• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.611-634
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• 2017

In rapid urbanization, demand for utility tunnel increases more, and tunnel boring machine (TBM) has been used widely. Prediction of TBM penetration rate is important for proper estimation of construction period and cost. Although there are several methods, such as NTNU model and CSM model that require many input parameters, fundamental understanding on correlations between rock properties and TBM penetration rate is critical. In this study, we explored the brittleness indices of hard rocks according to various definitions, and the correlations between the brittleness indices and the TBM penentration rates.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.347-362
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• 2019

Underground excavation using TBM machines has been increasing to reduce complaints caused by noise, vibration, and traffic congestion resulted from the urban underground construction in Korea. However, TBM excavation design and construction still need improvement because those are based on standards of the technologically advanced countries (e.g., Japan, Germany) that do not consider geological environment in Korea at all. Above all, although TBM performance is a main factor determining the TBM machine type, duration and cost of the construction, it is estimated by only using UCS (uniaxial compressive strength) as the ground parameters and it often does not match the actual field conditions. This study was carried out as part of efforts to predict penetration rate suitable for Korean ground conditions. The effective parameters were defined through the correlation analysis between the penetration rate and the geotechnical parameters or TBM performance parameters. The effective parameters were then used as variables of the multiple regression analysis to derive a regression model for predicting TBM penetration rate. As a result, the regression model was estimated by UCS and joint spacing and showed a good agreement with field penetration rate measured during TBM excavation. However, when this model was applied to another site in Korea, the prediction accuracy was slightly reduced. Therefore, in order to overcome the limitation of the regression model, further studies are required to obtain a generalized prediction model which is not restricted by the field conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.201-209
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• 2003

For the purpose of research study, a vertical shaft of 98m in length and 3.05m in diameter was constructed in the layer of conglomerate by using the Raise Boring Machine (RBM). In order to estimate the net penetration rate of the RBM, which can be used in the stage of design, the in-situ test results were analysed and correlated to data from the boring log in situ and laboratory testing. Its average net penetration rate is 2.233mm/rev while its average advance rate is 0.382m/hr, which is lower than that of TBM(Tunnel Boving Machine). It turns out that the net penetration rate increases with the increase of strength characteristics in rock mass (e.g., uniaxial compression strength, tensile strength, etc.). Similarly, the net penetration rate increases linearly with the hardness of rock mass. These results are contrary to the results of the previous construction sites where the TBM was generally used in the layer of hard rock. However, the trend obtained in this study is in accordance with the findings of Barton suggesting the relationship between Q$_TBM$ and penetration rate in the layer of soft rock. Thus, the trend is valid in soft and/or weathered rocks.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.15 no.5 s.58
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• pp.378-386
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• 2005

Jook-Ryung roadway tunnel was constructed by drill-blast after pilot tunnelling by 2 TBMS. nis report analyzes the data for TBM performance in the total length of 7.3 km for the two pilot tunnels. Net penetration rates were recorded as high as 2.3 m/h and 2.0 m/h for the two different directions while degrees of operation were $31.4\%$ and $33.3\%$, respectively. The cutter lives for No.2 tunnel were evaluated $200\~280\;m^3/c$ and around 400 m/set as high as for Meraker 10 km tunnel in Norway. The relationship between net penetration rate and characteristics of rock mass which were obtained by RMR and TSP measurement, coincides with the prior studies. This kind of evaluation is expected to be used to design TBM tunnelling and to help to perform the TBM operation effectively

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.3 s.68
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• pp.225-233
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• 2007

Because of Norwegian topography as valleys and fjords, a large number of tunnels has been built and 59 of them have been excavated by TBM for last 30 years. Prognosis technology has been developed and improved through lots of TBM experiences, and the NTNU prediction model has been completed. This paper focuses the improvement of net penetration rate and advance rate in 14 Norwegian and 4 Koran TBM tunnelling sites of which data were reported. Through this period, net penetration rate as well as advance rate were increased to double with the improvement of disc cutter size and cutter arrangement in Norway. These rates in Korea were also increased for 15 years even though the rates were lower compared to Norwegian. It is estimated that these low rates were mainly caused by using disc cutters less than 17 inch diameter. It is expected that net penetration rate and advance rate can be increased by improvement of machine and tunnelling technology, especially by using 17 or 19 inch of the disc cutter size in the Korean full face mechanical tunnelling site.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.27-41
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• 2024

Accurately estimating the performance of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) is crucial for mitigating the substantial financial risks and complexities associated with tunnel construction. Machine learning (ML) techniques have emerged as powerful tools for predicting non-linear time series data. In this research, six advanced meta-heuristic optimization algorithms based on long short-term memory (LSTM) networks were developed to predict TBM penetration rate (TBM-PR). The study utilized 1125 datasets, partitioned into 20% for testing, 70% for training, and 10% for validation, incorporating six key input parameters influencing TBM-PR. The performances of these LSTM-based models were rigorously compared using a suite of statistical evaluation metrics. The results underscored the profound impact of optimization algorithms on prediction accuracy. Among the models tested, the LSTM optimized by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm emerged as the most robust predictor of TBM-PR. Sensitivity analysis further revealed that the orientation of discontinuities, specifically the alpha angle (α), exerted the greatest influence on the model's predictions. This research is significant in that it addresses critical concerns of TBM manufacturers and operators, offering a reliable predictive tool adaptable to varying geological conditions.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.453-467
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• 2018

The excavation performance and the cutting tool wear prediction of shield TBM are very important issues for design and construction in TBM tunneling. For hard-rock TBMs, CSM and NTNU model have been widely used for prediction of disc cutter wear and penetration rate. But in case of soft-ground TBMs, the wear evaluation and the excavation performance have not been studied in details due to the complexity of the ground behavior and therefore few testing methods have been proposed. In this study, a new soil abrasion and penetration tester (SAPT) that simulates EPB TBM excavation process is introduced which overcomes the drawbacks of the previously developed soil abrasivity testers. Parametric tests for penetration rate, foam mixing ratio, foam concentration were conducted to evaluate influential parameters affecting TBM excavation and also ripper wear was measured in laboratory. The results of artificial soil specimen composed of 70% illite and 30% silica sand showed TBM additives such as foam play a key role in terms of excavation and tool wear.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.857-870
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• 2017

The use of shield TBM is gradually increasing due to the urbanization of social infrastructures. Reliable estimation of advance rate is very important for accurate construction period and cost. For this purpose, it is required to develop the prediction model of advance rate that can consider the ground properties reasonably. Based on the database collected from field, statistical prediction procedure for field penetration index (FPI) was modularized in this study to calculate penetration rate of shield TBM. As output parameter, FPI was selected and various systems were included in this module such as, procedure of eliminating abnormal dataset, preprocessing of dataset and ridge regression with best subset selection. And it was finally validated by using field dataset.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.144-156
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• 2012

This paper discusses the methods of estimating the punch penetration indices and data analysis punch penetration test to estimate the TBM normal force and penetration rate. In punch penetration test is known as a useful test to estimate penetration rates and normal force of TBMs directly with several slope indices indicated drill-ability and brittleness of rocks. However, the standard methods and indices for punch penetration test are not suggested yet. The main purpose of punch penetration test which is prediction of normal force of TBM disc cutter when cutters excavate rock mass. In this study, the punch penetration tests were performed for 6 representative Korean rock types and variety length and diameter of rock core specimens. Among slope indices were obtained from punch penetration test, PLI and MLI which is suggested in this study show high correlation with cutter force measured by full-scale cutting test. The results show that the predicted normal force of a single disc cutter and the experimental error was 10%. Based on these results, it is concluded that punch penetration test is reliable laboratory test for estimating thrust and penetration rates of TBM.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.237-248
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• 2014

Linear cutting test is known to be very effective to determine machine parameters (i.e. thrust force and torque) and to estimate penetration rate of TBM and other operation conditions. Although the linear cutting test has significant advantages, the test is expensive and time-consuming because it requires large size specimen and high load capacity of the testing machine. Therefore, a few empirical prediction models (e.g. CSM, NTNU and QTBM) alternatively adopt laboratory index tests to estimate design parameters of TBM. This study discusses the estimation method of TBM machine parameters and disc cutter consumption using punch penetration test and Cerchar abrasion test of which the researches are rare. The cutter forces and cutter consumption can be estimated by the empirical models derived from the relationship between laboratory test result with field data and linear cutting test data. In addition, the estimation process was programmed through which the design parameters of TBM (e.g. thrust, torque, penetration rate, and cutter consumption) are automatically estimated using laboratory test results.