On April 16, with the gradual rotation of the cutterhead, the ultra-large-diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM) “CREC Patigharong” (CREC No. 1459) developed by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co., Ltd. (CREG) rolled off the production line. It will be applied in the construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel project in Australia. Designed with an excavation diameter of 15.7 meters, it sets a new record for the largest excavation diameter of a Chinese TBM exported overseas.

The West Harbour Tunnel project is located in Sydney, Australia. Designed as a double-hole and two-way highway tunnel, it is one of the three core components of the Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link (WHTBL) project. The tunnel reaches a maximum depth of 52 meters below sea level and has a minimum turning radius of 960 meters, with an overall winding “S” shape. The geological formations it passes through include sandstone, silt, silt and silty clay layers, with uniaxial compressive strength reaching up to 30 MPa and even as high as 80 MPa in certain sections.

To accommodate the complex geological conditions and the client’s requirements, CREG has developed the “Patigharong” TBM with an overall length of approximately 113 meters (excluding the trailing platform), adopting multiple intelligent technologies.

It is equipped with robotic systems for cutterhead tool inspection, muck cake removal, and cutter tool replacement. The cutter tool replacement robot enables unmanned, automatic and high-precision tool replacement, improving replacing efficiency by 5 to 8 times compared to manual operations.

The TBM features systems for real-time wear monitoring of disc cutters and grout injection rate detection, effectively addressing such challenges as complex strata tunneling and settlement control while enhancing overall construction efficiency, intelligence and automation.