Abstract:

The performance of a TBM is strongly dependent on the wear of the cutting tools. Worn tools decrease the advance rates, thus leading to increased tunneling times and project costs. Wear prediction models are thus used during the planning phase of a tunneling project. The disadvantage of commonly used wear tests is that the real tribological system, consisting of the tool/ground interaction, ambient medium (water, bentonite), and the load during tunneling is not considered precisely. To counteract these disadvantages, a new horizontal wear testing device has been developed that simulates the applicationoriented tribological system. This device offers a unique setup to predict the wear rate of TBM tools based on the real tribological system. This work introduces this newly developed testing method and discusses the impact of factors of tribolgical system to wear rate.

Key words: tunnel boring machine, softground cutting tools, wear prediction, tribological system, RUB device