JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS

JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS

Laboratory investigation of cutting tool wear of EPB-TBM machine

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Sadegh Amoun
Hamid Chakeri
Faculty of Mining Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran.
Abstract
The abrasion rate of the soil and the resistance of the cutting tool to wear are one of the most important factors in the efficiency of EPB-TBM machines. Excessive wear has a negative effect on the operational parameters of the drilling machine and reduces the efficiency of the machine. Considering that the time of each hyperbaric operation to replace worn tools is about one to two weeks, it affects the project schedule and the total cost of the tunnel. However, since there is no comprehensive and acceptable method and test for examining abrasion and abrasion in soft soils, in this study, a TBM drilling simulator has been designed and built to better understand the interaction between soil and cutting tools. In this article, after introducing a new device built at Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran, to simulate the TBM drilling mechanism, the effect of the density of two types of soil with different grain sizes and moisture content on the wear rate of cutting tools under different conditions has been investigated. The most important features of this device include the low rotation speed of the drill head (similar to EPB machines), continuous contact of the cutting tool with the undisturbed soil, continuous injection of curing materials with a specific injection pressure during the test, and its horizontal operation similar to TBM. Initial results of tests of 1.5 to 2 g/cm3 at 7% humidity show that the maximum wear of the cutting tools increases from 4.1% to 11.6%. This increasing trend is also true for 13% humidity. Also, the examination of wear at different densities and at different humidity percentages shows that under the same conditions, at a higher humidity percentage, the amount of wear decreases. The results of some performance tests show that with increasing penetration rate and drill head rotation speed under different conditions, tool wear decreases and increases, respectively.
Keywords
Wear
Abrasion
Cutting Tools
EPB-TBM
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JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS
Volume 6, Issue 4
Winter 2023
Pages 55-62