Geotech Geol Eng
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01183-y (0123456789().,-volV)
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Evaluation and Optimization of the Effective Parameters
on the Shield TBM Performance: Torque and Thrust—
Using Discrete Element Method (DEM)
Lohrasb Faramarzi . Alireza Kheradmandian . Amin Azhari
Received: 13 August 2019 / Accepted: 1 January 2020
 Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Cutterhead torque and thrust are the two
main designing parameters of the shield TBM, which
have to be evaluated and optimized, based on the
interaction between the TBM and excavated material.
This study employs the discrete element method
(DEM) to simulate the tunneling procedure of the
line-7 of Tehran underground urban train tunnel
utilizing the micro mechanical parameters calculated
from back analysis on direct shear tests. The resultant
torque and thrust are then compared against the actual
parameters and then with those estimated from the
numerical analyses. This result shows that DEM is
able to estimate the TBM torque and thrust applying
actual boundary conditions and material properties for
the model. Furthermore, the impact of ground prop-
erties, overburden height, linear and radial velocity on
cutterhead torque and thrust and its performance are
evaluated and optimized.
Keywords Discrete element method
Equilibrium
ground pressure method
Penetration rate
Shield
TBM
Thrust
Torque
L. Faramarzi (&)
A. Kheradmandian
A. Azhari
Department of Mining Engineering, Isfahan University of
Technology, Isfahan 8415683111, Iran
e-mail: lfaramarzi@cc.iut.ac.ir
1 Introduction
Tunnels are generally excavated in weak ground
conditions for infrastructural applications in which
there is a high risk of subsidence and destruction for
surface and underground structures. The recent
advances on shield tunnel boring machines using
face-supporting systems made them a reliable choice
to decrease the aforementioned risks (Lee et al. 1992;
Melis et al. 2002; Kasper and Meschke 2006;
Khademian et al. 2012, 2016; Poeck et al. 2016).
One of the important considerations about these
machines is estimating the cutterhead torque and
thrust, which overcomes the face material strength.
Incompatible machines with the face material results
in waste of time and money, which has to be prevented
by proper design, considering the interaction between
the machine and the working face (Acaroglu 2011;
Jakobsen et al. 2013; Ates et al. 2014).
Empirical formulations presented by Larson et al.
(1990) has been a reliable source for estimating the
torque and thrust in shield TBMs. However, disre-
garding the effect of overburden in this research and
ground conditions as well as providing a wide range
for torque and thrust leads to imprecise results (Shi
et al. 2011).
Acaroglu (2011) predicted the thrust and torque
required for TBMs with fuzzy logic models. The
results showed that uniaxial compressive strength and
tensile strength of rocks, disc diameter and tip width,
penetration and spacing of cuts are the most
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contributing parameters to evaluate TBMs thrust and
torque (Acaroglu 2011).
Salimi et al. (2016) with regard to non-linear
regression and artificial intelligence theory including
adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system and support
vector regression forecasted TBM performance in
hard rock and featured that SVR approach is more
proper than ANFIS approach (Salimi et al. 2016).
Ates et al. (2014) estimated torque, thrust and other
design factors of various kinds of TBMs according to a
database that consists of 262 TBMs’ design compo-
nents in Turkish tunneling scheme. It is concluded that
geological condition and friction coefficients are
vitally important to predict thrust and torque amount
(Ates et al. 2014).
Ramoni and Anagnostou (2010) studied the
requirements for mechanized tunnel excavations in
squeezing grounds using finite element approach and
parametric analysis and presented monographs to
evaluate the cutterhead thrust. They showed that the
cutterhead thrust is a function of ground elastic
modulus, in situ stress, over excavating length,
maximum applied force on bits, internal friction angle,
shield length, and tunnel radius (Ramoni and Anag-
nostou 2010).
Zhang et al. (2010) modeled the excavation process
in various ground conditions considering different
velocity-torque characteristics. They found that the
required torque changes in different grounds strengths
and the increase in hard surface layers leads to higher
required torque (Zhang et al. 2010).
Song et al. (2010) offered the required cutterhead
torque based on the cutter linear and radial velocity,
overburden, face cohesion and pressure in sand and
clay using multiple nonlinear regressions on actual
recorded data from several projects (Song et al. 2010).
Shi et al. (2011) using the physical model of the
EPB machine showed that the friction between cutter
bit surface is the main factor creating the torque which
may vary in different ground conditions (Maynar and
Rodrı́guez 2005).
Maynar (2005) and Wu et al. (2013) modeled the
EPB tunneling technique using 3D finite element
method. Their torque and thrust results showed a
reasonable agreement with the actual field data (Itasca
Consulting Group 1999; Wu et al. 2013).
Michael et al. (2017) developed a 3D finite element
model for shield EPB tunneling. By simulating
significant parameters including different muck
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pressure on the excavation face, cutterhead overcut,
shield conicity, installation of jointed segmental
lining, annular gap grouting and time-dependent
setting of the grout, the amount of ground displace-
ment and internal forces exerted on the lining of tunnel
have been investigated (Kavvadas et al. 2017).
Ma et al. (2016) studied the effect of confining
stress on TBM performance in granite rock by linear
cutting test. It is resulted that the normal force
increases and rolling force decreases with increasing
confinement stress (Ma et al. 2016).
Hasanpour et al. (2014) simulated double shield
TBM tunneling in squeezing condition by 3D finite
difference method and FLAC3D software. As a result,
thrust force and other parameters affected the interac-
tion between rock and TBM’s shield are determined
(Hasanpour et al. 2014).
Hamidi et al. (2010) in order to consider TBM
performance and field penetration index (FPI) in hard
rock employed rock mass rating (RMR) system
(Hamidi et al. 2010).
Labra et al. (2017) simulated rock cutting by a TBM
disc cutter with respect to hybrid discrete/finite
element approach and represented that this kind of
technic has a suitable potential to improve rock cutting
operation (Labra et al. 2017).
Fatemi et al. (2016) analyzed diverse parameters on
TBM performance prediction and claimed that incor-
porating numerous independent factors in evaluating
TBM performance could not be so utilitarian (Fatemi
et al. 2016).
The criteria of selecting the EPB machine includes
two aspects; geotechnical (supporting pressure and
soil properties) and technological (TBM design, trust
and torque). Having a better understanding about these
aspects and their interaction, provides an optimum
progress of the cutterhead. However, underestimating
the importance of these parameters may lead to
redesigning the machine large amount of time and
investment.
This paper employs the discrete element method
(DEM)–PFC3D, which has the ability to consider
complex geometries and stress conditions compared to
limit equilibrium, to simulate the tunneling procedure
of the line-7 Tehran underground urban train line
utilizing the micro mechanical parameters calculated
from back analysis on direct shear test. The resulting
torque and thrust parameters from the numerical
analysis are then compared against the actual data.
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Furthermore, the effect of overburden and the inter-
action of linear and radial velocity on the cutterhead
torque and thrust are evaluated.
2 Geological and Geotechnical Characteristics
of the Site
The Line-7 of Tehran underground urban train is
27 km long including two sections oriented East–West
and South–North connecting east to the center of the
city and then from center to the northern part (Fig. 1).
This line is the longest and deepest subway of Tehran
city. The south-north section of the tunnel with the
length of 14 km and 12 stations is considered for this
study is excavated and supported by EPB machine for
the first time in Tehran subway network.
Fig. 1 A plan of Line-7 tunneling project in Tehran urban area
Two sections are selected including different
geomechanical properties derived from insitu direct
shear tests. The Q and T sections in kilometers 14 and
18, respectively. The reason of selecting these sections
is their extended geomechanical conditions through
the tunnel rout. The location and geomechanical
properties of these sections are presented in Table 1.
Figure 2 presents the geological section of Tehran
alluvium formation. The south-north section of line-7
is located in alluvium quaternary sediments. Gener-
ally, the alluvial sediments of Tehran consists of four
formations namely A, B, C, and D. From which A is
the oldest and D is the youngest formation. Consid-
ering the depth of the tunnel line 7 passes through
formation type A and type C and halfway from each.
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Table 1 Geomechanical properties of sections Q and T of line-7 Tehran underground urban train
Section Location (km) Soil classification Cohesion (kg/cm2) Friction angle () Density (kg/m3) Overburden (m)

Q7 14 ? 750 GC–GM 0.12 37 1920 32

15 ? 300
T7 18 ? 000 GW 0.8 30 1950 33
18 ? 700

Fig. 2 Geological section of Tehran alluvium formation

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3 Numerical Modeling
3.1 Discrete Element Method
Cundall and Strack (1979, 1982) developed the
discrete element method in which the soil particles
are considered as rigid balls. In this approach, the
loaded dynamic behavior assembly is presented by a
time step algorithm and the calculations are performed
based on the force–displacement law (Bagi, 2005).
Particle locations and boundaries are continuously
reformed in this approach. Schematic view of the
particle contacts is illustrated in Fig. 3 (Cundall and
Strack 1979; Cundall et al. 1982).Where, Kn and Ks are
contact normal and shear stiffness; Fn and DF s are
contact normal and shear increment force; Un and DU s
are contact normal overlap and relative shear–dis-
placement increment, respectively.
The behavior model in DEM is a result of joining
simple structural models in each contact point. Huang
et al. (1999), Lei and Kaitkay (2003), Rojek (2011),
and Menyar (2005) derived acceptable results for
shear procedure in soil and rock using joint elements in
linear contact model with bonded particles. We used
the same approach in the current study considering
constant contact stiffness. In the joint element, the
contact point of the two particles has a shear and
normal strength and the slip initiates when the driving
force exceeds the shear strength.
The first stage in DEM is to create a compact
assembly of jointed particles. An ordered assembly is
not able to reflect a realistic behavior of soil and rock
structures. As a result, the random translocation of the
numerous particles requires a specific method
Fig. 3 Generic view of the particle contacts (Potyondy and
Cundall 2004)
(Potyondy and Cundall 2004). In this study, the
smaller diameter particles are first generated and
located randomly, then increasing their diameters
results in the desired irregular and porous layout.
3.2 Defining the Micromechanical Parameters
It was impossible to directly define the micromechan-
ical parameters including, normal and shear stiffness,
friction coefficient of particle contacts, normal and
shear strength. Therefore, these parameters are esti-
mated using back analysis from the in situ direct shear
test results (EFNARC 2005).
We considered 60 cm for the particle diameters
based on ASTM D 3080-90 and DIN18137 standards
in which the shear box modelling is 10 times larger
than the particle diameters. In order to input the
normal force, the upper wall drives with a velocity that
is calculated by the servo control system of the
machine in each time step. To do this, the effective
stress on the wall is compared with the normal stress
and in case of disagreement, a specific velocity is
applied on the wall. Subsequently, the upper half of the
box is displaced by 1 mm per minute, which simulates
the actual direct shear test. Figure 4 demonstrates the
distribution of contact forces and the back analysis
results are shown in Fig. 4a, b. Table 2 present the
micromechanical parameters calibrated by the shear
test.
In this study, the magnifying method is utilized, in
which, each ball representing the medium particles,
has 60 cm diameter and the micro-mechanical prop-
erties of the balls and the model are calibrated to
reflect the behavior of the actual medium.
Figure 5 illustrates the comparison of in situ shear
test data and the numerical results for sections Q and
T. The graphs reveal a decent agreement between the
numerical modeling and the direct shear test results on
actual specimens under high and low stress level
conditions. It can be pointed out that the particles
distribution model is in a close agreement with the
actual test setting.
3.3 Modelling EPB Machine
In this section, the EPB machine of the line-7 Tehran
underground urban is modeled by discrete element
method using the data presented in Table 3 and Fig. 6.
To investigate the effect of overburden stress on the
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Fig. 4 Modeled direct shear test by PFC3D; a Numerical model, b contact force distribution
Table 2 Micromechanical parameters Calibrated by the shear test
Section no. Kn (N/m) ks (N/m)
Q7 1.05e8 5.1e7
T7 1.5e8 6e7
resulted torque and thrust forces, 20, 30, and 40 meters
of overburden are modeled using the servo-control
mechanism described in Sect. 3.2. To reduce the
solving time, a section of the overburden is replaced
with a servo-mechanism on the upper boundary of the
model. Then, 160,000 balls are randomly generated in
the model and solved to reach the initial balance state
under gravity. The distribution of the contact forces
between the balls are shown in Fig. 7.
The shield is modelled using a cylindrical wall with
4 cm of over excavation shown in Fig. 8 and the
cutting tool with a hexagonal pattern illustrated in
Fig. 9. As the soil particles in the model are enlarged,
to prevent face particle to lock, the opening ratio is
considered 15% more than the actual amount. To
compensate the effect of this increase, the friction
angle of the cutterhead wall is intensified by the same
ratio. In order to define the required torque and thrust
forces, EPB shield and cutterhead are moved with the
actual linear and radial velocities. Using the code
written in the Fish section of PFC, thrust is calculated
by adding the following parameters: the friction force
of the shield surface; the normal force applied on the
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n-bond (N) s-bond (N) Friction coefficient
1e4 1e4 0.3
2.2e4 2.2e4 0.29
cutter bits; and the torque is estimated in form of the
momentum resulted by the tangential cutter bit force
and the friction between cutterhead and ground.
Table 4 presents the shield and cutterhead parameters.
The values of shield penetration Rate (linear velocity)
and the rotational velocity are derived from the actual
EPB machine data of the field and the soil-steel
friction angles are obtained from Herzog, 1985, well
known study.
Figures 10 and 11 compare the calculated torque
and thrust against the recorded data during the
tunneling process.
Comparing the resultant torque and thrust from the
numerical analysis shows a reasonable agreement with
the actual recorded data. In some graph segments, the
fluctuating trends are similar; however, there is a
significant difference between numerical results and
actual data for thrust and torque.
The authors should comment on possible reasons
behind the disagreement between the actual and
modeling results of Figs. 10 and 11.
Although the mean values from the actual data and
numerical modelling are in a good agreement, the
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Fig. 5 Comparison of shear (a) 200

test and numerical model Comparison of In Situ Shear Test Data with
results in three normal stress Numerical Modeling Results (Section-Q)
values of 98, 196 and
294 kPa; a for section-Q,
b for section-T 160

Shear Stress, KPa

120

80

Normal Stress, 98 KPa

Normal Stress, 147 KPa
Normal Stress, 196 KPa
40 PFC Model , Normal Stress = 98 KPa
PFC Model , Normal Stress = 147 KPa
PFC Model , Normal Stress = 196 KPa

0
0 0.006 0.012 0.018 0.024 0.03
Normalized Shear Displacement

(b) 250
Comparison of In Situ Shear Test Data with
Numerical Modeling Results (Section-T)

200
Shear Stress, kPa

150

100

Normal Stress, 98 kPa

Normal Stress, 196 kPa
Normal Stress, 294 kPa
50 PFC Model , Normal Stress = 98 kPa
PFC Model , Normal Stress = 196 kPa
PFC Model , Normal Stress = 294 kPa

0
0 0.004 0.008 0.012 0.016 0.02
Normalized Shear Displacement

point to point disagreement between the actual and • The actual excavation medium is not homogenous,
modelling results in Figs. 10 and 11 can be explained and is affected by boulders and old wells, which
by the following three reasons. influences the torque and trust values locally.

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Table 3 EPB and TBM characteristics of Line-7

Excavating diameter 9.16 m
Shield diameter 9.12 m
Opening ratio 30%
Maximum thrust 65,000 kN
Maximum torque 24,000 kN m
Maximum EPB pressure 3 bar
Shield length 10 m
Weight (in the shield area) 700 ton

Fig. 7 Concentration of contact force distribution between the

balls with increase in gravity, darker color represents higher
contact force

According to Fig. 12a, there is a monotonic relation

Fig. 6 The model dimensions generated analyzing the EPB
mechanism
• Due to different monitoring frequencies, the actual
data were not available in the 160 m of tunnel
length, where the mean values are considered.
• Because of the magnifying ball diameters in the
numerical modelling, the contact failure results in
sharp decrease in trust values.
between overburden height versus torque and thrust,
which diverges in overburden height of 40 meters.
Ground material and surface urban constructions have
a significant effect on these results. Figure 12b
presents a flatter monotonic trend when the depth
increases in different soil material. Figure 12b graphs
a constant and similar velocity variation of torque and
thrust, which could be the result of uniform soil
material in the studied area.
3.5 Analyzing the Effect of the Cutterhead Linear
Velocity (Penetration Rate) and Radial
Velocity on the Applied Normal Force on Bits

3.4 Examining the Effect of Overburden Height
on Torque and Thrust Forces
Figure 12 presents the torque and thrust results for
different overburdens. In order to simulate the effect
of overburden height on the torque and trust values,
the upper wall is moved with a servo-control mech-
anism in each time step to simulate and equivalent
overburden stress.
The EPB thrust system is designed to have the
capability of applying sufficient thrust in order to
avoid jammed shield and provides the required normal
force on the bit. According to the significance of the
normal force applied on the bits in optimizing the
excavation performance, various models are created
and analyzed to investigate the effect of linear and
radial velocity of the cutterhead (see Fig. 13). Fig-
ure 13 suggests that there is a direct non-linear relation

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Fig. 8 Modelling EPB machine; a shield and cutterhead modeled in PFC3D, b EPB cutterhead used in line-7 of Tehran underground
train project

Fig. 9 Geometrical pattern of the EPB cutting tool

Table 4 Shield and cutterhead modelling parameters

Station Steel-soil friction angle (Herzog 1985) Shield penetration rate (cm/min) Cutterhead rotational speed (RPM)

Q7 0.55 12 1
T7 0.55 15 1.3

between the penetration rate and the normal load, normal loads for penetration rates of less than 8 cm/
which converges to a specific value in high normal min in radial velocities of 1 and 2 RPM.
loads. Also, no significant variation is observed in The advancement rate is in a direct relation with
trust force. The trust force is consists of the shield

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Fig. 10 Comparison of Real EPB Movement, m

numerical modelling and (a) 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
machine performance in 35000
section-Q; a Torque results,
b thrust results Simulated by PFC (Torque, KN.m)
30000 Real Data (Torque, KN.m)

25000
Section - Q

Torque, kN.m 20000

15000

10000

5000

0
0 0.03 0.06 0.09 0.12 0.15
Simulated EPB Movement, m

Real EPB Movement, m

(b) 35000
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

Simulated by PFC (Thrust, KN)

Real Data (Thrust, KN)
30000
Section - Q
25000
Thrust, kN

20000

15000

10000

5000

0
0 0.03 0.06 0.09 0.12 0.15
Simulated EPB Movement, m

friction force and the total normal force from the cutter
bits. If the cutterhead radial velocity is considered as
the variable, the friction force portion is constant and
the thrust variation is a result of normal force of the
cutter bits.
The increment of the bit normal force, leads to
higher advancement rate due to interaction between
the bit and the ground. However, the penetration rate
reaches a constant value due to higher shear force in
larger trust force.

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Fig. 11 Comparison of (a) Real EPB Movement, m

numerical modelling and 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
machine performance in 35000
section-T; a Torque results,
Simulated by PFC (Torque, KN.m)
b thrust results Real Data (Torque, KN.m)
30000
Section - T
25000

Torque, kN.m 20000

15000

10000

5000

0
0 0.03 0.06 0.09 0.12 0.15
Simulated EPB Movement, m

(b) Real EPB Movement, m

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
30000

Simulated by PFC (Thrust, KN)

Real Data (Thrust, KN)
25000
Section - T

20000
Thrust, kN

15000

10000

5000

0
0 0.03 0.06 0.09 0.12 0.15
Simulated EPB Movement, m

3.6 Evaluating the Effective Cutterhead Torque
Radial velocity and Torque are the two critical
parameters in the cutterhead driving system. The
radial velocity is kept constant during the excavation
process; however, the torque rate may vary in different
ground conditions. The machine torque capacity
should be estimated in the designing phase consider-
ing the soil properties (Lee et al. 1992). Torque is a key
parameter, which can properly make the cutterhead

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Fig. 12 Torque and thrust (a) 24000 24000

variations with overburden
Torque, KN.m Thrust, KN
height in line-7 of Tehran
underground train project; 22000 Section - Q 22000
a section-Q, b section-T
20000 20000

Torque, KN.m

Thrust, KN
18000 18000

16000 16000

14000 14000

12000 12000

10000 10000
15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Overburden height, m

(b) 24000 24000

Torque, KN.m Thrust, KN

22000 Section - T 22000

20000 20000
Torque, KN.m

Thrust, KN
18000 18000

16000 16000

14000 14000

12000 12000

10000 10000
15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Overburden height, m

and ground compatible and increases the penetration
rate efficiently (Khademian et al. 2012).
In soft grounds, such as unconsolidated soil and
sediments, the advancement rate increases by the
radial speed growth. However, in harder ground
material the optimum radial velocity decreases due
to the required time for the cutterhead stress to travel
through the ground and cause failure. In this case
applying a higher radial velocity than the optimum
value results in poor stress propagation, which may
lead to one of the following scenarios:
• The thrust force is in a range that the cutterhead
nails are stuck in the face, where an unusual
pressure applied on the machine.
• If the thrust is lower extremely lower than the
previous scenario the cutterhead will rotate freely,
in which, the force results in bit abrasion instead of
ground penetration.
To investigate the effect of linear and radial
velocity on the cutterhead torque, various models are
built and the results are plotted in Fig. 14 for sections
Q (a) and T (b). Considering this graph, there is a

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(a) 10000 (a) 30000

RPM = 0.5
RPM = 1
8000 Section-Q RPM = 2 24000 Section-Q
Normal Force, KN

Torque, kN.m
6000 18000

4000 12000

2000 6000 Excavation rates = 7 cm/min

Excavation rates = 15 cm/min
Excavation rates = 20 cm/min
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 1 2 3 4
Penetration, cm/min RPM

(b) 10000 (b) 30000

RPM = 0.5
RPM = 1
8000 RPM = 2 24000 Section-T
Section-T
Normal Force, KN

Torque, kN.m
6000 18000

4000 12000

2000 6000 Excavation rates = 7 cm/min

Excavation rates = 15 cm/min
Excavation rates = 20 cm/min

0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 1 2 3 4
Penetration, cm/min RPM

Fig. 13 Relation between cutterhead normal force against Fig. 14 Relation of torque with penetration rate and radial
penetration rate and radial velocity; a section-Q, b section-T velocity; a section-Q, b section-T

nonlinear relation between radial velocity and torque.
Increasing the penetration rate from 7 to 20 cm/min
the applied torque is increased and the penetration rate
of 20 cm/min is converged in the radial velocity of 2.5
RPM. As discussed, this condition leads to destruction
of the machine and increases the maintenance costs.
4 Discussion
In this study, discrete element modelling and insitu
tests are performed to simulate and evaluate the EPB
tunneling procedure. The results show an accept-
able agreement between the testing and numerical
results, in following aspects:
1. In the manufacture design and to purchase EPB
machine: Using graphs from other projects are
commonly used to select the proper machine
characteristics for EPB tunneling projects. How-
ever, the obtained results showed that DEM may
be used instead, considering actual geomechanical
parameters and ground-cutterhead interaction, to
select a more appropriate machine.
2. During tunneling process: Optimizing the
advancement rate, radial velocity, and torque of
the cutterhead using DEM numerical modelling,
which may increase efficiency and reduce main-
tenance costs of the EPB machine.
According to the literature, it is recommended that,
once the recommended torque is calculated, an
additional 25–30% should be considered for unex-
pected ground conditions. Moreover, in tunneling,
especially long distance projects, up to 75% of the
machine capacity is utilized to avoid machine depre-
ciation (O’Carroll 2005). The EPB machine used in
line-7 of Tehran underground urban train tunnel, has a

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namely torque capacity of 24,000 kN m, which
according to the aforementioned, the operating torque
would be up to 18,000 kN m.
As seen in Fig. 14, increasing the radial velocity,
the torque rises up to an optimum value, however,
beyond this radial velocity magnitude the torque
reaches and constant value and may decrease, which
represents the free cutterhead rotation. As a result, for
section Q, the optimum radial velocities for penetra-
tion rates of 7, 15, and 20 cm/min are 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5
RPM, respectively. Where, the corresponding torque
for these three combinations would be 6000, 18,000
and 24,000 kN m. Although, the first and second
combinations are in the allowable torque range, the
second one has a higher efficiency due to its higher
penetration and torque values. The same analyses
would be applicable for section T, in which, only the
first combination falls in the allowable torque range,
with penetration rate of 7 cm/min, radial velocity of
0.75 RPM and torque of 18,000 kN m.
5 Conclusions
The DEM approach is capable of modeling the
tunneling process and the results show a good
agreement with those applied on the EPB machine.
The numerical results show the effect of ground
parameters and overburden on the amount of torque
and thrust. Increase in the ground strength and
overburden leads to increase of torque and thrust.
This relation is linear with a high regression for
overburden simulations.
Increasing the thrust first intensifies the penetration
rate and then converges to a constant penetration rate
value. Moreover, higher radial velocity leads to lower
required thrust in a constant penetration rate.
Increasing the radial velocity leads to torque
increase, resulting more shear force on the ground.
However, if the radial velocity exceeds its efficient
value, sufficient energy is not conveyed to the ground,
which leads to torque drop and machine depreciation.
Improving the excavation efficiency requires suffi-
cient penetration rate (thrust) for different radial
velocities in order to increase the applied torque on
the cutterhead.
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Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Sepasad
Co. for providing us with the required information for this
research.
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