Analytical Research on the Wear Mechanism of TBM Disc Cutters Based on an Energy Approach

doi:10.3901/JME.2018.01.036

Abstract

Abstract: The consumption of disc cutters on full-face rock tunnel boring machines (TBMs) accounts for a large percentage of the tunnel excavation cost. Based on the engineering data from Qinling rock tunnel in China and Røssåga rock tunnel in Norway, the wear mechanism of disc cutters has been studied with an energy approach. The unit friction work of cutter rings and an equavilent wear function are proposed and analyzed. The calculation formula of the cutter ring unit friction work is established according to the rock breaking loads, cutter position parameters and TBM boring parameters by analyzing the movement, load and wear mechanism of disc cutters on different cutter positions. Based on the solvement of the equivalent wear function and the calculation of the cutter ring unit friction work for the 8.8 m and 7.23 m diameter TBMs respectively, the wear of cutters on different cutterhead zones for TBMs boring through tunnel sections with different geology parameters is analyzed. It is found that the equivalent wear function is inversely proportional to the cutter life index (CLI). The symmetry axis of the equavilent wear function is determined by the disc cutter layout. The rock breaking and cutter wear status of the cutters around the symmetry axis is the best. By revealing the reasons for high wear rate of the cutters on inner and outer cutterhead zones, suggestions for cutter layout design are given, e.g. increasing the spacing of cutters in inner cutterhead zones, add more gage cutters with the tilt angle between 30° to 40°.

Key words: cutter wear, energy analysis, equavilent wear function, tunnel boring machine

CLC Number:

TU94
TP391

GENG Qi, WEI Zhengying, REN Junhui. Analytical Research on the Wear Mechanism of TBM Disc Cutters Based on an Energy Approach[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2018, 54(1): 36-43.

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