TBM construction site at Beicheng Tunnel on Menghua Railway、

Front of the Horse-Shoe Shape EPB TBM

Peoplerail.com (by Tang Kejun) On January 3, the world’s First Horse-Shoe Shape EPB TBM bored 3000m in the earth at Beicheng Tunnel on Menghua Railway, marking the successful application of tunnel boring method in a loess tunnel in China. It will be a model for the tunnel construction in Northwest China where there are most loess, soft and weak land.

Horse-Shoe Shape EPB TBM was developed by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group, a sub company of China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Corporation Limited, and the constructor China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group. It was 118m long, and weighed 1,300 tons. As the TBM's cutter head and overall contour are in horse-shoe Shape, it was called " Horse-Shoe Shape TBM ". Its contour is 10.95m high and 11.9m wide. The shield is a shuttle structure. The method to bore tunnel originated by us can maximize the utilization of tunnel space, reduce 10%-15% of excavation area than a circular section, and make it easier to lower construction costs and shorten construction period.

The Horse-Shoe Shape EPB TBM was off the assembly line on July 17, 2016, and started to be used for excavation on October 29 in the same year. It succeeded in crossing shallowly buried layer, gas pipeline, Baotou-Maoming Expressway and other risky areas. In March 2017, it excavated 308.8m of earth, creating a new record. On April 1, 2017, the Horse-Shoe Shape EPB TBM excavated 1000m. On August 25, 2017, the excavated earth was more than 2000m. In the project, China Railway Engineering Service Company under China Railway Hi-tech Industry Corp Ltd. provided overall engineering services. The company used for the first time the "TBM Cloud" platform developed by itself to provide intelligent services, guaranteeing safe, successful excavation by the TBM.

"The successful application of the Horse-Shoe Shape EPB TBM is not only a major breakthrough in loess tunnel engineering technology in China, but the evidence to show the strength that the major equipment industry in China has to turn "Made in China" to "Invented in China". Li Jianbin, the General Manager of China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Corporation Limited said that CRHIC was making efforts to make itself into a comprehensive service provider in the whole industrial chain in the construction equipment field from R&D, manufacturing, construction services, re-manufacturing, and information services, making its contribution in push the construction industry in China into high-quality development.