Numerical and Experimental Studies on the Effects of the TBM Cutter Profile on Rock Cutting

This paper explores the effect of the profile of tunnel boring machine (TBM) cutters on the rock cutting performance via the use of a particle flow discrete element model. Two of the most commonly used cutters, namely a flat-tip cutter and a circular-tip cutter, are considered in the study. Reduced-scale rotary rock cutting experiments are performed to verify the key conclusions obtained by the numerical analysis. The results from both the...