Abstract: To explore the disc cutter wear patterns of tunnel boring machine (TBM) in hard rock, a case study is conducted on the Wendeng pumped storage hydropower station. The disc cutter wear data of the case study is collected, based on which, abnormal wear mechanization of center cutter is examined through cutter motion analysis, and a prediction model for cutter wear based on tunneling parameters is established. The results reveal the following: (1) The cutterhead cannot break the rock effectively under the maximum thrust in hard rock tunneling, and abnormal wear of central disc cutter occurs due to disharmony between the cutter radius and the installation radius. (2) The proposed wear prediction model accurately reflects the comprehensive impact of tunneling parameters tunneling length, and installation radius.

Key words: pumped storage hydropower station, tunnel boring machine, disc cutter wear, tunneling parameters, wear prediction model