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<p>Enhancing the operational efficiency of rock tunnel boring machines (TBMs) represents a critical technological challenge with direct implications for project costs. This study aims to optimize TBM cutterhead design and tunneling parameters by evaluating disc cutter performance in varying rock strength conditions through field tests and numerical modeling. Start-stop tests were conducted across heterogeneous rock formations during the Qingdao Metro tunnel construction. These trials enabled the establishment of optimal penetration rate curves for 19-inch disc cutters. Field-derived data informed the development of a three-dimensional discrete element method model, simulating interactions between standardized disc cutters and rocks of varying strengths to quantify rock-breaking efficiency. Comprehensive analysis of spacing-penetration rate interactions during collaborative rock-breaking identified optimal cutter layouts for distinct rock strength regimes. Numerical simulations revealed that at fixed penetration rates, the number of fragmented particles decreases significantly as rock strength increases. The findings demonstrate that rock strength governs two critical design parameters: (1) inversely proportional optimal cutter spacing, and (2) direct proportionality between rock strength and specific energy consumption. This inverse efficiency-strength relationship imposes fundamental constraints on TBM performance in hard rock.</p>

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Optimal TBM Cutter Penetration and Spacing for Varying Rock Strengths: Field Tests and Numerical Modeling

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年5月28日

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  • Xiaokang Shao,
  • Heng Li,
  • Hongyang Qian,
  • Yunhua Niu,
  • Xuexian Zhu,
  • Shoujie Ye

摘要

Enhancing the operational efficiency of rock tunnel boring machines (TBMs) represents a critical technological challenge with direct implications for project costs. This study aims to optimize TBM cutterhead design and tunneling parameters by evaluating disc cutter performance in varying rock strength conditions through field tests and numerical modeling. Start-stop tests were conducted across heterogeneous rock formations during the Qingdao Metro tunnel construction. These trials enabled the establishment of optimal penetration rate curves for 19-inch disc cutters. Field-derived data informed the development of a three-dimensional discrete element method model, simulating interactions between standardized disc cutters and rocks of varying strengths to quantify rock-breaking efficiency. Comprehensive analysis of spacing-penetration rate interactions during collaborative rock-breaking identified optimal cutter layouts for distinct rock strength regimes. Numerical simulations revealed that at fixed penetration rates, the number of fragmented particles decreases significantly as rock strength increases. The findings demonstrate that rock strength governs two critical design parameters: (1) inversely proportional optimal cutter spacing, and (2) direct proportionality between rock strength and specific energy consumption. This inverse efficiency-strength relationship imposes fundamental constraints on TBM performance in hard rock.