Analyses of TBM disc cutter forces – application possibilities

Abstract

AbstractForecasts made during tunnelling of the daily advance, to control the machine, specify the lining and verify system behaviour are of great importance for safety and for the success of the whole project. In practice, such forecasts are obtained in deep tunnels by probe drilling, leading to downtime periods and by analog/digital face documentation with shorter downtime periods. Measurement and evaluation of rock mass cutting at the cutterhead of the TBM enables continuous monitoring without downtime. From the spatial distribution of the disc forces, basic geological/geotechnical information about the tunnel face can be derived. In addition, this data is valuable for load monitoring and monitoring the condition of the discs to determine the optimal changing time. This contribution deals with a geological‐geotechnical interpretation of the disc forces of the open TBM on contract H33 Tulfes‐Pfons of the Brenner Base Tunnel. The spatially distributed disc forces are evaluated and compared with the geological documentation.