A TBM is basically a mechanised machine to excavate tunnels of circular section. The first designs of such machines may be considered to date from the mid 1850's but modern hard rock TBMs were actually born in 1950 with the design of James S. Robbins first used in a dam diversion project (Oahe Dam in Pierre, South Dakota).

4 8 EPB Technology Tunnel 8/2009 EPB design and assembly are governed by multiple variables, no matter the machine diame-ter – a sentiment that rings true for a large Robbins EPB TBM cur-rently being assembled at Mexico City's new metro Line 12. The 6.2 km long ma-chine-bored tunnel will cut commute times in the south-

Robbins News Release The first of three Robbins EPBMs excavating the Moscow Metro is through in the Russian capital city. SK Most crew celebrates breakthrough. The machine, launched in winter 2012, achieved a milestone best daily advance of 37.8m in April. Best weekly performance was 150m, and best monthly rate was 621m.

The first EPB TBM of Dubai project started to excavate in semi-open mode from the 135th ring, the muck level inside the excav ation chamber is about 2/3 in se mi-open mode, and the pressure in the

TBM can excavate approximately 2-4 times faster than drilling and blasting method [1-2]. Beside TBM has high initial investment costs, excavation with TBM has some advantages such as ability of preventing subsidence, low vibration and sound levels in excavation thus TBM has become popular in excavation projects [3-4].

Once the Robbins EPB had bored its 4.6 km (2.9 mi) drive to shaft 3A of Lot 1, it was dismantled, removed, reassembled at Lot 5, and began boring its original 8.6 km (5.3 mi) long bore in early 2014. The remaining two Robbins EPBs started excavation in 2012, working on 9.2 km (5.7 mi) and 10.2 km (6.3 mi) drives at Lots 3 and 4, respectively.

EPB TBMs control the stability of the tunnel face and subsidence of the ground surface by monitoring and adjusting the pressure inside the cutter head chamber to achieve a balance with the water and ground pressure in front of the cutter head, hence the name 'pressure balance'. The way these machines operate is called 'close mode ...

In EPB Mode In low permeability soils without high hydrostatic pressures, the XSE can advance quickly and efficiently in EPB mode without the expense and complication of slurry-based muck handling. While in EPB mode, any slurry treatment plant on site can be simplified and more economical. In EPB mode the machine utilizes a screw conveyor to …

Herrenknecht developed a new cutting wheel concept to master excavation diameters of more than 10 meters in highly abrasive ground. These are EPB Shields with two cutting …

The 180 m long, 34 m wide breakthrough area will become Mexicaltzingo Station, the first of 8 stations in the city's new metro Line 12 tunnel, also known as the "gold line". The Robbins EPB will excavate 7.7 km of the Mexican Federal District's first new rail route in 10 years, travelling between the southern...

Robbins has been one of the main suppliers of TBM technology to mining projects over the years including the Anglo American Grosvenor Decline Tunnel in Australia, extensive work over the years at Stillwater platinum and palladium mine in the US and excavating dewatering tunnels at the Ok Tedi copper-gold mine in Papua New Guinea.

3.8 Use of Compressed Air or Semi-EPB Mode 36 3.8.1 Ground Conditions Unsuitable for Semi-EPB Mode 37 of Operation 3.8.2 Pressure Distribution Over the Face under Semi …

Cutterhead: The rotating circular structure on the front of a tunnel boring machine in which the cutting tools are installed and the spoils are picked up from the tunnel invert.. Disc cutter: A disc-shaped cutting tool that cuts hard rock or mixed ground when mounted to a TBM. Dual Mode "Crossover" TBM: A TBM that combines characteristics from hard rock and …

That's why Robbins TBMs have been used on more rock tunnels than all of the competition combined. Robbins TBM owners have set world excavation records for virtually every tunnel diameter. No matter what kind of ground conditions your next project involves, Robbins has the right TBM for the job.

After only three months of work a Robbins 6.15 m (20.2 ft) diameter EPB machine finished its excavation task in China's capital Beijing. The machine had bored through 2.3 km (1.4 mi) of soft soils, clay, sand, pebbles, and highly weathered rock for the contractor China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) Bureau 5.

Next Generation of Hybrid TBMs for Mixed Ground. The use of hybrid TBMs in a mixed and unpredictable underground environment is increasing. This report concentrates on the advances achieved by hybrid TBMs, focusing on what is likely the most common type: A cross between a hard rock single shield TBM and an EPB.

An earth pressure tunnel boring machine (EPBTBM) is a type of underground excavator that uses mechanical pressure at the face of the tunnel to counterbalance earth pressures. It is a form of tunnel boring machine that negates the need for compressed air to control subsidence of the tunnel face. In that sense, it has revolutionized soft-ground ...

In this paper, a lab-scaled excavation test apparatus was devised in order to simulate the advance of EPB shield TBM in the laboratory. Fig. 1 shows the overall configuration of the devised lab-scaled excavation test apparatus. The equipment is mainly composed of an excavation chamber, a blade with five cutter bits, a screw

excavation chamber. EN. English Deutsch Français Español Português Italiano Român Nederlands Latina Dansk Svenska Norsk Magyar Bahasa Indonesia Türkçe Suomi Latvian Lithuanian česk ...

EPB TBM tunneling in mixed face conditions—partially in both rock and soil—is inherently problematic for even the most experienced crews. Over-excavation, excessive damage to cutter tools and regular cutterhead interventions are major challenges when negotiating mixed face geology. This paper draws from real field experiences, …

Slurry TBMs are considered "soft ground" tunnel boring machines (along with earth pressure balance TBMs) that use pressurized slurry in the excavation chamber to balance the groundwater and ...

The 6.8 m (22.3 ft) diameter Robbins Single Shield TBM for JV contractor Kiewit-Shea Constructors (KSC) bored a total of 3,794 m (12,448 ft) over 582 days with instantaneous penetration rates of 6 m (20 ft) per hour. The unique machine was designed to statically hold up to 20 bar pressure as it bored below the Hudson River to repair a …

It is projects like these that are ushering in a new era of cutting tools –from cutterhead setups to monitoring devices to high pressure cutter discs, new EPB cutters aim to limit interventions and speed excavation (Figs. 1 and 2). Deep EPB and hybrid TBM projects in mixed conditions are becoming more common, and with that new leaps forward ...

The equation commonly used to predict the total thrust of an EPB TBM is where Fs is an empirical coefficient with a value within 700–1,200 kN/m 2 and De is the excavation diameter [ 37 ]. Based on the known value of De = 6.980 m, the adaptability range of the total thrust was determined to be 26,785–45,918 kN.

Many of Robbins' robust, high quality TBMs have excavated more than 30 km of tunnel. Several have bored more than 40 km. Maybe a refurbished unit is the correct solution for your next project. Contact us with the project information and …

about 40 to 180 feet (12–55m). A Robbins dual mode type "Crossover" (XRE) Rock/ EPB TBM, Ø9.26m bore in diameter, will be used to excavate the tunnel and install the precast segmental lining. Special design features will be implemented to overcome the changing geological conditions. The XRE TBM will feature characteristics of both

Robbins EPBMs control the stability of the tunnel face and subsidence of the ground surface by monitoring and adjusting the pressure inside the cutterhead chamber to achieve a balance with the pressure in front of …

EPB TBM Spec Sheet. Robbins has integrated over 60 years of TBM design and jobsite experience into our innovative Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) TBMs. …

and in depth. The 12 m diameter EPB TBM advanced through a complex geological formation. The tunnel face was expected to be excavated mainly in a mixed face condition, composed of yellow sands and siltstone with the presence of rounded gravels in the upper part and red argillites and stiff siltstone at the bottom.

3.8 Use of Compressed Air or Semi-EPB Mode 36 3.8.1 Ground Conditions Unsuitable for Semi-EPB Mode 37 of Operation 3.8.2 Pressure Distribution Over the Face under Semi-EPB 38 Mode of Operation 3.8.3 Risk of Short-term Heave 38 3.8.4 De-oxygenated Air 40 3.8.5 Risk of Encountering an Open Path 40