Analysis of TBM disc cutter wear: a case study of a water conveyance tunnel project in Xinjiang, China

Abstract

Abstract Disc cutter is one of the most significant tools for TBM excavation and it is also a part that is most likely to consume. Its high cost and complicated maintenance process often bring great troubles to a project. Exploring the wear law of disc cutter can not only promote TBM excavation efficiency but also effectively save the cost. In this paper, the wear data of 671 disc cutters over a 3688-meter-long advancing distance was collected from a water conveyance tunnel project in Xinjiang, China, and the wear law of disc cutter as well as the influence of interactions among cutters on disc cutter wear were analysed. It was found that the wear velocity of one single cutter was high in the initial stage, and then it gradually decreased as the cutter constantly wore. The wear velocity of cutter increases greatly when it’s turned from outer area into front area due to its unbalanced wear while serving in outer area. The wear of a cutter increases with the increase of its installation radius, however, this phenomenon is not obvious in outer area, which is mainly because of interactions among cutters, the weaker the interaction among cutters are, the severer the wear of the cutters will be. This study can provide a useful guidance for cutter replacing process and cutterhead layout design in TBM tunnelling projects.