• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.429-437
• /
• 2017

In this study, the effect of the tensile strength and ratio of disc spacing to penetration depth on the efficiency of tunnel boring machine (TBM) is investigated using Particle flow code (PFC) in two dimensions. Models with dimensions of $150{\times}70mm$ made of rocks with four different tensile strength values of 5 MPa, 10 MPa, 15 MPa and 20 MPa were separately analyzed and two "U" shape cutters with width of 10 mm were penetrated into the rock model by velocity rate of 0.1 mm/s. The spacing between cutters was also varied in this study. Failure patterns for 5 different penetration depths of 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, and 7 mm were registered. Totally 100 indentation test were performed to study the optimal tool-rock interaction. An equation relating mechanical rock properties with geometric characteristics for the optimal TBM performance is proposed. The results of numerical simulations show that the effective rock-cutting condition corresponding to the minimum specific energy can be estimated by an optimized disc spacing to penetration depth, which, in fact, is found to be proportional to the rock's tensile strength.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.383-399
• /
• 2020

Optimizing the spacing of the disc cutter is a key element in the design of the TBM cutter head, which determines the drilling performance of the TBM. The full-scale linear cutting test is known as the most reliable and accurate test for calculating the spacing of the disc cutter, but it has the disadvantage of costly and time-consuming for the full-scale experiment. In this study, through the numerical analysis study based on the discrete element method, the tendency between Specific Energy-S/P ratio according to uniaxial compression strength and penetration depth of rock was analyzed, and the optimum spacing of 17-inch disc cutter was derived. To examine the appropriateness of the numerical analysis model, the rolling force acting on the disc cutter was compared and reviewed with the CSM model. As a result of numerical analysis for the linear cutting test, the rolling force acting on the disc cutter was analyzed to be similar to the rolling force derived from the theoretical formula of the CSM model. From the numerical analysis on 5 UCS cases (50 MPa, 70 MPa, 100 MPa, 150 MPa, 200 MPa), it is found that the range of the optimum spacing of the disc cutter decreases as the rock strength increases. And it can be concluded that 80~100 mm of disc cutter spacing is the optimum range having minimum specific energy regardless of rock strength. This tends to coincide with the optimal spacing of previously reported disk cutters, which underpins the disk cutter spacing calculated through this study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
• /
• 2006.03a
• /
• pp.217-236
• /
• 2006

In this study, the LCM was applied as the preliminary study for the cutterhead design of TBM and the drilling performance evaluation. The optimum cutting condition is obtained from the LCM tests and the effects of the design factors of IBM cutterhead, such as penetration depth and cutter spacing, on drilling performance are estimated. In this study, hence, to predict the accurate performance of TBM, instead of one-dimensional penetration depth applied in existing studies, three-dimensional cutting volume was quantified and measured. For this, the digital photogrammetry technique was applied to the LCM tests. Also, AUTODYN 2D was applied to investigate the applicability of the numerical analysis technique to simulate the cutting process of rock by the TBM disc cutter.