CRCHI¡¯s slurry TBMs ensure a reliable and fast tunnelling in heterogeneous ground with high water permeability and high groundwater pressure. They are used in the construction of metropolitan metro systems, highway tunnels, water diversion tunnels, crossing-river /crossing-sea tunnels, and other projects where the tunnel will be constructed in the ground with high water permeability and water pressure.

Working Principles of Slurry TBMs

The main feature of slurry TBMs is that they use pressurized slurry as support medium to balance the pressure of the surrounding soils and water. During tunnelling, a cutterhead with cutting tools rotates to cut soils of the tunnel face. The excavated material enters the excavation chamber through openings, where it is mixed with water and additives and stirred by mixing arms on the back of the cutterhead to form the slurry. The slurry is transported by a slurry pipe from the excavation chamber into a slurry separation plant on the ground where it is processed to have required texture and then transported back to the tunnel face for recycling.  

Basic structure of slurry TBM

Features of CRCHI¡¯s Slurry TBMs

- Can manufacture small-diameter slurry TBM (smaller than 5m), normal-diameter slurry TBM (from 5m to 8m) , large-diameter slurry TBM (from 8m to 11m) and mega slurry (larger than 11m).

- Two different methods for accurate pressure control. One is called direct control method where the slurry pressure is controlled by regulating the rotation speed of the slurry feeding pumps or slurry discharge pumps. The other is called indirect control method where the support pressure in the excavation chamber is precisely regulated using an air-filled chamber behind the bulkhead.

- Equipped with advance and reliable cutterhead designs and a slurry circulation system.

- Equipped with reliable main bearing, main drive seals and main drive gearbox, with long service lifetime and high safety.

- Have developed technologies which solve many industrial problems, including cutter change in free air, real-time monitoring of cutter wear, automatic deviation correction, main drive seals of high pressure-bearing, and others.

Partial references of CRCHI's slurry TBMs

Project pictures

CRCHI¡¯s slurry TBM with a diameter of 16,070mm for the construction of Beijing road tunnel

CRCHI¡¯s slurry TBM with a diameter of 12,140mm for the construction of Mumbai Coastal Highway Tunnel 

CRCHI¡¯s slurry TBM with a diameter of 6,650mm for the construction of Bangalore Metro Project

CRCHI¡¯s slurry TBM with a diameter of 11,710mm for the construction of Yuan River crossing tunnel, with free air cutter change

Successful breakthrough of Yuan River crossing tunnel

CRCHI's slurry TBM with a diameter of 14,960mm for the construction of river-crossing tunnel 

CRCHI's slurry TBM with a diameter of 3,570mm for the construction of cable tunnel in South Korea

Cable tunnel in South Korea excavated by CRCHI's slurry TBM

China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation Limited (CRCHI)

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