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Full-Face Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Method

The document discusses the use of a full-face tunnel boring machine (TBM) method to excavate a penstock tunnel for a hydroelectric power plant project in Japan. Specifically: 1) A full-face TBM was used for the first time in Japan to drill a penstock tunnel that was 48 degrees inclined, 6.6 meters in diameter and about 1,000 meters long, drilling the entire tunnel in a single process from bottom to top. 2) The large-diameter TBM was improved to work in soft rock conditions and equipped with functions like rear grippers, a cutter head, thrust jacks, and sensors to survey soil 30 meters ahead. 3) Use of the

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Suraj Kumar
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53 views2 pages

Full-Face Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Method

The document discusses the use of a full-face tunnel boring machine (TBM) method to excavate a penstock tunnel for a hydroelectric power plant project in Japan. Specifically: 1) A full-face TBM was used for the first time in Japan to drill a penstock tunnel that was 48 degrees inclined, 6.6 meters in diameter and about 1,000 meters long, drilling the entire tunnel in a single process from bottom to top. 2) The large-diameter TBM was improved to work in soft rock conditions and equipped with functions like rear grippers, a cutter head, thrust jacks, and sensors to survey soil 30 meters ahead. 3) Use of the

Uploaded by

Suraj Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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<Reference 2>

Full-Face Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Method


In the past, a steep tunnel with large diameter had been excavated by two processes,
i.e., first drilling a small pilot tunnel from the bottom up and then drilling and enlarging
the tunnel from the top down, by dropping rock laths into the pilot tunnel (see the
diagram below as to the details of changes in drilling technology). This time, the
"full-face tunnel boring machine" was introduced for the first time in Japan for the work
to drill a penstock tunnel (48 degrees in an angle of inclination, 6.6 meters in diameter
and about 1,000 meters in length), and the penstock tunnel was drilled from the bottom
to the top as one process.
The "full-face tunnel boring machine" has a large drilling section, and it is improved
to work in soft and shoftcrust geological conditions. In addition to the motor that can
dig its way, supporting the machine weighing a total of about 600 tons, and the function
to prevent the machine from sliding down, it is also equipped with a boring machine to
survey the soil 30 meters ahead.
As a result of the introduction of this method, the construction period of the penstock
tunnel could be reduced by about six months.

6.6 meters in diameter

Cutter
Front gripper

Cutter head
Main gripper
10.3 meters in
machine length
Thrust jack
Shield jack

TBM (tunnel boring machine)


(6.6 meters in drilling diameter, about 50 meters in overall
length and about 600 tons in total weight)
* The machine presses a disc drill (cutter head) equipped with
44 hard cutters against a rock, rotates the disc drill, scrapes
off the rock and excavates a tunnel.

Steel materials to prevent the


machine from sliding down

Structural Drawing of Main


Body of TBM

Changes in Drilling Technology


Imaichi

Construction method

Pilot tunnel and


enlarged section

Shiobara
Pilot tunnel and
enlarged section

Kazunogawa
Pilot tunnel and
enlarged section

Kannagawa
Full-face
drilling section

(Pilot tunnel)

(Pilot tunnel)

(Pilot tunnel)

(Pilot tunnel) Enlarging (Pilot tunnel) Enlarging (Pilot tunnel) Enlarging


Operator
Pilot TBM
Pilot TBM
Drifter
Operator

Leg drill
Climber

Leg drill

Gantry
jumbo

Reaming
TBM

Full-face TBM

At Imaichi Power Plant, both the excavation of pilot tunnel and enlarging were done by blasting. At Shiobara Power Plant, a
pilot TBM drilled the pilot tunnel and blasting did enlarging. At Kazunogawa Power Plant, the pilot tunnel was drilled by a pilot
TBM and enlarging was done by a reaming TBM method.

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