• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.457-471
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• 2015

A domestic cutterhead with the diameter of 3.6 m was designed and manufactured in this study. Then, it was attached to an existing earth-pressure balanced shield TBM to excavate a cable tunnel with the length of 1,275 m. Especially, the procedures for TBM cutterhead design and its corresponding performance prediction were also summarized. From field data analyses of the refurbished shield TBM, its maximum advance rate was recorded as 14.4 m/day. Penetration depths of disc cutters were found to be approximately 4 mm/rev, which is equal to the maximum penetration depth designed for the strongest rock strength condition in the target tunnel. Every TBM operating thrust and cutter normal force during TBM driving was much smaller than their corresponding maximum capacities. When cutter acting forces recorded in the field were analyzed, their prediction errors by the CSM model were very high for weak rock conditions. In addition, rock strength showed very close relationships with cutter normal force and penetration depth.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.549-560
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• 2021

Forces exerted on a shield TBM (tunnel boring machine) such as cutter head torque, thrust force, chamber pressure, and upward force are key factors determining TBM performance. However, the forces acting on the TBM when tunnelling the mixed ground have different tendencies compared to that of the uniform ground, which could impair TBM performance. In this study, the effect of mixed ground tunnelling was numerically investigated with torque, thrust force, chamber pressure, and upward force. A coupled discrete element method (DEM) and finite difference method (FDM) model for TBM driving model was used. This numerical study simulates TBM tunnelling in mixed ground composed of upper weathered granite soil and lower weathered rock. The effect on the force acting on the TBM according to the location and slope of the boundary of the mixed ground was numerically examined.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.496-507
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• 2020

A prediction of the performance of EPB TBM is significant for improving the constructability of tunnels. Thus, various attempts to simulate TBM excavation by the numerical method have been made until these days. In this paper, to evaluate the performance of TBM with different operating conditions, a parametric study was carried out using coupled discrete element method (DEM) and finite difference method (FDM) EPB TBM driving model. The analysis was conducted by changing the penetration rate (0.5 and 1.0 mm/sec) and the rotational speed of screw conveyor (5, 15, and 25 rpm) while the rotation velocity of the cutter head kept constant at 2 rpm. The torque, thrust force, chamber pressure, and discharging with different TBM operating conditions were compared. The result of parametric study shows that the optimum driving condition can be determined by the coupled DEM-FDM numerical model.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.323-345
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• 2019

It is essential to predict ground conditions ahead of a tunnel face in order to successfully excavate tunnels using a shield TBM. This study proposes a forward prediction method for a mixed soil ground and/or a ground containing core stones by using electrical resistivity and induced polarization exploration. Soil conditioning in EPB shield TBM is dependent upon the composition of mixed soils; a special care need to be taken when excavating the core-stoned soil ground using TBM. The resistivity and chargeability are assumed to be measured with four electrodes at the tunnel face, whenever the excavation is stopped to assemble one ring of a segment lining. Firstly, the mixed ground consisting of weathered granite soil, sand, and clay was modeled in laboratory-scale experiments. Experimental results show that the measured electrical resistivity considerably coincides with the analytical solution. On the other hand, the induced polarization has either same or opposite trend with the measured resistivity depending on the mixed ground conditions. Based on these experimental results, a method to predict the mixed soil ground that can be used during TBM tunnel driving is suggested. Secondly, tunnel excavation from a homogeneous ground to a ground containing core stones was modeled in laboratory scale; the irregularity of the core stones contained in the soil layer was modeled through random number generation scheme. Experimental results show that as the TBM approaches the ground that contains core stones, the electrical resistivity increases and the induced polarization fluctuates.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.484-495
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• 2020

To numerically simulate the advance of EPB TBM, various type of numerical analysis methods have been adopted including discrete element method (DEM), finite element method (FEM), and finite difference method (FDM). In this paper, an EPB TBM driving model was proposed by using coupled DEM-FDM. In the numerical model, DEM was applied in the TBM excavation area, and contact properties of particles were calibrated by a series of triaxial tests. Since the ground around the excavation area was coupled with FDM, the horizontal stress considering the coefficient of earth pressure at rest could be applied. Also, the number of required particles was reduced and the efficiency of the analysis was increased. The proposed model can control the advance rate and rotational speed of the cutter head and screw conveyor, and derive the torque, thrust force, chamber pressure, and discharging during TBM tunnelling.