Wear Research and Optimization Design of TBM Cutter Based on Discrete Element Method

Research purposes: The cutter head is located at the front end of the full-section tunnel boring machine. The working conditions are bad and the cutter head is severely worn, which is the main reason for the failure of the cutter head. In this paper, the discrete element analysis method is used to simulate the wear of the cutter head faceplate, and the wear size is quantitatively analyzed; through partitioning the cutter head faceplate, the wear rule of the faceplate is studied. The surfacing structure optimization design of the cutter head panel is carried out, and the m-shaped surfacing panel structure is proposed. Research conclusions: (1) The wear of the faceplate near the densely distributed area of the cutter head faceplate hob and the ballast groove area is more serious, and it is prone to a sharp increase in wear. (2) The average wear of the optimized new cutter head faceplate structure is reduced by nearly 25% compared with the original cutter head faceplate. The optimized cutter head panel has significantly improved wear resistance. The natural frequency of the new cutter head panel structure is farther away from its working frequency than that of the original cutter head panel, and the work is safer. (3) The research result can provide method guidance for the calculation of cutter head wear. The optimized wear-resistant structure can be used to repair severely worn cutter heads. © 2020, Editorial Department of Journal of Railway Engineering Society. All right reserved.