the first step in mining activities is rock excavation in both mine development and production. constant pressure for cost reduction and creating an improved/safe work environment for personnel has naturally resulted in increased use of mechanical excavation systems in many mining operations. also, mechanical excavation and mining is more compatible with automation, meaning possibility of reduc...

The study takes into account different classes of tunnel boring machines (TBM), with the aim identifying correlation models which are meant to estimate, at a preliminary design phase, construction time and evaluate mechanical operational parameters TBMs, starting from knowledge length excavation diameter. To achieve this goal, first all database was created, thanks collection most meaningful te...

Intact rock properties together with rock mass characteristics should be well investigated for selection of proper tunnel boring machine (TBM) for tunneling in various ground conditions. This is due to the significant impact of rock mass characteristics on machine performance. TBMs are site specific and designed for optimal performance in given ground conditions. When selected and put to work a...

Over the last several decades mechanical mining machines have developed into highly productive, light weight, mobile machines which are able to economically mine many soft rock ore bodies. Due to the utilization of disc cutters Tunnel Boring Machines, with great mass and limited mobility, have developed the ability to cut the hardest rocks at high production rates. Technological advancements ha...

Utility construction projects have great opportunities for simulation applications in construction. This paper describes the special purpose tunneling simulation template developed based on the tunneling operations performed at the City of Edmonton Public Works Department for shielded tunnel boring machines. The tunneling operations are described, then the tunnel template and its components are...

In tunnel excavation with boring machines, the face is supported to avoid collapse and minimise settlement. This article proposes use of reinforcement learning, specifically deep Q-network algorithm, predict support pressure. The algorithm uses a neural network make decisions based on expected rewards each action. approach tested both analytically numerically. By using soil properties ahead ove...

one of the most important parameters used for determining the performance of tunnel boring machines (tbms) is their penetration rate. the parameters affecting the penetration rate can be divided in two categories. the first category is the controllable parameters such as the tbm technical characteristics, and type and geometry of the tunnel, and the second one is the uncontrollable parameters s...