Creating a working space for modifying and maintaining the cutterhead of a large-diameter slurry shield: A case study of Beijing railway tunnel construction

During the railway tunnel excavation of the Beijing Underground Zhijingxian Project, which used a large-diameter slurry shield, excessive wear of the cutterhead and cutting tools was found. Cutterhead modifications as well as frequent maintenance on the cutterhead and cutting tools were necessary for sustained shield tunneling, and creating a reliable working space near the cutterhead remained critical to performing the maintenance operations....