A Perfect Breakthrough for "Huapu" Earth Pressure Balance Shield Tunnel Boring Machine

On July 15th, 2024, great news arrived from the construction site of the 110 kV Bai'ao Line Relocation Project in Dadukou, Chongqing. The "Huapu" earth pressure balance shield tunnel boring machine, independently developed by Tangxing Technology, successfully completed tunneling in Section B, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent progress of the entire project.

The tunnel section B has a total length of 1,160 meters and extremely complex geological conditions. The tunnel passes through full-face weathered mudstone, with some areas involving strongly and moderately weathered sandstone. The mudstone's uniaxial compressive strength reaches 10 MPa. This complex geological structure posed significant challenges to the cutter wear, tunneling speed, and stability of the shield TBM.

Faced with such difficult geological conditions, the "Huapu" shield TBM was customized to meet these specific challenges. It is equipped with a series of innovative technologies, including an anti-surge telescopic screw conveyor mucking system, an efficient segment lifting system with a one-stop curved beam, a steep slope rail-guided transport system for sharp bends, a double-jointed guiding and measurement system, and a three-dimensional foam slurry muck improvement system. These advanced technologies ensured stable muck removal, efficient operation, precise tunneling, and environmentally friendly muck disposal, successfully overcoming the geological challenges.

It is worth mentioning that the tunneling for Section A of the project was undertaken by the "Dashun" Earth Pressure Balance Shield Tunnel Boring Machine, also developed by Tangxing Technology. The "Dashun" shield TBM successfully completed its mission on June 29th. Now, the "Huapu" has also successfully completed its task, both machines accomplishing their missions flawlessly. This fully demonstrates Tangxing Technology's strong capabilities in the field of shield tunnel boring machines. Going forward, Tangxing Technology will continue to uphold a rigorous approach, providing comprehensive technical support and services for the project, contributing to the high-quality development of power infrastructure in Chongqing.