• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.51-62
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• 1995

The use of TBM has been rapidly increased in recent years since TBM has been introduced to Korea in 1985 and Korea came to occupy 27% of TBM holding ratio in the world. Despite a lot of experience, study on promoting the efficiency of TBM excavation is insufficient. The factors that influence the efficiency of excavation are the mechanical farttor geotechnical factor and management factor. The study on the efficiency of excavation has focused on the improvement of mechanical factor. But geotechnical factor is also very important and by this factor engineer can estimate the applicability of TBM. The purpose of this paper is to understand the effectiveness of TBM excavation for vari orts rock quality by analysing relations between rock quality and TBM excavation.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.255-264
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• 2023

As the demand for urban underground space increases recently, urban tunnel planning is actively progressing. In the urban area, a underground station is planned in consideration of the living environment of residents, and 2-arch tunnel is applied for the stability of existing structures and reduction of environmental damage. However, since the depth of weak rock mass is deeply distributed in the urban area due to severe weathering, careful planning is required to secure tunnel stability. In addition, if TBM mechanical excavation is applied as the main tunnel excavation method considering the composite ground in urban area, the construction connectivity with the 2-arch tunnel of the NATM concept may be deteriorated. In this study, the design case of applying TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel for the first time in Korea was mainly described. The main considerations for the segment design of TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel were explained for side tunnels. Also, a stability analysis was conducted to verify the effectiveness and adequacy of the TBM pre-excavation type 2-arch tunnel.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.345-352
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• 2022

The existing NATM (New Austrian Tunneling Method) has induced civil compliants due to blasting vibration and noise. Machanized excavation methods such as TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) are being adopted in the planning and construction of tunneling projects. Shield TBM method is composed of repetition processes of TBM excavation and segment installation, the machine has to be stopped during the later process. Consecutive excavation technology using helical segment is under developing to minimize the stoppage time. The modification of thrust jacks and module are planned to ensure the advance force acting on the inclined surface of helical segment. Also, the integrated system design of hydraulic circuit will be remodeled. This means that the system deactivate the jacks on the installing segment while the others automatically act the thrusting forces on the existing segments. This report briefly introduces the mechanical research part of the current consecutive excavation technological development project of TBM.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.299-311
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• 2023

Continuous excavation technologies are developed to improve the excavation rate of shield TBM. Continuous excavation is a technology that provides thrust to segments, excluding being installed one, to reduce tunneling downtime. This paper investigated the prior technology related to continuous excavation segments. The main technology was classified into helical segment, honeycomb segment, and conventional segment methods. The helical segment method has not been applied in actual construction yet, and the honeycomb segment method has not succeeded in commercialization. The continuous excavation method using conventional segments has been successfully demonstrated. The thrust force and operation method of the thrust jacks for the semi-continuous technology were analyzed. Continuous excavation TBM research is also progressing in Korea, and through the analysis of successful cases, the need to develop independent continuous excavation methods has been identified.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.487-497
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• 2023

Penetration rate (PR) and penetration depth (Pe) are crucial parameters for estimating the cost and time required in tunnel construction using tunnel boring machines (TBMs). This study focuses on investigating the impact of rock strength on PR and Pe through full-scale experiments. By conducting controlled tests on rock-like specimens, the study aims to understand the contributions of various ground parameters and machine-operating conditions to TBM excavation performance. An earth pressure balanced (EPB) TBM with a sectional diameter of 3.54 m was utilized in the experiments. The TBM excavated rocklike specimens with varying uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), while the thrust and cutterhead rotational speed were controlled. The results highlight the significance of the interplay between thrust, cutterhead speed, and rock strength (UCS) in determining Pe. In high UCS conditions exceeding 70 MPa, thrust plays a vital role in enhancing Pe as hard rock requires a greater thrust force for excavation. Conversely, in medium-to-low UCS conditions less than 50 MPa, thrust has a weak relationship with Pe, and Pe becomes directly proportional to the cutterhead rotational speed. Furthermore, a strong correlation was observed between Pe and cutterhead torque with a determination coefficient of 0.84. Based on these findings, a predictive model for Pe is proposed, incorporating thrust, TBM diameter, number of disc cutters, and UCS. This model offers a practical tool for estimating Pe in different excavation scenarios. The study presents unprecedented full-scale TBM excavation results, with well-controlled experiments, shedding light on the interplay between rock strength, TBM operational variables, and excavation performance. These insights are valuable for optimizing TBM excavation in grounds with varying strengths and operational conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.5-13
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• 2016

In this study, Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) analysis, which is one of the large deformation analyses, was incorporated to investigate excavation damage zone (EDZ) under TBM advancement. Considering the quasi-static condition, the dynamic analysis was performed to simulate the real TBM advancement and subsequently a case study on mesh and TBM excavation rate was carried out for satisfying a balance of accuracy and economic computational time. Based on this, a series of parametric studies were performed for different rock types and tunnel diameters. From the numerical analysis results, it is found that EDZ was taken to range within 0.4D(D=tunnel diameter) for most rocks. It is also found that the EDZ tends to increase as the tunnel diameter increases.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2010.06a
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• pp.1500-1505
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• 2010

The objective of this study is controlling of the large diameter Shield TBM excavation for subway tunnels. In this paper, it will focus on the selection of Shield TBM and the problems of excavation due to unusual abrasion of the Disk Cutters and the distorted Cutter Mounts, in mixed layer of soil in below and hard rock in above, and in rock layer. And also, it will be discussed that the type of ground improvement to change and repair the Disk Cutters and the distorted Cutter Mounts, Advance Rate, Cutter Torque, etc. The results of this study will be using controlling of the excavation in various large diameter Shield TBM for subway tunnels.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.849-860
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• 2019

This paper is a study on the development of equipment system to obtain data on stability in excavation of sharp curve section of Shield TBM. Shield TBM equipment is being used a lot recently for tunnel excavation. Excavation may result in inevitable detours by buildings above the ground or existing underground structures. Preconstruction simulation is required to verify the stability of the construction in case of this. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an automated control system through the development of this equipment system and conduct simulation through simulation of excavation model in the sharp curve section. A system shall be developed to control the left and right angles and thrust of the equipment, and to view data on the earth pressure and propulsion pressure of the equipment in real time during excavation. With this system, the necessary data can be collected for field testing through excavation method and excavation simulation by angle. It is expected that it will be very useful in assessing the actual Shield TBM by conducting a scale-down model experiment.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2024

Analyzing the tunnel excavation behavior and its effect on the surrounding ground involves large deformation behavior. Therefore, in order to properly simulate the tunnel excavation process and rigorously investigate the actual effect of excavation on surrounding ground and tunnel structure large deformation analysis method is required. In this study, two major numerical approaches capable of considering large deformations behavior were applied to investigate the effect of tunnel boring machine excavation on the surrounding ground: coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) and the automatic remeshing (AR) method. Relative performance of both approaches was evaluated through the ground response due to TBM excavation. The ground response will be quantified by estimating the range of the excavation damaged zone (EDZ). By comparing the results, the range of the EDZ will be suggested on the vertical and horizontal direction along the TBM excavation surface. Based on the computed results, it was found that the size of EDZ around the excavation surface and the tendencies was in good agreement among the two approaches. Numerical results clearly show that the size of the EDZ around the tunnel tends to be larger for rock with higher RMR rating. The size of the EDZ is found to be direct proportional to the tunnel diameter, whereas the depth of the tunnel is inversely proportional due to higher confinement stress around the excavation surface.

• 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.