B105148-06) from the Construction Technology Research Program funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport of the Korean government and a grant funded by Korea Electric Power Corporation (Grant Number: R18SA04).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, GJ., Ryu, HH., Kwon, TH. et al. A Newly Developed State-of-the-Art Full-Scale Excavation Testing Apparatus for Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). KSCE J Civ Eng 25, 4856–4867 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-021-2347-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-021-2347-0