Design Theory of Full Face Rock Tunnel Boring Machine Transition Cutter Edge Angle and Its Application

At present, the inner cutters of a full face rock tunnel boring machine (TBM) and transition cutter edge angles are designed on the basis of indentation test or linear grooving test. The inner and outer edge angles of disc cutters are characterized as symmetric to each other with respect to the cutter edge plane. This design has some practical defects, such as severe eccentric wear and tipping, etc. In this paper, the current design theory of disc cutter edge angle is analyzed, and the characteristics of the rock-breaking movement of disc cutters are studied. The researching results show that the rotational motion of disc cutters with the cutterhead gives rise to the difference between the interactions of inner rock and outer rock with the contact area of disc cutters, with shearing and extrusion on the inner rock and attrition on the outer rock. The wear of disc cutters at the contact area is unbalanced, among which the wear in the largest normal stress area is most apparent. Therefore, a three-dimensional model theory of rock breaking and an edge angle design theory of transition disc cutter are proposed to overcome the flaws of the currently used TBM cutter heads, such as short life span, camber wearing, tipping. And a corresponding equation is established. With reference to a specific construction case, the edge angle of the transition disc cutter has been designed based on the theory. The application of TBM in some practical project proves that the theory has obvious advantages in enhancing disc cutter life, decreasing replacement frequency, and making economic benefits. The proposed research provides a theoretical basis for the design of TBM three-dimensional disc cutters whose rock-breaking operation time can be effectively increased.

Wear Analysis of Disc Cutters of Full Face Rock Tunnel Boring Machine

Wear is a major factor of disc cutters’ failure. No current theory offers a standard for the prediction of disc cutter wear yet. In the field the wear prediction method commonly used is based on the excavation length of tunnel boring machine（TBM） to predict the disc cutter wear and its wear law, considering the location number of each disc cutter on the cutterhead（radius for installation）; in theory, there is a prediction method of using arc wear coefficient. However, the preceding two methods have their own errors, with their accuracy being 40% or so and largely relying on the technicians’ experience. Therefore, radial wear coefficient, axial wear coefficient and trajectory wear coefficient are defined on the basis of the operating characteristics of TBM. With reference to the installation and characteristics of disc cutters, those coefficients are modified according to penetration, which gives rise to the presentation of comprehensive axial wear coefficient, comprehensive radial wear coefficient and comprehensive trajectory wear coefficient. Calculation and determination of wear coefficients are made with consideration of data from a segment of TBM project（excavation length 173 m）. The resulting wear coefficient values, after modification, are adopted to predict the disc cutter wear in the follow-up segment of the TBM project（excavation length of 5621 m）. The prediction results show that the disc cutter wear predicted with comprehensive radial wear coefficient and comprehensive trajectory wear coefficient are not only accurate（accuracy 16.12%） but also highly congruous, whereas there is a larger deviation in the prediction with comprehensive axial wear coefficient（accuracy 41%, which is in agreement with the prediction of disc cutters’ life in the field）. This paper puts forth a new method concerning prediction of life span and wear of TBM disc cutters as well as timing for replacing disc cutters.

Theoretical prediction of wear of disc cutters in tunnel boring machine and its application

Predicting the cutter consumption and the exact time to replace the worn-out cutters in tunneling projects constructed with tunnel boring machine(TBM) is always a challenging issue. In this paper, we focus on the analyses of cutter motion in the rock breaking process and trajectory of rock breaking point on the cutter edge in rocks. The analytical expressions of the length of face along which the breaking point moves and the length of spiral trajectory of the maximum penetration point are derived. Through observation of rock breaking process of disc cutters as well as analysis of disc rock interaction, the following concepts are proposed: the arc length theory of predicting wear extent of inner and center cutters, and the spiral theory of predicting wear extent of gage and transition cutters. Data obtained from5621 m-long Qinling tunnel reveal that among 39 disc cutters, the relative errors between cumulatively predicted and measured wear values for nine cutters are larger than 20%, while approximately 76.9% of total cutters have the relative errors less than 20%. The proposed method could offer a new attempt to predict the disc cutter's wear extent and changing time.

Differentiation and analysis on rock breaking characteristics of TBM disc cutter at different rock temperatures

In order to study rock breaking characteristics of tunnel boring machine(TBM) disc cutter at different rock temperatures,thermodynamic rock breaking mathematical model of TBM disc cutter was established on the basis of rock temperature change by using particle flow code theory and the influence law of interaction mechanism between disc cutter and rock was also numerically simulated.Furthermore,by using the linear cutting experiment platform,rock breaking process of TBM disc cutter at different rock temperatures was well verified by the experiments.Finally,rock breaking characteristics of TBM disc cutter were differentiated and analyzed from microscale perspective.The results indicate the follows.1) When rock temperature increases,the mechanical properties of rock such as hardness,and strength,were greatly reduced,simultaneously the microcracks rapidly grow with the cracks number increasing,which leads to rock breaking load decreasing and improves rock breaking efficiency for TBM disc cutter.2) The higher the rock temperature,the lower the rock internal stress.The stress distribution rules coincide with the Buzin Neske stress circle rules: the maximum stress value is below the cutting edge region and then gradually decreases radiant around; stress distribution is symmetrical and the total stress of rock becomes smaller.3) The higher the rock temperature is,the more the numbers of micro,tensile and shear cracks produced are by rock as well as the easier the rock intrusion,along with shear failure mode mainly showing.4) With rock temperature increasing,the resistance intrusive coefficients of rock and intrusion power decrease obviously,so the specific energy consumption that TBM disc cutter achieves leaping broken also decreases subsequently.5) The acoustic emission frequency remarkably increases along with the temperature increasing,which improves the rock breaking efficiency.

Numerical and experimental investigation of rock breaking method under free surface by TBM disc cutter

To study the rock breaking method under the free surface induced by disc cutter,the rock breaking simulations were first conducted based on the discrete element method,and the dynamic process of rock breaking under the free surface was studied including stressed zone,crush zone,crack initiation and propagation.Then the crack propagation conditions,specific energy,etc.under different free surface distance(S)were also investigated combined with linear cutting experiments.The results show that the rock breaking process under the free surface induced by disc cutter is dominated by tension failure mode.There exists a critical S to promote crack propagation to free surface effectively.And this rock breaking method can improve the rock breaking force and breaking efficiency significantly when proper.

Multi-degree-of-freedom coupling dynamic characteristic of TBM disc cutter under shock excitation

When the tunneling boring machine(TBM) cutterhead tunnels, the excessive vibration and damage are a severe engineering problem, thereby the anti-vibration design is a key technology in the disc cutter system. The structure of disc cutter contains many joint interfaces among cutter ring, cutter body, bearings and cutter shaft. On account of the coupling for dynamic contact and the transfer path among joint interface, mechanical behavior of disc cutter becomes extremely complex under the impact of heavy-duty, which puts forward higher requirements for disc cutter design. A multi-degree-of-freedom coupling dynamic model, which contains a cutter ring, a cutter body, two bearings and cutter shaft, is established, considering the external stochastic excitations, bearing nonlinear contact force, multidirectional mutual coupling vibration, etc. Based on the parameters of an actual project and the strong impact external excitations, the modal properties and dynamic responses are analyzed, as well as the cutter shaft and bearings' loads and load transmission law are obtained. Numerical results indicate the maximum radial and axial cutter ring amplitudes of dynamic responses are 0.568 mm and 0.112 mm; the maximum radial and axial vibration velocities are 41.1 mm/s and 38.9 mm/s; the maximum radial and axial vibration accelerations are 94.7 m/s2 and 58.6 m/s2; the maximum swing angle and angular velocity of cutter ring are 0.007° and 0.0074 rad/s, respectively. Finally, the maximum load of bearing roller is 40.3 k N. The proposed research lays a foundation for structure optimization design of disc cutter and cutter base, as well as model selection, modification and fatigue life of the cutter bearing.

Side force formation mechanism and change law of TBM center cutter

The center cutter of a hard rock tunnel boring machine(TBM) is installed on the cutterhead at a small radius and thus bears complex side force.Given this fact,the formation mechanism and change law of the side force suffered by the center cutter were studied.Based on the rock shear failure criterion in combination with the lateral rolling width,a model for predicting the average side force was set up.Besides,a numerical analysis model of the rock fragmentation of the center cutter was established,and the instantaneous load changing features were investigated.Results shows that the inner side of the center cutter can form lateral rolling annulus in rock during the rotary cutting process.The smaller the installation radius is,the greater the cutter side force will be.In a working condition,the side force of the innermost center cutter is 11.66 k N,while it decreases sharply when installation radius increases.Variation tends to be gentle when installation radius is larger than 500 mm,and the side force of the outermost center cutter is reduced to 0.74 k N.

Geological adaptability matching design of disc cutter using multicriteria decision making approaches

Geological adaptability matching design of a disc cutter is the prerequisite of cutter head design for tunnel boring machines(TBMs)and plays an important role in improving the tunneling efficiency of TBMs.The main purpose of the cutter matching design is to evaluate the cutter performance and select the appropriate cutter size.In this paper,a novel evaluation method based on multicriteria decision making(MCDM)techniques was developed to help TBM designers in the process of determining the cutter size.The analytic hierarchy process(AHP)and matter element analysis were applied to obtaining the weights of the cutter evaluation criteria,and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution(TOPSIS)approaches were employed to determine the ranking of the cutters.A case application was offered to illustrate and validate the proposed method.The results of the project case demonstrate that this method is reasonable and feasible for disc cutter size selection in cutter head design.

TBM Disc Cutter Model Based on Admissible Energy Principles

Disc cutters are the most critical tool for excavation by tunnel boring machine(TBM). Based on the energy conservation law, finite-element modeling, and elastic–plastic continuum theory for tunneling by TBM, the interaction between disc cutters and rock mass was examined. First, the disc cutter motion was studied to establish the disc cutter strain equations as a function oftime. Second, by using elastic–plastic theory, a rock strain model was constructed. Finally, a three-directional force model with time-varying characteristics was established for disc cutters during rock breaking. The model was applied to the Qinling Mountains Tunnel of the Lan-Yu Railway. Model cutterhead thrust and torque values were found in good agreement with actual data. In brief, the model can be used to predict the TBM performance and examine the mechanism ofrock breaking.

Influence of confining stress on fracture characteristics and cutting efficiency of TBM cutters conducted on soft and hard rock

Combined with numerical simulation, the influence of confining stress on cutting process, fracture conditions and cutting efficiencies of soft and hard rock has been conducted on the triaxial testing machine(TRW-3000) designed and manufactured in Central South University(China). Results are obtained by performing analysis on the fracture scopes of cement and granite plates,the characteristics of cutting force in cutting processes and the cutting efficiency. Firstly, the increase of latitude fracture scope and the decrease of longitude fracture scope are both more notable in the tests conducted on cement plates subjected to the increasing confining stresses; secondly, the increase tendency of peak penetration forces obtained from tests conducted on granite plates is more obvious, however, the increase tendencies of average penetration forces achieved from cement and granite plates are close to each other; thirdly, the cutting efficiency could be improved by increasing the spacing between cutters when the confining stress which acts on soft and hard rock increases in a certain degree, and the cutting efficiency of soft rock is more sensitive to the varying confining stresses.

Rock fragmentation under different installation polar angles of TBM disc cutters

The disc cutters of tunnel boring machine(TBM) are installed with different polar angles. This causes the cutting depth difference between adjacent disc cutters on the tunnel face. A rock-cutting model was established to study the rock fragmentation law between adjacent disc cutters with different polar angles based on particle flow code(PFC). The influence of polar angle of adjacent disc cutters on rock cracks and stresses under different cutter spacing and penetration was studied. Research shows that polar angle difference leads to the discontinuity of rock-fragmentation process by adjacent cutters. The effect of rock-fragmentation is influenced by the cutting depth difference between adjacent cutters. The effect of rock-fragmentation performed best, meanwhile large rock blocks were flaked when the difference of cutting depth is half of the penetration. Too large or small difference of the cutting depth will cause high specific energy consumption of rock fragmentation. The specific energy consumption is relatively small when the difference of cutting depth is half of the penetration.

Effects of discontinuities on penetration of TBM cutters

Based on the triaxial testing machine and discrete element method, the effects of embedded crack on rock fragmentation are investigated in laboratory tests and a series of numerical investigations are conducted on the effects of discontinuities on cutting characteristics and cutting efficiency. In laboratory tests, five propagation patterns of radial cracks are observed. And in the numerical tests, firstly, it is similar to laboratory tests that cracks ahead of cutters mainly initiate from the crushed zone, and some minor cracks will initiate from joints. The cracks initiating from crushed zones will run through the thinner joints while they will be held back by thick joints. Cracks tend to propagate towards the tips of embedded cracks, and minor cracks will initiate from the tips of embedded cracks, which may result in the decrease of specific area, and disturbing layers play as ‘screens', which will prevent cracks from developing greatly. The peak penetration forces, the consumed energy in the penetration process and the uniaxial compression strength will decrease with the increase of discontinuities. The existence of discontinuities will result in the decrease of the cutting efficiency when the spacing between cutters is 70 mm. Some modifications should be made to improve the efficiency when the rocks containing groups of discontinuities are encountered.

Thrust and Torque Characteristics Based on a New cutter-head Load Model

Full face rock tunnel boring machine（TBM） has been widely used in hard rock tunnels, however, there are few published theory about cutter-head design, and the design criteria of cutter-head under complex geological is not clear yet. To deal with the complex relationship among geological parameters, cutter parameters, and operating parameters during tunneling processes, a cutter-head load model is established by using CSM（Colorado school of mines） prediction model. Force distribution on cutter-head under a certain geology is calculated with the new established load model, and result shows that inner cutters bear more force than outer cutters, combining with disc cutters abrasion; a general principle of disc cutters＇ layout design is proposed. Within the model, the relationship among rock uniaxial compressive strength（UCS）, penetration and thrust on cutter-head are analyzed, and the results shows that with increasing penetration, cutter thrust increases, but the growth rate slows and higher penetration makes lower special energy（SE）. Finally, a fitting mathematical model of ZT（ratio of cutter-head torque and thrust） and penetration is established, and verified by TB880 E, which can be used to direct how to set thrust and torque on cutter-head. When penetration is small, the cutter-head thrust is the main limiting factor in tunneling; when the penetration is large, cutter-head torque is the major limiting factor in tunneling. Based on the new cutter-head load model, thrust and torque characteristics of TBM further are researched and a new way for cutter-head layout design and TBM tunneling operations is proposed.

预切缝位置及深度对SBM滚刀破岩的影响

利用水射流对岩体进行预切缝是提高竖井全断面掘进机破岩效率、实现深部资源机械化开发的关键技术。针对预切缝位置及深度合理参数选取的难题,首先指出了锥面刀盘带动下滚刀破岩的工况特征,进而基于Cohesive单元方法,建立了预切缝条件下的滚刀破岩离散-连续耦合数值模型。以完整岩体为对照组,对比分析了不同预切缝距离和深度对滚刀破岩的受力特征和岩石破碎特征的影响规律。阐述了预切缝条件下,滚刀破岩时密实核形成、块状岩渣形成、Hertz裂纹扩展3个阶段性特征,指出了岩体的非对称破碎特性和不同区域岩渣的形成机制。最终从滚刀受力、破岩面积、破岩比能耗、岩渣破碎程度4个方面综合分析,确定了预切缝的最佳距离和深度取值范围。研究结果表明:预切缝可以显著减小竖井全断面掘进机滚刀破岩过程中的贯入力和侧向力。与完整岩体相比,贯入力峰值降低了44.0%~10.3%。侧向力峰值降低了35.2%~6.5%。预切缝间距及深度较小时,会限制滚刀破岩范围,同时使得破碎岩体块度更小,导致破岩比能耗增高。随着预切缝深度的增大,破岩体积先增大后趋于稳定,比能耗先减小后保持不变。最终,确定了切缝距离为70~90 mm,深度为60~80 mm时破岩效果最佳,破岩体积较无切缝时提高约1倍,破岩比能耗降低69.2%。研究结果为刀盘辅助破岩装备的设计及参数确定提供了参考。

表面应变重构的视觉识别方法

针对全断面岩石隧道掘进机刀盘在恶劣工况下的应变监测,本文提出了一种表面应变重构的视觉识别方法。通过图像中圆形标距中心点之间像素点数量的变化,得到标距的实际变形,并在此基础上结合柯西-格林公式进行表面应力重构。本文以隧道掘进机刀盘刀座和筋板2个关键位置为研究对象,设计了4330V和Q345-D共2种材料不同尺寸标准样件,搭建了基于视觉识别和基于应变片的2套测量系统,进行了拉伸载荷作用下的应变对比及样件表面应力重构。研究表明:本文基于视觉识别方法测得的2种材料标准件变形的误差范围为1.28%~3.23%,在此基础上,进行的材料表面应力重构的误差范围为2.20%~4.76%。本文方法可以实现变形的准确测量及实现多方向的应变和变形重构,为实现复杂结构的应变和变形测量奠定了坚实基础。

高放废物处置坑小直径盲井掘进机预选刀具破岩性能对比分析

盲井掘进机是处置坑开挖的常用设备,刀具的合理设计与布置是其高效掘进的关键。北京工业大学TBM与盾构课题组针对北山高放废物处置坑小直径盲井掘进机预选了11英寸(279 mm)双排锥齿滚刀和双排镐齿滚刀两种刀型。本研究应用两种预选刀型对北山花岗岩试样进行线性切割破岩试验,对比分析两种刀型的滚刀力、破岩比能、岩片分布、振动特征和岩下损伤特性等指标。试验结果表明:锥齿滚刀在相同贯入度下的破岩法向力和振动强度小于镐齿滚刀,锥齿滚刀破岩效率整体上更高,并且锥齿滚刀破岩产生的贯通裂纹发育也更为显著。综合比较分析认为锥齿滚刀破岩性能更优,推荐采用预选的双排锥齿滚刀进行北山处置坑小直径盲井掘进机刀盘布置。本研究还可为盲井掘进机刀盘与推进系统设计及施工运行参数优化提供参考。

TBM窄刃刀与标准刀现场性能对比测试与分析

极硬岩条件下如何进行刀具选型,使TBM掘进速度和刀具消耗取得综合效益,是有待解决的具有争议性的问题。为此,依托新疆YE工程现场TBM实际掘进,在岩石单轴抗压强度为100~150 MPa的完整Ⅱ类凝灰岩条件下,对比测试刀盘主要区域窄刃刀和标准刀的掘进性能表现以及刀具消耗情况,探索降低滚刀刀圈刃宽,提升TBM贯入度和掘进速度的可行性与合理性。结果表明:1)使用窄刃刀破岩对贯入度和施工速度有着较为明显的提升,且随着围岩抗压强度的增加,窄刃刀对掘进速度的提升效果明显;2)与标准刀相比,窄刃刀消耗数量也有较大增加,但2种滚刀的失效形式占比情况大致相同,对TBM作业利用率影响极小;3)经综合成本估算,窄刃刀通过提升施工速度节省的成本远高于刀具消耗增加的成本。

TBM换刀机器人新型刀具系统设计分析

为解决TBM掘进过程中传统滚刀换刀周期长、安全隐患大等问题,研制一种可用于机器人更换滚刀的新型刀具系统并对其进行动力学分析。采用牛顿第二定律和集中质量参数法建立新型刀具系统的动力学微分方程,并利用Newmark数值方法进行求解,分析系统各构件响应规律;设计并开展新型刀具系统缩尺样件振动试验,验证新型刀具系统在实际破岩时的动力学行为,进行基于实测载荷的系统动态响应分析。研究结果表明:1)滚刀的理论与试验垂向振动位移均值相对误差为9.99%,刀箱的理论与试验垂向振动位移均值相对误差为5.18%,验证了所建立的系统垂向动力学模型的正确性;2)实际载荷下系统振动均方根值和幅值最大值分别为0.230 mm和0.7003 mm,为预测系统在实际破岩时的动力学行为提供理论依据。

典型地层下TBM滚刀刀座系统振动特性实验研究

在全断面硬岩隧道掘进机(tunnel boring machine,TBM)滚刀破岩过程中,强冲击载荷下产生的切削应力通过刀座系统传递至刀盘,引起刀座系统剧烈振动,造成螺栓松动断裂甚至滚刀掉落等严重的工程问题。为此,通过开展破岩实验来研究TBM滚刀刀座系统的振动特性。利用多功能刀具切削性能测试实验台开展TBM滚刀切削红砂岩和花岗岩的实验,并采集滚刀破岩过程中的三向载荷和刀轴振动加速度数据。通过对比分析红砂岩和花岗岩地层下滚刀破岩的载荷—时间历程曲线,得到破岩过程中滚刀刀座系统载荷的动态变化特性,以及不同地层下滚刀刀轴的振动响应特性。研究结果可为TBM滚刀刀座系统的减振设计提供理论依据。

激光间歇钻孔辅助TBM滚刀侵入花岗岩试验研究

针对隧道掘进机(TBM)掘进高承载压力、高强度、高石英含量等极端地层时盘型滚刀(简称滚刀)磨损严重导致其综合切削性能低下等问题,提出一种激光辅助破岩模式用于提高滚刀破岩效率;并以激光间歇钻孔辅助缩尺滚刀侵入花岗岩为例,设置测试组(预制激光孔)与对照组(无预制激光孔),进行给定孔-孔距为2 mm时不同刀-孔距的滚刀侵入岩石试验。通过对比2组中岩石的宏观碎裂、岩石碎裂负荷和比能(E_(SE))分析岩屑质量、破碎过程中滚刀所受垂直力以及耗能情况,讨论该方法的可行性和有效性。结果表明:1)破岩量随着刀-孔距的增大呈现出先增加后减小的趋势,在刀-孔距为5 mm时破岩量最大;2)在侵入深度为3 mm时,垂直力随着刀-孔距增加大致呈现出先减小后增大的趋势,在刀-孔距大于5 mm后,滚刀垂直力变化不大;3)E_(SE)随着刀-孔距的增加出现先下降后上升的趋势,其中刀-孔距为5 mm时E_(SE)最低。