• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.62-69
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• 2004

This paper presents an experimental study on the dimensional error in ball-end milling. In the 3D free-formed surface machining using ball-end milling, while machining conditions are varied due to the Z component of the feed and existing hemisphere part of the ball-end mill, the mechanics of ball-end milling are complicated. In the finishing, most of cutting is performed the ball part of the cutter and the machined surface are required the high quality. But the dimensional errors in the ball-end milling are inevitably caused by tool deflection, tool wear, thermal effect and machine tool errors and so on. Among these factors, the most significant one of dimensional error is usually known as tool deflection. Tool deflection is related to the instantaneous horizontal cutting force and varied the finishing cutting path. It lead to decrease cutting area, thus resulting cutting forces but the dimensional precision surface could not be obtained. So the machining experiments are conducted fur dimensional error investigation and these results may be used for decrease dimensional errors in practice.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2022

This study describes a system that monitors the tool and cutting state of automatic beveling operation in real time. As a signal for cutting state monitoring, a motor current detected from the spindle drive system of the automatic beveling machine is used to monitor abnormal state. Because automatic beveling is processed using a face milling cutter, the cutting force mechanism is the same as the milling process. The predicted cutting torque is obtained using a cutting force model based on specific cutting resistance. Then, the predicted cutting torque is converted into the spindle motor current value, and cutting state stability is diagnosed by comparing it with the motor current value detected during beveling operation. The experimental results show that the spindle motor current can detect abnormal cutting state such as overload and tool wear during beveling operation, and can diagnose the cutting stability using the proposed equip-current line diagram.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.529-541
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• 2020

Although TBM's cutterhead requires design review for fatigue failure due to wear-induced section loss as well as heavy load during excavation, it is difficult to find a case of fatigue analysis for TBM cutterhead at present. In this study, a stress-life design review was conducted on cutter heads with a diameter of 8.2 m using S-N curves as a safety life design concept. Also, we introduced the fatigue design method of construction equipment and the method of assessing fatigue damage and explained the results of the fatigue analysis on the TBM cutter head with a diameter of 8.2 m. The S-N curve has been shown to play a key role in fatigue design and can also be used to assess how much fatigue damage a structure is suffering from at this point in time. In the future, it is necessary to find out when fatigue problems occur during using the equipment and when it is good to conduct safety inspections of the equipment.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.321-329
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• 2022

Tunnel site where high water pressure is applied, such as subsea tunnel, generally selects the shield TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) to maintain the tunnel excavation face. The shield TBM has cutters installed, and the cutters wear out during the process of excavation, so it should be checked and replaced regularly. This is called CHI (Cutterhead Intervention). The conventional CHI under high water pressure is very disadvantageous in terms of safety and economics because humans perform work in response to high water pressure and huge water inflow in the chamber. To overcome this disadvantage, this study proposes a new method to dramatically reduce water pressure and water ingress by injecting an appropriate grout solution into the front of the tunnel face through the shield TBM chamber, called New Face Grouting Method (NFGM). The tunnel model tests were performed to determine the characteristics, injection volume, and curing time of grout solution to be applied to the NFGM. Model test apparatus was composed of a pressure soil tank, a model shield TBM, a grout tank, and an air compressor to measure the amount of water inflow into the chamber. The model tests were conducted by changing the injection amount of the grout solution, the curing time after the grout injection, and the water/cement ratio of grout solution. From an economic point of view, the results showed that the injection volume of 1.0 L, curing time of 6 hours, and water/cement ratio of the grout solution between 1.5 and 2.0 are the most economical. It can be concluded that this study has presented a method to economically perform the CHI under the high water pressure.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.637-648
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• 2023

When an earth pressure balance (EPB) shield machine bores a tunnel in gravelly sand stratum, the excavated natural soil is normally transformed using foam and water to reduce cutter wear and the risk of direct muck squeezing out of the screw conveyor (i.e., muck spewing). Understanding the undrained shear behavior of conditioned soils under pressure is a potential perspective for optimizing the earth pressure balance shield tunnelling strategies. Owing to the unconventional properties of conditioned soil, a pressurized vane shear apparatus was utilized to investigate the undrained shear behavior of foam-conditioned gravelly sands under normal pressure. The results showed that the shear stress-displacement curves exhibited strain-softening behavior only when the initial void ratio (e₀) of the foam-conditioned sand was less than the maximum void ratio (e_max) of the unconditioned sand. The peak and residual strength increased with an increase in normal pressure and a decrease in foam injection ratio. A unique relation between the void ratio and the shear strength in the residual stage was observed in the e-ln(τ) space. When e₀ was greater than e_max, the fluid-like specimens had quite low strengths. Besides, the stick-slip behavior, characterized by the variation coefficient of measured shear stress in the residual stage, was more evident under lower pressure but it appeared to be independent of the foam injection. A comparison between the results of pressurized vane shear tests and those of slump tests indicated that the slump test has its limitations to characterize the chamber muck fluidity and build the optimal conditioning parameters.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.545-560
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• 2019

During EPB TBM tunnelling, an appropriate application of additives such as foam and polymer is an essential factor to secure the stability of TBM as well as tunnelling performance. From the '90s, there have been many studies on the optimal injection of additives worldwidely contrary to the domestic situation. Therefore, in this paper, the foam, which is widely adopted for soil conditioning, was selected as an additive in order to investigate the effect of foam injection on TBM performance through a series of laboratory excavation tests. The excavation experiments were carried out on artificial sandy soil specimens with consideration of the variance of FIR (Foam Injection Ratio), FER (Foam Expansion Ratio) and $C_f$ (Surfactant Concentration), which indicate the amount and quality of the foam. During the tests, torque values were measured, and the workability of conditioned soil was evaluated by comparing the slump values of muck after each experiment. In addition, a weight loss of the replaceable aluminum cutter bits installed on the blade was measured to estimate the degree of abrasion. Finally, the foam injection ratio for the optimal TBM excavation for the typical soil specimen was determined by comparing the measured torque, slump value and abrasion. Note that the foam injection conditions satisfying the appropriate level of machine load, mechanical wear and workability are essential in the EPB TBM operational design.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.387-401
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• 2023

The Earth Pressure Balanced (EPB) Shield Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is widely employed for constructing urban underground spaces due to its minimal vibration and low noise levels. The injection of additives offers several advantages, including maintaining shield chamber pressure, reducing shear strength, minimizing cutter wear, and decreasing the permeability of the excavated soil. This technique is known as soil conditioning and involves the application of additives such as foam, polymer, and bentonite slurry. In this study, weathered granite soil commonly encountered at domestic tunnel sites was used as a soil specimen. Foam and polymer were applied as additives to assess the rheological properties of conditioned soils. The workability was evaluated through slump tests, while the rheological properties were assessed through laboratory pressurized vane shear tests conducted under the same conditions. Specially, the polymer was applied under specific conditions with low workability with high slump values, with the aim of evaluating the impact of polymer application. The test results revealed that with an increase in the Foam Injection Ratio (FIR), the slump value also increased, while the torque, peak strength, yield stress, apparent viscosity, and thixotropic area decreased. Conversely, an increase in the Polymer Injection Ratio (PIR) led to results opposite to those of FIR. Additionally, a correlation between the slump value and yield stress was proposed. When comparing conditions with only foam applied to those with both foam and polymer applied, even with similar slump values, the yield stress was found to be lower in the latter conditions.