• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.265-280
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• 2021

Population density due to urbanization is making people interested in underground space development and much interest in TBM construction with low vibration and noise. This led to a lot of research on TBM. However, research on the characteristics of the cutterhead opening of the TBM equipment being occluded under the ground conditions under which it is excavated is insufficient. Accordingly, a study was conducted to investigate clogging of the cutterhead opening during the shield TBM rolling. To identify the clogging of cutterhead openings in SHIELD TBM equipment, the reduced model experiment was divided into clay rate (10%, 30%, 50%, 60%), cutterhead opening rate (30%, 50%, 60%), and cutterhead rotation direction (one-way, two-way) and rotational speed (3 RPM) and conducted in 36 cases. Results of scale model test on shield TBM clogging, it was analyzed that the ground condition containing clay soil increased the clogging effect in both directions than the unidirectional rotation, and that the lower the rotational speed of the cutterhead, the less the clogging effect. Accordingly, the direction of cutterhead rotation, rotational speed and opening rate are calculated by taking into account ground conditions during ground excavation, the clogging effect can be reduced. It is believed to be effective in saving air as the clogging effect is reduced. Therefore, this study is expected to be an important material for domestic use of shield TBM.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.689-698
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• 2019

In tunnel excavation by TBMs, a cutterhead, which practically excavates the ground, is an important part directly affecting net penetration rate. Most of the researches on the cutterhead design that have been carried out until now are on the cutter arrangement. It is difficult to find a study for the effect of the scraper installation direction on TBM excavation although same cutterheads except for direction of the scraper are used in Korea. Therefore, this paper shows how the direction of scraper installation affects shield-TBM excavation. Discrete element method was used to identify the effect of scraper installation direction on shield-TBM excavation. When the scraper installation direction was outward, the amount of particles per unit time flowed into the cutter head opening was smaller than when the scraper installation direction was inward, and more loads were applied to the cutterhead.