For the safety and efficiency of earth pressure balance (EPB) shield tunnelling, the dynamic characteristics of the muck in the excavation chamber and the screw conveyor should be considered. However, the velocity and pressure distribution of the muck in the EPB shield, reflecting muck flowability and face stability, are rarely observed at the jobsite. Therefore, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with a modified inlet boundary was established to investigate the muck characteristics in the chamber and the screw conveyor during tunnelling in a full chamber mode. A compressible Bingham model was adapted to describe the muck compressibility and rheology. The time-dependent tunnelling parameters obtained from the simulation excellently matched the field-measured data. The simulation results show the nonuniform velocity distribution of the muck at the excavation face and the low-velocity zones where clogging potentially occurs. The muck pressure reaches a peak at the excavation face and then decreases along the cutterhead openings, chamber and screw conveyor for inflow. The simulation also captures the pressure imbalance at the cutterhead and bulkhead, which may destabilize the excavation face. The proposed discharge efficiency is 56.7% in the simulated condition, indicating that tunnelling with these muck properties has no risk of muck spewing.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Investigation of the Dynamic Characteristics of Muck during EPB Shield Tunnelling in a Full Chamber Model Using a CFD Method


    Additional title:

    KSCE J Civ Eng


    Contributors:
    Zhong, Jiazheng (author) / Wang, Shuying (author) / Liu, Pengfei (author) / Liu, Zhengri (author) / Xu, Tao (author)

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2022-09-01


    Size :

    14 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




    System for transporting muck between shield tunneling machine and crane

    XING ZHIJUN / JIANG HUA / LIAO ZHENGJING et al. | European Patent Office | 2023

    Free access

    Muck Problems in Subway Shield Tunneling in Sandy Cobble Stratum

    Cui Kai / Lin Weikang | DOAJ | 2016

    Free access

    Muck Problems in Subway Shield Tunneling in Sandy Cobble Stratum

    Cui, Kai / Lin, Weikang | Online Contents | 2016


    Characteristics and impacts of ground movements in EPB shield tunnelling

    Sirivachiraporn, Attasit / Phien-wej, Noppadol | IuD Bahn | 2005


    Soil conditioning for EPB shield tunnelling

    Peila, D. | Springer Verlag | 2014