Design and Optimization of Tunnel Boring Machines by Simulating the Cutting Rock Process using the Discrete Element Method

Nowadays there is a large number of tunneling projects in progress, mainly in Europe, both for roads and transport supplies. Performance prediction of tunnel boring machines (TBM) and the determination of some design parameters have become crucial, as they are critical elements in planning a project of mechanical excavation. In this paper we use the Discrete Element Method (DEM) to build models which simulate the rock cutting process under a cutting disk and measure the interaction between forces and hard rock essential in the design of TBM. The DEM is an appropriate tool for modeling geomaterials; it is assumed that a solid material can be represented by a collection of rigid particles interacting with each other in the normal and tangential directions. The particles are linked by cohesive forces which can break and simulate fracture propagation.