• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.143-153
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• 2024

Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) method is a tunnel excavation method that produces lower levels of noise and vibration during excavation compared to drilling and blasting methods, and it offers higher stability. It is increasingly being applied to tunnel projects worldwide. The disc cutter is an excavation tool mounted on the cutterhead of a TBM, which constantly interacts with the ground at the tunnel face, inevitably leading to wear. In this study quantitatively predicted disc cutter wear using geological conditions, TBM operational parameters, and machine learning algorithms. Among the input variables for predicting disc cutter wear, the Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) is considerably limited compared to machine and wear data, so the UCS estimation for the entire section was first conducted using TBM machine data, and then the prediction of the Coefficient of Wearing rate(CW) was performed with the completed data. Comparing the performance of CW prediction models, the XGBoost model showed the highest performance, and SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) analysis was conducted to interpret the complex prediction model.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.357-371
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• 2023

In cable tunnel construction using TBM, the vertical shaft is an essential structure for entrance and exit of TBM equipment and power lines. Since a shaft penetrates the ground vertically, it often encounters rock mass. Blasting or rock splitting methods, which are mainly used to the rock excavation, cause public complaints due to the noise, vibration and road occupation. Therefore, mechanical excavation using vertical shaft excavation machine are considered as an alternative to the conventional methods. However, at the current level of technology, the vertical excavation machine has limitation in its performance when applied for high strength rock with a compressive strength of more than 120 MPa. In this study, the potential utilization of waterjet technology as an excavation assistance method was investigated to improve mechanical excavation performance in the hard rock formations. Rock cutting experiments were conducted to verify the cutting performance of the abrasive waterjet. Based on the experimental result, it was found that ensuring excavation performance with respect to changing in ground conditions can be achieved by adjusting waterjet parameters such as standoff distance, traverse speed and water pressure. In addition, based on the relationship between excavation performance, uniaxial compressive strength and RQD, it was suggested that excavation performance could be improved by artificially creating joints using the abrasive waterjet. It is expected that these research results can be utilized as fundamental data for the introduction of vertical shaft excavation machines in the future.