A study on the rock fracture mechanism of cutter penetration and the assessment system of TBM tunnelling procedure

Excavation by TBM can be characterized by a rock-machine interaction during the cutting process on a small scale, but on a large scale the interaction between the rock mass and TBM becomes very significant. For the planning and evaluation of TBM tunnelling it needs to understand rock fracture mechanism by a cutter or cutters on a small scale, and to estimate penetration rate, advance rate and utilization on a large scale. In this study rock chipping mechanism due to cutter-penetration is analysed by numerical simulation, showing that rock chipping is mainly occurred by tensile failure. Also, through the analysis of factors that affect on TBM procedures in various assessment systems, it is determined that the key elements that should be considered in the planning and evaluation of TBM tunnelling are classified into rock properties, the geological structures and properties of rock mass, and the structural and functional specifications of the machine. The user-friendly assessment tool is developed, so that penetration rate, advance rate and TBM utilization are evaluated from various input data. The tool developed in this study can be applied to a practical TBM tunnelling by understanding TBM tunnelling procedures.