The world’s largest diameter earth pressure balance double shield convertible TBM has been produced by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation (CRCHI).
The TBM, named Strong Foundation, came off the assembly line at CRCHI’s factory in Changsha, Hunan Province on March 26.
It will be used in the construction of the 12.28km water transfer tunnel for the southern segment of the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou West Channel Tunnel.
CRCHI says the TBM, which has a 12.68m diameter, marks a major breakthrough in the field of ultra-large diameter tunnel boring in China, injecting new momentum into technology for urban flood control and drainage and underground space development.
The 107m-long TBM weighs 3,500 tonnes. To address the complex ground conditions such as uneven hard and soft stratum, alternating hard and soft geology, Strong Foundation includes a dual muck discharge system and modular dual-mode cutterhead design.
There is also plenty of digital technology onboard. An intelligent auxiliary tunnelling system and segment automatic lifting and transportation system enables the operator to monitor more than 20 parameters such as cutterhead rotation speed and thrust speed in real time. The application of digital twin technology also provides visual control of the whole construction process, which CRCHI says furthers “less manned and intelligent” underground engineering.
The expansion of the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou South Drainage West Channel Tunnel Project is China’s largest drainage scale, largest tunnel diameter and deepest deep tunnel drainage system project.
Its aim is to prevent flooding and drainage, while improving the water ecological environment. Once completed, it will further reduce the flood control pressure in the Taihu Lake basin, ensure flood control and drainage in the west of Hangzhou, and provide a safety barrier for the city of Hangzhou.
