Response law of rock-cutterhead interaction in intact sandstone through TBM tunnelling test

• A novel tunnelling test platform for rock-machine interaction is proposed. • TBM performance and muck information are quantitatively evaluated. • Influences of cutterhead thrust, rotational speed, and rock strength on the rock-machine interaction responses are analyzed. The unclear response law of rock-cutterhead interaction seriously limits the tunnel boring machine (TBM) efficiency. Various influencing factors make it difficult to illustrate the law using the TBM tunnelling results in the field. In the present study, we develop a novel TBM tunnelling test platform (DGTBM-A) to analyze rock-cutterhead interaction. The components and functions of the platform are introduced. The cubic sandstone specimens (500 mm × 500 mm × 500 mm) with three distinct uniaxial compressive strengths (low (24.94 MPa), medium (61.22 MPa), and high (95.04 MPa) are used for TBM tunnelling test. The effects of cutterhead thrust, rotational speed and rock strength on the rock-cutterhead interaction are examined. Key tunnelling parameters, TBM performance indices, and rock muck characteristics are analyzed to reflect their effects. The findings revealed significant impacts of cutterhead thrust, rotational speed and rock strength on torque, advance rate, penetration rate, specific energy, and field penetration index. Additionally, the characteristics of the produced rock muck varied with the applied tunnelling parameters, providing insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of rock breaking. Correlations between the TBM performance indices and the influencing factors are established. The results contribute to a better understanding of the mechanics involved in TBM tunnelling in sandstone, aiding in optimizing operational parameters for improved performance and cost-efficiency in engineering practice.