Challenges and opportunities of using tunnel boring machines in mining

Full-face tunnel boring machine (TBM) tunnelling has unparalleled advantages over conventional drill-and-blast (D&B) techniques in terms of higher advance rates and lower risk levels in favourable ground conditions. However, there are only a few successful TBM applications in mines. The aim of this paper is to discuss the technical challenges of using TBMs in mining since the pioneering work in the 1960s. It starts with a description on the...