• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.689-698
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• 2019

In tunnel excavation by TBMs, a cutterhead, which practically excavates the ground, is an important part directly affecting net penetration rate. Most of the researches on the cutterhead design that have been carried out until now are on the cutter arrangement. It is difficult to find a study for the effect of the scraper installation direction on TBM excavation although same cutterheads except for direction of the scraper are used in Korea. Therefore, this paper shows how the direction of scraper installation affects shield-TBM excavation. Discrete element method was used to identify the effect of scraper installation direction on shield-TBM excavation. When the scraper installation direction was outward, the amount of particles per unit time flowed into the cutter head opening was smaller than when the scraper installation direction was inward, and more loads were applied to the cutterhead.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.647-663
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• 2023

The investigation of the disc cutter wear prediction has an important guiding role in TBM equipment selection, project planning, and cost forecasting, especially when tunneling in a long-distance rock formations with high strength and high abrasivity. In this study, a comprehensive database of disc cutter wear data, geological properties, and tunneling parameters is obtained from a 1326 m excavated metro tunnel project in leptynite in Shenzhen, China. The failure forms and wear consumption of disc cutters on site are analyzed with emphasis. The results showed that 81% of disc cutters fail due to uniform wear, and other cutters are replaced owing to abnormal wear, especially flat wear of the cutter rings. In addition, it is found that there is a reasonable direct proportional relationship between the uniform wear rate (WR) and the installation radius (R), and the coefficient depends on geological characteristics and tunneling parameters. Thus, a preliminary prediction formula of the uniform wear rate, based on the installation radius of the cutterhead, was established. The correlation between some important geological properties (K_V and UCS) along with some tunneling parameters (F_n and p) and wear rate was discussed using regression analysis methods, and several prediction models for uniform wear rate were developed. Compared with a single variable, the multivariable model shows better prediction ability, and 89% of WR can be accurately estimated. The prediction model has reliability and provides a practical tool for wear prediction of disc cutter under similar hard rock projects with similar geological conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.803-812
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• 2008

Along with the increasing demand for automatic and mechanical tunnel excavation methods in Korea, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) method of tunnel excavation has become increasingly popular. However, in spite of this rising demand, few studies have been performed on the TBM method, in Korea. For this reason, this study focused on evaluation of the applicability of TBM performance prediction models based on field data in order to contribute to the basic and essential parts of TBM designation and the TBM method of tunnel excavation in Korea. These rock properties can be defined as the mechanical and physical factors of rock that have an influence on a disc cutter's ability to cut rock, and provide information for the evaluation of the applicability of field data. Based on outcomes from these tests, applicability of the prediction model was evaluated and the predicted performance of a TBM was compared with real field data obtained from four different TBM construction sites in Korea.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.460-468
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• 2021

A TBM is an equipment that excavates a tunnel with a full face by rotating a circular cutter head and its advantages are fast excavation rate and safe construction. A TBM, which is primarily used for tunnel excavation on civil construction sites, is easily adaptable to information and communication technology. Research related to unmanned and automated technology is being actively pursued. TBM applications for mining and energy resource development in other countries were investigated in this study. The difference of TBM applications between the mining and energy resource development and civil construction sites was examined. Technical factors such as geological conditions, depth, site access, TBM launching, alignment and inclination, TBM size, and others that should be considered when choosing a TBM were investigated. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of TBM application in mines and the technical requirements for TBM for successful mine application are summarized.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.1D
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• pp.71-77
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• 2010

This study presented the operation method through of productivity on eight analysis work items (TBM boring, cutter check and exchange, TBM maintenance, succeeding facilities, reinforcement in tunnel, operation alternation, a tram car) which have developed equipment at WRITH with TBM a waterway tunnel works. It was inquired lose time with analyzed result by work items and removed lose time. It was analyzed TBM boring length, TBM boring length percentage and TBM boring length time. This study analyzed TBM operation utility factor of a foreign work with TBM operation boring length percentage, a monthly average boring length, pure boring length percentage etc. and assumed a monthly average boring length and a monthly average boring length of rise forecast. Based on analyzed Data, TBM boring has been forecasted propriety pure boring length at compressive strength $675{\sim}1662kgf/cm^2$.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.594-609
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• 2023

TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) method is gaining popularity in urban and underwater tunneling projects due to its ability to ensure excavation face stability and minimize environmental impact. Among the prominent models for predicting disc cutter life, the NTNU model uses the Cutter Life Index(CLI) as a key parameter, but the complexity of testing procedures and rarity of equipment make measurement challenging. In this study, CLI was predicted using multiple linear regression analysis and tree-based machine learning techniques, utilizing rock properties. Through literature review, a database including rock uniaxial compressive strength, Brazilian tensile strength, equivalent quartz content, and Cerchar abrasivity index was built, and derived variables were added. The multiple linear regression analysis selected input variables based on statistical significance and multicollinearity, while the machine learning prediction model chose variables based on their importance. Dividing the data into 80% for training and 20% for testing, a comparative analysis of the predictive performance was conducted, and XGBoost was identified as the optimal model. The validity of the multiple linear regression and XGBoost models derived in this study was confirmed by comparing their predictive performance with prior research.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.257-272
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• 2016

It is usually not an easy task to counter-measure on time and appropriately when confronting with troubles in mechanized tunnelling job-sites because of the limitation of available spaces to perform those actions with the existence of disk cutter, cutter head, chamber and other various apparatus in Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). So, it is important to predict the ground condition ahead of a tunnel face during tunnel excavation. Efforts have been made to utilize geophysical methods such as elastic wave survey, electromagnetic wave survey, electrical resistivity survey, etc for predicting the ground condition ahead of the TBM tunnel face. Each prediction method among these geophysical methods has its own advantage and disadvantage. Therefore, it might be needed to apply several geophysical methods rather than just one to predict the ground condition ahead of the tunnel face in the complex and/or mixed grounds since those methods will compensate among others. The problem is that each prediction method will give us different answer on the predicted ground condition; how to combine different solutions into a most reasonable and representative predicted value might be important. Therefore, in this study, we proposed a methodology how to systematically combine each prediction method utilizing probabilistic analysis as well as analytic hierarchy process. The proposed methods is applied to a virtual job site to confirm the applicability of the model to predict the ground condition ahead of the tunnel face in the mechanized tunnelling.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.667-681
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• 2012

In general, risk management consists of a series of processes or steps including risk identification, risk analysis, risk evaluation, risk mitigation measures, and risk re-evaluation. In this paper, potential risk factors that occur in shield TBM tunnels were investigated based on many previous case studies and questionaries to tunnel experts. The risk factors were classified as geological, design or construction management features. Fault Tree was set up by dividing all feasible risks into four groups that associated with: cutter; machine confinement; mucking (driving) and segments. From the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), 12 risk items were identified and the probability of failure of each chosen risk item was obtained.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.413-420
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• 2024

When planning gripper TBM, which is highly applicable to urban areas, the excavation characteristics are not considered. In addition the excavation stability and constructability are degraded by installing reinforcements in the adjacent construction site considering the relaxation load theory of the pre-existing NATM. In this study, a rationalization plan for the support was proposed considering the excavation characteristics of gripper TBM when planning reinforcements for adjacent pre-existing construction. The effect of excavation on the surrounding ground was analyzed by conducting three-dimensional stability analyses considering the construction stage for each excavation phase. In NATM, relaxation phenomenon is concentrated in tunnel face due to non-supporting time occurring simultaneously with excavation, but gripper TBM supports the ground around the tunnel face through the cutter head and skin plate, simultaneously causing ground relaxation behind the skin plate. Considering these excavation characteristics, problems in reinforcement planning for adjacent construction at the study site were pointed out. A performance improvement plan for a reasonable supporting system was proposed.