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Prediction Model of TBM Disc Cutter Wear During Tunnelling in Heterogeneous Ground

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Abstract

When shield tunnelling is constructed in complex geological conditions using a tunnel boring machine, the disc cutter in the cutterhead easily wears to the failure state, particularly when the ground conditions are heterogeneous. This paper summarises the failure modes of the disc cutter in heterogeneous ground conditions into three categories, based on the observed wear data from field: (1) uniform disc cutter wear, (2) non-uniform disc cutter wear, and (3) breakage of cutter ring. Subsequently, the stress state of a disc cutter in the heterogeneous ground was analysed and the effective factors were investigated. The relationships between friction energy during cutting, working status of the machine and the characteristics of the geological conditions were evaluated. Based on the stress analysis and friction energy, a prediction model was proposed. The proposed model was applied to two field case studies: pertaining to uniform and mixed-face ground conditions, for which the empirical coefficient k for energy transfer was also determined. The preliminary results from this research indicated that the proposed model was valid for both homogeneous and heterogeneous ground conditions. Further case studies provided by co-operators are expected to improve the effectiveness of the proposed model.

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Abbreviations

a, b, c :

Coefficient

a r :

Acceleration in radius direction of single disc cutter

CAI:

Cerchar Abrasivity Index

E f :

Rock excavation volume per cutter wear extent

f :

Friction force

F d :

Impact loading acting on the cutter ring

F n :

Thrust force of TBM

F r :

Normal reaction force

F t :

Rolling force induced by the cutterhead rotation

H 0 :

Basic average cutter ring life (h)

H h :

Average cutter ring life (h)

k :

Empirical coefficient between the friction energy and the cutter wear

k D :

Correction factor for TBM diameter with regard to cutter ring life

k N :

Correction factor of cutter amount

k Q :

Correction factor for abrasive minerals

k rpm :

Correction factor for varying cutterhead velocity

l :

Length of tunnel ring

n :

Rotation speed of cutterhead

n d :

Dynamic factor

N :

Number of data points

N r :

Amount of tunnel rings

N tbm :

Actual number of cutters

P r :

Contact pressure

q :

Predicted cutter wear of one single disc cutter after penetrating one ring’s distance

Q :

Wear value obtained after replacing disc cutter

Qʹ :

Equivalent wear value of disc cutter

r :

Installation radius of the disc cutter on the cutterhead

R :

Radius of disc cutter

R c :

Radius of cutterhead

s :

Friction distance

S s :

Spacing of neighbouring disc cutters

t :

Time of friction process

T :

Torque of cutterhead

UCS :

Unconfined compression strength

v :

Penetration speed of TBM

v g :

Specific ring weight loss

v t :

Velocity in tangential direction of single disc cutter

w :

Width of the cutter tip

W :

Friction energy of each disc cutter

W Fn :

Cutter thrust force work

W Fr :

Cutter rolling force work

W i :

Friction energy consumption per ring

x :

Wear value of non-uniform

z :

Distance of interface from the centre of cutterhead

α :

Frictional coefficient

σ t :

Tensile strength

Φ:

Angle of contact area

ω :

Angular velocity of disc cutter

ω c :

Angular velocity of cutterhead

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Acknowledgements

The research work described herein was funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program: 2015CB057806) and the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant no. 41672259). These financial supports are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Dong-Jie Ren, Shui-Long Shen & Wen-Chieh Cheng

  2. Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Ship and Deep-Sea Exploration (CISSE), Department of Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Dong-Jie Ren, Shui-Long Shen & Wen-Chieh Cheng

  3. Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, 3122, Australia

    Arul Arulrajah

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  1. Dong-Jie Ren
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  2. Shui-Long Shen
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Correspondence to Shui-Long Shen.

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Ren, DJ., Shen, SL., Arulrajah, A. et al. Prediction Model of TBM Disc Cutter Wear During Tunnelling in Heterogeneous Ground. Rock Mech Rock Eng 51, 3599–3611 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1549-3

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