Investigation on thermal behavior of TBM disc cutter under different cooling conditions

Abstract

The excessive working temperature of the TBM disc cutter is one of the problems that cannot be ignored in tunnel construction. The high temperature will accelerate the disc cutter ring wear, shorten its service life and increase construction costs. Predicting its working temperature to guide the selection of suitable excavation parameters and provide cooling methods suggestions under different geological conditions can extend the excavation distance and improve efficiency. In this study, the finite element model was used to study the thermal behavior of the disc cutter from the two aspects of heating and heat dissipation. The simulation results showed that the temperature change with the excavation parameters. The maximum temperature of the disc cutter under water cooling is 81.0% lower than without cooling. The results of the orthogonal analysis showed that the cutting depth and cutterhead rotation speed had the most significant effect on temperature. According to the experiment of the similar cutter, the maximum difference between the simulation and the experiment is 18.5%. The accuracy of the simulation results was verified.

Keywords

• Disc cutter
• Temperature distribution
• Cooling method