Mechanical analysis and prediction for the total thrust on TBMs

Abstract

This paper proposed a new model to predict the total thrust acting on Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) based on mechanical analysis. Key parameters involved in the prediction are mainly rock property, operating status and structural feature. Several force components which the total thrust consists of were analyzed. Considering failure criterion, mechanical analysis of the interaction between the rock and the cutterhead was carried out. Furthermore, the comparison was performed between the predicted value and the in-situ measured data of the thrust in a TBM engineering project. The results show that this approximate predictive model is able to reflect the global trend of the acting thrust due to considering geological, operating and structural feature.