Abstract
Hydraulic rams are the most common method of providing thrust on tunnelling machines. However, due to the compressibility of the fluid, hydraulic systems are flexible and the axial stiffness of the machine is reduced as the stroke is increased. To study the effect of stiffness on the mechanical cutting characteristics of rock, a programme of laboratory experiments has been performed. The tool forces and specific energies at various spacing, penetration and stiffness levels using a single disc cutter in sandstone, granite and dolerite have been analysed and simple relations produced. Results show that as the stiffness decreases both the rolling and normal forces acting on the disc and the specific energy increase. The application of the results to full-face and partial-face tunnelling machines is discussed. A simple stiffness model is also presented.
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