Tunnel excavator

The tunnel boring machine stabilizes earth pressure by controlling the angular velocity of its rotatable excavation unit to maintain consistent soil excavation rates across non-circular cross-sections, addressing the fluctuations in existing machines.

JP2025130491AActive Publication Date: 2025-09-08KAJIMA CORP +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024027683
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-02-27
Publication Date
2025-09-08
Estimated Expiration
2044-02-27

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing tunnel boring machines struggle to appropriately control earth pressure at the tunnel face, especially when excavating non-circular cross-sectional shapes, leading to fluctuations in excavated soil volume due to the rotational position of the cutter.

Method used

A tunnel boring machine with a rotatable excavation unit comprising a first member, a second member, and a cutter, controlled by a unit to form a rectangular cross section, where the angular velocity of the cutter is adjusted to stabilize earth pressure by equalizing the excavated soil volume across different regions.

Benefits of technology

The solution allows for stable control of earth pressure during tunnel excavation by minimizing fluctuations in excavated soil volume, ensuring consistent excavation rates regardless of the cutter's rotational position.

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Abstract

To provide a tunnel excavator capable of appropriately controlling earth pressure at a tunnel face.SOLUTION: An excavation section 20 of a tunnel excavator comprises a rotating body 21 configured to be rotatable about a first axis O1, first drive means 30 that rotates the rotating body 21 about the first axis O1, a frame 23 that is rotatably supported by the rotating body 21 about a second axis O2 that is positioned spaced apart from the first axis O1, second drive means 32 that rotates the frame 23 about the second axis O2, and a cutter 25 that is rotatably supported by the frame 23 about a third axis O3 that is positioned spaced apart from the second axis O2. The average angular velocity of the third axis O3 relative to the first axis O1 is controlled so that it is larger in a constant region in an angular range that does not include a specific line Ls than in a changing region in a predetermined angular range that includes a specific line Ls that passes through the first axis O1 and a predetermined specific point Ps.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tunnel boring machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a shield machine that can excavate a non-circular cross-sectional shape.

[0003] Patent document 2 discloses a method for controlling earth pressure at the face by measuring the earth pressure inside the chamber of a shield tunneling machine with an earth pressure gauge, determining the deviation between the measured earth pressure and a target value, and controlling the drive speed of a pressure pump connected to the screw conveyor according to the deviation while rotating the screw conveyor at a constant speed, thereby adjusting the amount of earth discharged by pressure per unit time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-039976 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-332083 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is desirable for tunnel boring machines (shield machines) to appropriately control earth pressure at the tunnel face in order to excavate the tunnel face stably. In a typical shield machine with a rotary cutter, the excavated soil volume (amount of excavated soil per unit time) is proportional to the extension amount (extension amount per unit time) of the shield jack and does not change depending on the rotational speed or rotational position of the cutter. Therefore, the excavation volume of such a shield machine can be controlled by controlling the shield jack. Appropriate control of earth pressure at the tunnel face is also required when excavating a tunnel with a non-circular cross-sectional shape, as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a tunnel boring machine that can appropriately control earth pressure at the tunnel face, and more specifically, to provide a tunnel boring machine in which the amount of excavated earth does not change significantly depending on the rotational position of the cutter, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a tunnel boring machine for excavating a tunnel comprises a body capable of supporting an inner wall of natural ground, an excavation unit attached to the body for excavating the natural ground, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the excavation unit, wherein the excavation unit has a first member configured to be rotatable about a first axis parallel to the axis of the tunnel, first drive means for rotating the first member about the first axis, a second member supported by the first member to be rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis and spaced apart from the first axis, second drive means for rotating the second member about the second axis, and a cutter supported by the second member to be rotatable about a third axis parallel to the second axis and spaced apart from the second axis, and the control unit is configured to drive the excavation unit so that the outer edge of the cutter forms a rectangular shape on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel. The excavation cross section is formed, and the operation of the first driving means and the second driving means is controlled so that in a quarter region of the excavation cross section divided by an axis horizontal line passing through the first axis center and extending horizontally, and an axis vertical line passing through the first axis center and extending horizontally and vertically perpendicular to the tunnel axis, the average angular velocity of the third axis center relative to the first axis center is greater in a constant region within an angle range that does not include the specific line than in a changing region within a specified angle range that includes the specific line passing through the first axis center and a predetermined specific point, and the specific point is set as the intersection of a vertical virtual line extending vertically through a position horizontally farthest from the first axis center at the outer edge of the excavation cross section within the quarter region, and a horizontal virtual line extending horizontally through a position vertically farthest from the first axis center.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a tunnel boring machine for excavating a tunnel comprises a body capable of supporting an inner wall of natural ground, an excavation unit attached to the body and excavating the natural ground, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the excavation unit, wherein the excavation unit has a first member configured to be rotatable about a first axis parallel to the axis of the tunnel, first drive means for rotating the first member about the first axis, a second member supported by the first member to be rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis and located at a distance from the first axis, second drive means for rotating the second member about the second axis, and a cutter supported by the second member to be rotatable about a third axis parallel to the second axis and located at a distance from the second axis, and the control unit is configured to drive the excavation unit so that the outer edge of the cutter forms a rectangular excavation cross section on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel. The excavation cross section is formed by controlling the operation of the first driving means and the second driving means so that in a quarter region divided by an axis horizontal line passing through the first axis center and extending horizontally and an axis vertical line passing through the first axis center and extending horizontally and vertically perpendicular to the tunnel axis, the average angular velocity of the third axis center relative to the first axis center is greater than the average angular velocity moving through a region corresponding to the long side of a rectangle with a boundary defined by a specific line passing through the first axis center and a predetermined specific point, and the specific point is set as the intersection of a vertical virtual line extending vertically through a position horizontally farthest from the first axis center at the outer edge of the excavation cross section within the quarter region, and a horizontal virtual line extending horizontally through a position vertically farthest from the first axis center.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a tunnel boring machine for excavating a tunnel comprises a body capable of supporting an inner wall of natural ground, first and second excavation units attached to the body for excavating the natural ground, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the first and second excavation units, wherein the first and second excavation units comprise a first member configured to be rotatable about a first axis parallel to the axis of the tunnel, first drive means for rotating the first member about the first axis, and a second member supported by the first member to be rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis and spaced apart from the first axis. and a cutter supported by the second member so as to be rotatable about a third axis parallel to the second axis and spaced apart from the second axis, the first excavation unit and the second excavation unit are arranged so that their respective first axes are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction, and the excavation cross section of the tunnel perpendicular to the tunnel axis is determined by a central vertical line that passes through a horizontal center point between the first axis of the first excavation unit and the first axis of the second excavation unit and extends in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction perpendicular to the tunnel axis, and the first excavation cross section and the second excavation cross section that can be excavated by the first excavation unit are determined by a central vertical line that passes through a horizontal center point between the first axis of the first excavation unit and the first axis of the second excavation unit and extends in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction perpendicular to the tunnel axis. and a second excavation cross section that can be excavated by the excavation unit, and the control unit controls the operation of the first excavation unit and the second excavation unit to form rectangular first and second excavation cross sections on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel, and in a half cross section region obtained by dividing the first excavation cross section by an axis horizontal line that passes through the first axis of the first excavation unit and extends horizontally, the average angular velocity of the third axis center relative to the first axis of the first excavation unit is greater in a central region between a central specific line that passes through the first axis center and a predetermined central side specific point and the axis horizontal line than in an outer region between an outer specific line that passes through the first axis center and a predetermined outer specific point and the axis horizontal line. is increased, the outer specific point is set as the intersection of a vertical imaginary line extending vertically at the outer edge of the half-sectional area of ​​the first excavation section, passing through the position furthest horizontally from the first axis center of the first excavation section to the opposite side from the first axis center of the second excavation section, and a horizontal imaginary line extending horizontally, passing through the position furthest vertically from the first axis center, the central specific point is set as the intersection of the horizontal imaginary line and the central vertical line, and the distance from the first axis center to the central vertical line is shorter than the distance from the first axis center to the vertical imaginary line. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control earth pressure at the face during tunnel excavation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a shield machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the excavation section of a shield machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the tunnel face side along the axial direction of the tunnel. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a shield tunneling machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the excavation section of a shield machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention using a two-link model. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram showing Example 1, which is an example of a shield machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram showing the position, excavation area, and angular velocity of the cutter in Example 1. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing Example 2, which is an example of the shield machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram showing the position, excavation area, and angular velocity of the cutter in Example 2. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the excavation section of a shield machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the tunnel face side along the axial direction of the tunnel. [Figure 10] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a shield tunneling machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a cross-sectional view of the excavation cross section of a tunnel in Example 3, which is an example of a shield machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram showing the left and right excavation areas and the excavation cross section of the tunnel excavation cross section. [Figure 12]FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of Example 3. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram showing the position, excavation area, and angular velocity of the cutter in Example 3. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (First embodiment) A tunnel boring machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, a case will be described in which the tunnel boring machine is a shield machine 100 used in a shield tunneling method. The shield machine 100 excavates the ground (natural ground) to form an excavation hole 1, and constructs a tunnel T by assembling segment rings 10 (lining) to cover the inner wall of the excavation hole 1. Note that the present invention can also be applied to tunnel boring machines other than the shield machine 100, for example, an excavator installed at the end of a jacking pipe in a jacking method.

[0013] In the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the tunnel face side, which is the direction in which the shield machine 100 advances, is referred to as the "front," and the tunnel mouth side, which is the opposite direction, is referred to as the "rear."

[0014] The shield machine 100 of this embodiment is a mud pressure type shield machine 100 used in a mud pressure shield tunneling method.

[0015] 1, the shield machine 100 comprises a skin plate 11 as a cylindrical body extending along the axial direction of tunnel T and capable of supporting the inner wall of excavation hole 1, an excavation section 20 located in front of skin plate 11 and excavating the natural ground, a partition wall 13 located within skin plate 11 and positioned opposite excavation section 20 in the axial direction of tunnel T, a cutter chamber 14 into which earth and sand excavated by excavation section 20 flows, and a discharge mechanism 18 that discharges the earth and sand in cutter chamber 14 to the rear of the shield machine 100. Segment rings 10 are constructed sequentially on the rear side of the interior of skin plate 11 as the shield machine 100 advances.

[0016] A jack 15 is fixed to the skin plate 11. The jack 15 receives a reaction force from the segment ring 10 and propels the skin plate 11 forward, pressing a cutter 25 of the excavation section 20, which will be described later, against the natural ground. When the skin plate 11 is propelled forward and the segment ring 10 leaves the skin plate 11, a backfill material (not shown) is filled between the outer peripheral surface of the segment ring 10 and the inner wall of the excavation hole 1.

[0017] The cutter chamber 14 is defined between the working face and the partition wall 13. Excavated earth and sand and groundwater flow into the cutter chamber 14 and accumulate there.

[0018] The discharge mechanism 18 is a screw conveyor that faces the cutter chamber 14 through an opening provided in the partition wall 13. The amount of soil and sand in the cutter chamber 14 is adjusted by being discharged by the discharge mechanism 18.

[0019] 1 and 2, the excavation unit 20 includes a rotor 21 (first member) configured to be rotatable about a first axis O1 parallel to the axis of the tunnel T, a first driving means 30 that rotates the rotor 21 about the first axis O1, a frame 23 (second member) that is supported by the rotor 21 so as to be rotatable about a second axis O2 that is parallel to the first axis O1 and located at a distance from the first axis O1, a second driving means 32 that rotates the frame 23 about the second axis O2, and a cutter 25 that is supported by the frame 23 so as to be rotatable about a third axis O3 that is parallel to the second axis O2 and located at a distance from the second axis O2. The cutter 25 faces the natural ground and excavates it.

[0020] The rotating body 21 is rotatably attached to the partition wall 13. The rotating body 21 is rotatable around a first rotation axis 22 located at the first axis O1. The first axis O1 is parallel to (more precisely, coincides with) the central axis of the skin plate 11 of the shield tunneling machine 100. The rotating body 21 has a cutter bit (not shown) on the surface facing the working face, and has the excavation performance to be pressed against the natural ground to excavate. Note that the rotating body 21 does not necessarily have to have excavation performance.

[0021] The first driving means 30 has one or more electric motors 31 provided inside the skin plate 11. The first driving means 30 drives the rotating body 21 to rotate about a first axis O1.

[0022] The frame 23 is attached to the front surface of the rotor 21, which is the cutting face side, and is provided inside the cutter chamber 14. The frame 23 is attached to the rotor 21 so as to be rotatable about a second axis O2 that is parallel to the first axis O1 and spaced apart radially from the first axis O1. As shown in FIG. 1 , the frame 23 is attached to the rotor 21 via a second rotation shaft 24, one end of which is located at the second axis O2. The frame 23 is formed in the shape of an arm extending in a direction approximately perpendicular to the first rotation shaft 22.

[0023] The second driving means 32 has one or more electric motors 33 provided on the rotating body 21. The frame 23 is driven to rotate about the second axis O2 by the second driving means 32. Furthermore, since the frame 23 is attached to the rotating body 21 at a position spaced apart from the first axis O1, the frame 23 also rotates about the first axis O1 as the rotating body 21 rotates.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the cutter 25 is rotatably attached to the frame 23 at the other end opposite to the one end of the frame 23 attached to the rotor 21. The cutter 25 is rotatably attached to the frame 23 via a third rotation shaft 26 located on a third axis O3 that is parallel to the second axis O2 and radially spaced apart from the second axis O2 (and the first axis O1). The third axis O3 coincides with the central axis of the cutter 25. Therefore, the cutter 25 can rotate about the third axis O3, i.e., spin on its own axis. The first axis O1 and the second axis O2 are arranged on the frame 23 at a predetermined distance apart.

[0025] In this way, the cutter 25 is configured to be rotatable about the third axis O3, and also to be able to rotate (revolve) about the first axis O1 in response to the rotation of the rotor 21 and the frame .

[0026] 1, the third driving means 34 has one or more electric motors 35 attached to the frame 23. The cutter 25 rotates about the third axis O3 by the third driving means 34. Because the cutter 25 is attached to the frame 23 at a position spaced apart from the second axis O2, the cutter 25 is rotatable about the first axis O1 together with the frame 23, and is also rotatable about the second axis O2 in conjunction with the rotation of the frame 23 about the second axis O2.

[0027] The cutter 25 is provided with a plurality of cutter bits (not shown) that protrude forward. The cutter 25 rotates around the third axis O3 and the first axis O1 while being pressed against the natural ground, whereby the cutter bits excavate the natural ground to form the excavation hole 1. The earth and sand excavated by the cutter 25 accumulates in the cutter chamber 14.

[0028] 1 and 2, a plurality of stirring blades 27 extending in the radial direction of the second axis O2 are provided on one end side of the frame 23. The stirring blades 27 rotate together with the frame 23, thereby stirring the soil and sand remaining in the cutter chamber 14.

[0029] The rotor 21 can rotate in both directions around the first central axis O1, but only needs to rotate in one direction. The frame 23 can rotate in both directions around the second central axis O2. The cutter 25 can rotate in both directions around the third central axis O3, but only needs to rotate in one direction.

[0030] 3, the shield machine 100 further comprises a control unit 50 that controls the operation of each component of the shield machine 100, a first angle sensor 52 that measures the rotation angle of the rotor 21 about the first axis O1, and a second angle sensor 54 that measures the rotation angle of the frame 23 about the second axis O2. The shield machine 100 may also further comprise a third angle sensor 56 that measures the rotation angle of the cutter 25 relative to the third axis O3.

[0031] The control unit 50 is configured by a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a control program and the like, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) that stores the control program executed by the CPU, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores the results of CPU calculations and the like, a communication device, etc. The control unit 50 executes the various functions of the control unit 50 described in this specification by loading the control program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing it on the RAM by the CPU. The control unit 50 may be configured by one computer, or may be configured by multiple microcomputers and configured to distribute the various controls among the multiple computers.

[0032] The control unit 50 controls the operation of the first driving means 30 and the second driving means 32 based on the measurement results of the first angle sensor 52 and the second angle sensor 54, thereby controlling the cutter 25 to be at a desired position. The control unit 50 controls the operation of the first driving means 30, the second driving means 32, and the third driving means 34 so that the cutter 25 moves along a predetermined trajectory and at a predetermined speed in a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T. In other words, by controlling the rotation of the rotating body 21 about the first axis O1 and the rotation of the frame 23 about the second axis O2, the position (angular position) of the cutter 25 relative to the first axis O1 is controlled to be at a desired position (trajectory and speed).

[0033] Next, we will explain the tunnel excavation method using the shield machine 100. The control unit 50 is pre-programmed so that it can execute the following tunnel excavation method.

[0034] The relative distance of cutter 25 (third axis O3) to first axis O1, i.e., the distance (orbital radius) of cutter 25 to third axis O3 from first axis O1, changes depending on the rotation angle of frame 23 with respect to second axis O2. In shield machine 100, by controlling the angular position of cutter 25 with respect to first axis O1, it is possible to move cutter 25 along a non-circular trajectory such as a rectangle (square, oblong), ellipse, oval, or horseshoe shape, and to excavate tunnel T with a non-circular cross section.

[0035] In the shield machine 100, even if the cutter 25 moves along a rectangular trajectory, the rotating cutter 25 forms rounded corners in the rectangular cross section of the tunnel T (see, for example, Figure 5). Furthermore, because the cutter 25 is subjected to reaction forces from the excavating face, it is difficult to drive it along a perfectly rectangular trajectory. Terms used in this specification that indicate shapes, such as rectangle (square, oblong), ellipse, oval, and horseshoe, are not used in their strict sense, and errors and deviations are permitted within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0036] For ease of explanation, a Cartesian coordinate system is defined, as shown in FIG. 4, with the first axis O1 as the origin and two orthogonal axes extending horizontally and vertically. That is, the horizontal axis of the Cartesian coordinate system is defined by a horizontal axis line Lx that passes through the first axis O1 and extends horizontally, and the vertical axis is defined by a vertical axis line Ly that passes through the first axis O1 and extends horizontally. The configuration of the rotor 21, frame 23, and cutter 25 can be approximated by a two-link mechanism (model) having a first link 60 and a second link 61 in the Cartesian coordinate system. The first link 60 has a length L1 that corresponds to the radius of rotation of the second axis O2 relative to the first axis O1 (the distance between the first axis O1 and the second axis O2), with one end corresponding to the first axis O1 as the rotation fulcrum. The second link 61 is rotatably connected to the first link 60 with the other end of the first link 60 as a rotation fulcrum, and has a length L2 corresponding to the radius of rotation of the third axis O3 relative to the second axis O2 (the distance between the second axis O2 and the third axis O3). The end of the second link 61 opposite to the end connected to the first link 60 corresponds to the cutter 25 (the third axis O3).

[0037] The rotation angle θ1 of the first link 60 and the rotation angle θ2 of the second link 61 for setting the position P(x, y) of the center of the cutter 25 (third axis O3) relative to the first axis O1 to a desired position (trajectory) are obtained by the following equations (1) and (2) as an inverse motion problem of a two-link model. Note that, hereinafter, the position P of the center of the cutter 25 will also be simply referred to as "position P of the cutter 25."

[0038]

number

[0039] The control unit 50 stores the rotation angles θ1 and θ2 (rotation angles of the rotor 21 and frame 23) of the first link 60 and the second link 61 that bring the position P of the cutter 25 to the desired position (trajectory). The operation of the first drive means 30 and the second drive means 32 is controlled by the control unit 50 so that these rotation angles are realized. This allows the shield machine 100 to excavate a tunnel T with a non-circular cross section that corresponds to the trajectory of the non-circular cutter 25.

[0040] In shield machines used to excavate tunnels with circular cross sections, the cutter head equipped with the cutter bit typically rotates at a constant speed. The volume of soil excavated per unit time by such shield machines does not change depending on the rotational position (rotation angle) of the cutter head, but is proportional to the extension amount of the shield jack. Therefore, in shield machines used to excavate tunnels with circular cross sections, the excavation depth can be controlled by controlling the extension amount of the shield jack, thereby enabling appropriate control of the earth pressure at the face in the cutter chamber. The cutter head rotates, for example, 360° per minute (one rotation). However, no precise control is performed, such as controlling the jack extension speed (extension amount per time) based on the rotation angle.

[0041] Therefore, when excavating a tunnel T with a non-circular cross section, if the angular velocity of the cutter 25 is controlled to be constant, the amount of excavated soil per unit time varies depending on the angular position of the cutter 25 relative to the first axis O1. In other words, if the angular velocity of the cutter 25 is controlled to be constant, the movement speed varies depending on the distance (orbital radius) from the first axis O1 to the third axis O3, and therefore the amount of excavated soil per unit time varies. Therefore, in this embodiment, by controlling the angular velocity of the cutter 25 relative to the first axis O1, fluctuations (variations) in the amount of excavated soil due to the angular position of the cutter 25 are suppressed, and the earth pressure at the face is stabilized. In other words, according to this embodiment, it is not necessary to control the extension speed of the jack (extension amount per unit time) based on the rotation angle in order to suppress fluctuations (variations) in the amount of excavated soil, as is done in a shield tunneling machine that excavates a tunnel with a circular cross section.

[0042] In the excavation method of this embodiment, when a circumferential region around the first axis O1 on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T is divided into multiple regions based on the angle, the operation of the first drive means 30 and the second drive means 32 is controlled so that the angular velocity of the third axis O3 relative to the first axis O1 in each region corresponds to the excavation volume (excavation area) of the cutter 25 as the third axis O3 moves through the region. In other words, when the cutter 25 moves around the first axis O1 at a constant angular velocity, the cutter 25 moves at a relatively slow angular velocity during actual excavation in regions where the amount of excavated soil per unit time is relatively large. Conversely, when the cutter 25 moves around the first axis O1 at a constant angular velocity, the cutter 25 moves at a relatively fast angular velocity during actual excavation in regions where the amount of excavated soil per unit time is relatively small.

[0043] From another perspective, when the cutter 25 moves along a desired trajectory, the angular velocity of the cutter 25 is made relatively small in a region where the distance (revolution radius) from the first axis O1 to the third axis O3 of the cutter 25 is relatively large. Conversely, the angular velocity of the cutter 25 is made relatively large in a region where the distance (revolution radius) from the first axis O1 to the third axis O3 of the cutter 25 is relatively small. This equalizes the movement speed of the cutter 25 between the divided regions, suppressing fluctuations in the movement amount of the cutter 25 per unit time and, therefore, the amount of excavated soil.

[0044] 5 and 7, a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T is divided into a plurality of regions based on a specific line Ls passing through the first axis O1 and a predetermined specific point Ps. One specific point Ps is set in each of the four quadrants (first to fourth quadrants) of the Cartesian coordinate system. The specific point Ps is set as the intersection of vertical virtual lines VL11 and VL12 extending vertically through the position furthest horizontally from the first axis O1 at the outer edge of the excavation cross section of the borehole 1 to be excavated in the four quadrants, and horizontal virtual lines VL21 and VL22 extending horizontally through the position furthest vertically from the first axis O1. In other words, if the coordinates of specific point Ps are Ps(xs, ys), xs is the maximum value (first quadrant, fourth quadrant) or minimum value (second quadrant, third quadrant) of the horizontal axis (horizontal direction) of the outer edge of the excavation hole 1 in the quarter region, and ys is the maximum value (first quadrant, second quadrant) or minimum value (third quadrant, fourth quadrant) of the vertical axis (horizontal direction) of the outer edge of the excavation hole 1. The quarter region here does not necessarily have to be one of the four equal parts of the excavation cross section, as long as it is one of the four parts.

[0045] The boundary line dividing the area can be set arbitrarily in relation to the specific line Ls depending on the cross-sectional shape of the tunnel T to be excavated, etc.

[0046] Examples of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. 5 to 8. In Figs. 5 and 7, the cutter 25 rotates counterclockwise about the first axis O1. In Figs. 5 and 7, the cutter 25 moving along a trajectory is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0047] [Configuration of the shield tunneling machine 100] The shapes of the components of the shield machine 100 are as follows: In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the rotor 21 used is equipped with a cutter bit and has excavation capabilities. Length of first link 60 L1: 1.75 [m] Length of second link 61 L2: 5.50 [m] Radius of rotating body 21 R0: 3.50 [m] Radius R1 of the cutter 25 in Example 1: 3.57 [m] Radius R1 of the cutter 25 in Example 2: 3.71 [m]

[0048] [Example 1] In Example 1, a borehole 1 (tunnel T) having a square excavation cross section is excavated as shown in Fig. 5. In Example 1, the third axis O3, which is the center of the cutter 25, moves along a square trajectory with a side length of 10 m, centered on the first axis O1.

[0049] The following describes the operation and excavation amount of the cutter 25 in Example 1. Since the trajectory of the cutter 25 is symmetrical about the first axis O1, the following describes only the quarter region corresponding to the first quadrant in a Cartesian coordinate system with the first axis O1 as the origin.

[0050] Fig. 6 is a table showing the rotation angle θ1 of the first link 60 and the rotation angle θ2 of the second link 61 relative to the position P(x, y) of the center (third axis O3) of the cutter 25 that moves along a square trajectory, and the excavation area at the position of the cutter 25. In the table of Fig. 6, the positions P of the cutter 25 are positions on the square trajectory that are divided into 16 equal angles between position P(5, 0) where the angle is 0° and position P(0, 5) where the angle is 90°.

[0051] The rotation angle θ1 of the first link 60 and the rotation angle θ2 of the second link 61 can be calculated by the above formulas (1) and (2) based on the position P(x, y) of the cutter 25. Note that from the above formulas (1) and (2), two solutions are calculated for θ1 and θ2, but it is sufficient to use either one of the solutions.

[0052] The excavation area of ​​the cutter 25 at each position can be geometrically calculated from the position change of the cutter 25 between the current position and the previous position and the radius R1 of the cutter 25. Note that, since No. 0 is the starting point, the excavation area is not calculated.

[0053] 5, the specific point Ps is set as the intersection of a vertical imaginary line VL11 that passes through the position furthest horizontally from the first axis O1 on the outer edge of the borehole 1 and extends vertically, and a horizontal imaginary line VL21 that passes through the position furthest vertically from the first axis O1 and extends horizontally. The coordinates (xs, ys) of the specific point Ps are xs = Lp / 2 + R = 8.57, ys = Lp / 2 + R = 8.57, where Lp is the length of one side of the square that is the trajectory of the cutter 25 (Lp = 10 [m] in the first embodiment).

[0054] The specific line Ls is set as a line passing through such a specific point Ps and the first axis O1, which is the origin. If the excavation cross section of the borehole 1 is square, the specific line Ls will be a line having an angle of 45°. In this case, the specific line Ls will be a line passing through the point where the movement direction of the cutter 25 changes, in other words, the corner of the square (vertex P(5,5)) that is the trajectory of the cutter 25.

[0055] In Example 1, two lines with an angular difference of ±22.5° with respect to the specific line Ls are set as the region boundary lines Lb1 and Lb2. The region sandwiched between the two region boundary lines Lb1 and Lb2 and having an angular range of 45° including the specific line Ls is referred to as the "variable region," and the region between the horizontal axis and one region boundary line Lb1 and the region between the vertical axis and the other region boundary line Lb2 are collectively referred to as the "constant region." The constant region is a region having an angular range of 45° as a whole. The variable region including the specific line Ls is a region where the distance (orbital radius) to the third axis center O3 of the cutter 25 relative to the first axis center O1 becomes relatively large. Note that the angle α in FIG. 5 indicates the central angle of each region.

[0056] The area per unit angle of the cutter 25 in the variable region and the constant region is as shown in Figure 6. The excavation area per unit angle is the sum of the excavation areas within the region divided by the angle of the region. For comparison, the excavation area per unit angle in the variable region is calculated by dividing the region into 22.5° increments. The region that can be excavated by the rotor 21 is excluded from the excavation area.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 6 , the excavation area per unit angle in the varying region is larger than that in the constant region, and the ratio is approximately 1.38 times. Therefore, in Example 1, the angular velocity of the cutter 25 is set to be larger in the constant region than in the varying region. More specifically, first, the average speed of one rotation of the cutter 25 around the first axis O1 is determined in advance. Then, to achieve this average speed, the angular velocity of the cutter 25 in the constant region is set to be larger than the angular velocity of the cutter 25 in the varying region by an amount corresponding to the ratio of the excavation area. In other words, the angular velocity of the cutter 25 in the constant region is set to be approximately 1.38 times larger than the angular velocity of the cutter 25 in the varying region. The first driving means 30 and the second driving means 32 are controlled by the control unit 50 to move the cutter 25 at the angular velocity set in this manner. This equalizes the moving speed of the cutter 25 between the divided regions, suppressing fluctuations in the movement amount of the cutter 25 per unit time and, ultimately, the amount of excavated soil. The angular velocity here refers to the angular velocity throughout each region (variable region, general region), and can also be referred to as the average angular velocity in each region. In other words, it is sufficient that the first drive means 30 and the second drive means 32 are controlled so as to realize the set average angular velocity of the cutter 25 in each region, and the angular velocity of the cutter 25 within the region may be controlled to be approximately constant for each angle, or may vary. This is also true in Example 2 and the second embodiment (Example 3) described below. In other words, it is sufficient that the angular velocity is controlled so as to suppress fluctuations in the amount of excavated soil.

[0058] [Example 2] In Example 2, a tunnel T is excavated having a rectangular excavation cross section extending horizontally (left and right in the figure) as shown in Fig. 7. In Example 2, the third axis O3, which is the center of the cutter 25, moves along a rectangular trajectory with a horizontal side (long side) length of 12 [m] and a vertical side (short side) length of 8 [m], centered on the first axis O1.

[0059] The following describes the operation and excavation amount of the cutter 25 in Example 2. As in Example 1, the following describes only the quarter region corresponding to the first quadrant in the Cartesian coordinate system.

[0060] 8 is a table corresponding to FIG. 6 of Example 1, and shows the rotation angle θ1 of the first link 60 and the rotation angle θ2 of the second link 61 relative to the position P(x, y) of the cutter 25 and the excavation area in Example 2. The positions P of the cutter 25 are positions at every 16 equal angles between position P(6, 0) at an angle of 0° and position P(0, 4) at an angle of 90° on the rectangular trajectory, positions on a specific line Ls described below, and positions at ±22.5° with respect to the specific line Ls.

[0061] 7, the specific point Ps is set as the intersection of a vertical imaginary line VL12 that passes through the position furthest horizontally from the first axis O1 on the outer edge of the borehole 1 and extends vertically, and a horizontal imaginary line VL22 that passes through the position furthest vertically from the first axis O1 and extends horizontally. The coordinates (xs, ys) of the specific point Ps are xs = Lr1 / 2 + R = 9.71, ys = Lp + R = 7.71, where Lr1 is the length of the long side of the rectangle that is the trajectory of the cutter 25 (Lr1 = 12 [m] in the second embodiment) and Lr2 is the length of the short side (Lr2 = 8 [m] in the second embodiment).

[0062] The specific line Ls is set as a line passing through the specific point Ps set in this way and the first axis O1, which is the origin. The specific line Ls in the second embodiment is set as a tangent to the horizontal line. -1 The angle is (ys / xs) ≒ 38.5°.

[0063] In Example 2, the specific line Ls itself is set as the region boundary line that divides the region. Hereinafter, a region where the portion corresponding to the short side of the rectangle moves relatively frequently (a region with a smaller angle than the specific line Ls) will be referred to as a "short side region," and a region where the portion corresponding to the long side moves frequently (a region with a larger angle than the specific line Ls) will be referred to as a "long side region."

[0064] The excavation area per unit angle of the cutter 25 in the short side region and the long side region is as shown in FIG. 8 . Note that the region that the rotor 21 can excavate is excluded from the excavation area. As shown in FIG. 8 , the excavation area per unit angle in the short side region is larger than that in the long side region, with the ratio being approximately 1.39 times. Therefore, in Example 2, the angular velocity of the cutter 25 is set to be larger in the long side region than in the short side region. More specifically, the angular velocity of the cutter 25 in the long side region is set to be larger than the angular velocity of the cutter 25 in the short side region by an amount corresponding to the ratio of the excavation area so that a predetermined average speed per rotation is achieved. In other words, the angular velocity of the cutter 25 in the long side region is set to be approximately 1.39 times larger than the angular velocity of the cutter 25 in the short side region. The first driving means 30 and the second driving means 32 are controlled by the control unit 50 to move the cutter 25 at the angular velocities set in this manner. As a result, the speed at which the cutter 25 moves is equalized between the divided areas, suppressing fluctuations in the amount of movement of the cutter 25 per unit time, and therefore in the amount of excavated soil. As in the first embodiment, the angular velocity here refers to the angular velocity in the entirety of each area (short side area, long side area), and can also be referred to as the average angular velocity in each area.

[0065] (Second embodiment) Next, a shield machine (tunnel boring machine) 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 12. The shield machine 200 differs from the first embodiment in that it is equipped with two of the excavation sections 20 of the first embodiment. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of configurations that are the same as or equivalent to those described in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0066] In the second embodiment, each of the excavation units 20 is capable of excavating the natural ground with a non-circular cross section, and two excavation units 20 excavate one tunnel T with a non-circular excavation cross section. In other words, the two excavation units 20 are configured so that the areas excavated by each other are connected or partially overlapping in a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T, and this allows the shield machine 200 to form one excavation hole 1 (tunnel T) with a non-circular cross section. The specific configuration of the shield machine 200 will be described below.

[0067] 9 and 10, the two excavation units 20 each have the same configuration as the excavation unit 20 in the first embodiment. Therefore, the two-link model shown in FIG. 4 can also be applied to each of the two excavation units 20 in the second embodiment.

[0068] Although illustrations and detailed explanations are omitted, the shield tunneling machine 200 is equipped with a first angle sensor 52, a second angle sensor 54, and a third angle sensor 56, similar to those in the first embodiment described above, corresponding to (respectively) the two excavation sections.

[0069] In the following, unless otherwise specified, left and right refer to the horizontal left and right direction when viewed parallel to the axis of tunnel T from the face side (left and right direction in Figure 9). Furthermore, the excavation section on the left side in the horizontal direction when viewed parallel to the axis of tunnel T from the face side will be referred to as the "left excavation section 20L" (second excavation section), and the excavation section on the right side will be referred to as the "right excavation section 20R" (first excavation section). Furthermore, each component of the left excavation section 20L will be described with the letters "left side" added to the beginning of the component name and the suffix "L" added to the end of the reference numeral of the corresponding component as a reference symbol, in comparison with each component of the excavation section 20 of the first embodiment described above. Similarly, each component of the right excavation section 20R will be described with the letters "right side" added to the beginning of the component name and the suffix "R" added to the reference numeral.

[0070] The left excavation section 20L and the right excavation section 20R are arranged so that the left first axis O1L and the right first axis O1R are separated by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction, as shown in Figure 9. The left first axis O1L and the right first axis O1R are parallel to each other and to the axis of the tunnel T.

[0071] As shown in Figure 11(a), the left excavation area A2 (second excavation area) that can be excavated by the left excavation unit 20L and the right excavation area A1 (first excavation area) that can be excavated by the right excavation unit 20R are formed symmetrically with respect to a predetermined central vertical line Lv extending vertically in a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T, and partially overlap each other (hereinafter, the overlapping part will be referred to as the "overlapping area A0"). In Figure 11(a), the hatched area is the right excavation area A1, and the cross-hatched area within that is the overlapping area A0.

[0072] In other words, as shown in Figure 11(b), the excavation cross section of tunnel T is separated into a left-side excavation cross section CS2 (second excavation cross section) and a right-side excavation cross section CS1 (first excavation cross section) by a predetermined central vertical line Lv extending in the vertical direction. In Figure 11(b), the hatched area is the right-side excavation cross section CS1. In other words, of the cross sections obtained by dividing the excavation cross section of tunnel T by the central vertical line Lv, the side that can be excavated by the left-side excavation section 20L (in other words, the side that is mainly excavated by the left-side excavation section 20L) other than the overlapping area is the left-side excavation cross section CS2, and the side that can be excavated by the right-side excavation section 20R (in other words, the side that is mainly excavated by the right-side excavation section 20R) is the right-side excavation cross section CS1.

[0073] The central vertical line Lv is determined according to the configuration of the left and right excavation units 20L, 20R, including the horizontal separation distance, and the trajectories of the left cutter 25L and the right cutter 25R. Specifically, the central vertical line Lv is a vertical line extending vertically through the horizontal center point Pc in the overlapping area A0 between the left excavation area A2 and the right excavation area A1. In other words, it corresponds to the perpendicular bisector of the line segment where the axial horizontal line Lx passing through the first axial centers O1L, O1R of the left and right excavation units 20L, 20R and the overlapping area A0 overlap. For example, as in this embodiment, when the left and right excavation areas A1, A2 are symmetrical with respect to the central vertical line Lv, the central vertical line Lv is set as a line extending vertically through the horizontal center point Pc between the left first axis center O1L and the right first axis center O1R in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T (the perpendicular bisector of the horizontal line segment connecting the left first axis center O1L and the right first axis center O1R).

[0074] In this embodiment, the horizontal distance between the left first axis O1L of the left excavation unit 20L and the central vertical line Lv is shorter than the horizontal distance from the left first axis O1L to the outer edge (inner peripheral surface) of the horizontally furthest left excavation cross section CS2 (the horizontal distance between the left first axis O1L and a vertical imaginary line described later). Similarly, the horizontal distance between the right first axis O1R of the right excavation unit 20R and the central vertical line Lv is shorter than the horizontal distance from the right first axis O1R to the outer edge (inner peripheral surface) of the horizontally furthest right excavation cross section CS1 (the horizontal distance between the right first axis O1R and a vertical imaginary line VL13 described later).

[0075] The left excavation section 20L and the right excavation section 20R are controlled by the control section 50 so that the left cutter 25L and the right cutter 25R move along a predetermined trajectory and do not interfere with (contact with) each other.

[0076] In the tunnel excavation method of the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, in at least one of the left excavation section 20L and the right excavation section 20R, when the circumferential region centered on the first axis O1L, O1R on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T is divided into multiple regions based on the angle, the operation of the first drive means 30L,R and the second drive means 32,R can be controlled so that the angular velocity of the third axis O3L, O3R relative to the first axis O1L, O1R in each region corresponds to the excavation volume (excavation area) of the cutters 25L, 25R as the third axis O3L, O3R moves through the region. This makes it possible to suppress fluctuations (variations) in the excavated soil volume due to the angular position of the left cutter 25L and / or the right cutter 25R, and stabilize the earth pressure at the face.

[0077] The left and right excavation sections 20L, 20R are controlled to perform the same excavation method as in the first embodiment, thereby achieving the above-mentioned effects.

[0078] Furthermore, the left and right excavation sections 20L, 20R can achieve the same effects as in the first embodiment by carrying out the following excavation method instead of the excavation direction of the first embodiment.

[0079] The following description will be given using the right excavation unit 20R as an example. For the left excavation unit 20L, the same effects can be achieved by reversing the configuration in the following description, i.e., reading the right side as the left side and the left side as the right side. The excavation method described below may also be performed in both the right excavation unit 20R and the left excavation unit 20L. The following description will be given by setting an orthogonal coordinate system in the right excavation region A1, with the right first axis O1R as the origin and consisting of two orthogonal axes (axis horizontal line Lx and axis vertical line Ly) extending horizontally and vertically, respectively.

[0080] In the excavation method using the right-side excavation unit 20R, as shown in Figure 12, the right-side excavation cross section CS1 is divided into multiple regions based on an outer specific line Los passing through the right-side first axis O1R and a predetermined outer specific point Pos, and a central specific line Lcs passing through the right-side first axis O1R and a predetermined central specific point Pcs.

[0081] Because the trajectory and excavation volume of the right cutter 25R of the right excavation unit 20R are symmetrical about the horizontal axis (axis horizontal line Lx) in the Cartesian coordinate system, one outer specific point Pos and one central specific point Pcs are set in each half-sectional area (first and second quadrants, third and fourth quadrants) of the Cartesian coordinate system. The outer specific point Pos is set at the outer edge of the half-sectional area of ​​the right excavation cross section CS1 as the intersection of a vertical virtual line VL13 extending vertically from the right first axis O1R toward the opposite side from the left first axis O1L (the right side in FIG. 12) and passing through the position furthest horizontally, and a horizontal virtual line VL23 extending horizontally through the position furthest vertically from the right first axis O1R. The central specific point Pcs is set as the intersection of the horizontal virtual line VL23 and the central vertical line Lv. Note that the half-sectional area does not necessarily have to be an intersection of the excavation cross section divided into two equal parts. It only needs to be one divided into two.

[0082] In the right excavation cross section CS1 excavated by the right excavation unit 20R, the horizontal distance between the right first axis O1R and the central vertical line Lv is shorter than the horizontal distance between the right first axis O1R and the vertical virtual line VL13. Therefore, the excavation volume per unit angle of the right excavation unit 20R is larger when the right cutter 25R moves through a predetermined region to the right of the right first axis O1R in the horizontal direction (toward the vertical virtual line VL13) than when the right cutter 25R moves through a predetermined region to the left of the right first axis O1R in the horizontal direction (toward the central vertical line Lv). Therefore, by controlling the angular velocity of the right cutter 25R with respect to the right first axis O1R for each predetermined region in accordance with this difference in excavation volume, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

[0083] Furthermore, for example, if the left excavation unit 20L excavates the natural ground in the overlapping area and the right excavation unit 20R does not excavate the natural ground in the overlapping area A0, the excavation amount per unit angle when part of the right cutter 25R passes through the overlapping area A0 may be less than the excavation amount per unit angle when moving through other areas, regardless of the distance between the right first axis O1R and the central vertical line Lv and the vertical virtual line VL13. Even in such a case, by controlling the angular velocity of the right cutter 25R relative to the right first axis O1R for each predetermined area in accordance with this difference in excavation amount, it is possible to achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

[0084] In the second embodiment described above, an example was given in which the shield machine 200 is equipped with two excavation sections 20 (left excavation section 20L, right excavation section 20R), but the shield machine 200 may also be equipped with three or more excavation sections 20. In this case, the excavation sections 20 are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction so that the first axis O1 of each excavation section 20 is parallel to one another. With this configuration, it is possible to excavate tunnels T with a wider variety of cross-sectional shapes.

[0085] Next, Example 3 will be described as an example of the second embodiment. In FIG. 12, the right cutter 25R rotates counterclockwise about the right first axis O1R. In FIG. 12, the right cutter 25R moving on a trajectory is shown by a two-dot chain line, and the left excavation cross section CS2 is shown by a dashed line. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following example.

[0086] [Configuration of the shield tunneling machine 200] The shapes of each component of the shield machine 200 are as follows. In Example 3, the components of the left excavation section 20L and the right excavation section 20R have the same shape. In the following examples, the rotor 21 used is equipped with a cutter bit and has excavation capabilities. Length of first link 60 L1: 1.35 [m] Length of second link 61 L2: 5.50 [m] Radius of rotating body 21 R0: 1.50 [m] Cutter 25 radius R1: 1.50 [m] Horizontal distance D0 between the left first axis center O1L and the right first axis center O1R: 5.00 [m]

[0087] [Example 3] In Example 3, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, each of the left and right excavation sections 20L, 20R excavates the natural ground using an excavation area having a rectangular cross section, more specifically, a rectangular cross section extending in the vertical direction (up and down in the figure), and the shield machine 200 excavates a rectangular tunnel T (excavation hole 1) extending horizontally. In Example 3, the left cutter 25L and the right cutter 25R move along a rectangular trajectory with a horizontal side (short side) length Lr1 = 3 [m] and a vertical side (long side) length Lr2 = 6 [m], centered on the left first axis center O1L or the right first axis center O1R, respectively. In addition, the left and right excavation areas A1, A2 partially overlap, and the excavation cross section is separated into a left excavation cross section CS2 and a right excavation cross section CS1 by a central vertical line Lv. Therefore, the shield machine 200 forms a tunnel T (excavation hole 1) having a horizontal long side length Lr3=11 [m] and a short side length Lr4=9 [m].

[0088] In the following, as in the description of the second embodiment, the right excavation section 20R will be described as an example. In addition, in the following, only the half cross-sectional areas corresponding to the first and second quadrants in an orthogonal coordinate system with the right first axis O1R as the origin will be described.

[0089] 13 is a table corresponding to FIG. 6 of Example 1, and shows the excavation area and the rotation angle θ1 of the first link 60 and the rotation angle θ2 of the second link 61 relative to the position P(x, y) of the right cutter 25R in Example 3. The position P of the right cutter 25R indicates the positions on the rectangular trajectory divided every 10° between position P(1.5, 0) where the angle is 0° and position P(-1.5, 0) where the angle is 180°, and the positions of the intersections with the outer specified line Los and the center specified line Lcs.

[0090] In the third embodiment, the right-side excavation area A1 is divided into a plurality of areas by an outer specific line Los and a central specific line Lcs. As shown in FIG. 12, the outer specific point Pos is set as the intersection of a vertical virtual line VL13 that passes through the position furthest horizontally from the first axis O1 at the outer edge of the excavation hole 1 and extends vertically, and a horizontal virtual line VL23 that passes through the position furthest vertically from the right-side first axis O1R and extends horizontally. The coordinates (xos, yos) of the outer specific point Pos are xos = Lr1 / 2 + R1 = 3.00, yos = Lr2 / 2 + R1 = 4.50. In addition, the horizontal distance D1 (= 2.5 [m]) between the right-side first axis OR1 and the central vertical line Lv is shorter (D1 <D2)。

[0091] The outer specified line Los is set as a line passing through the outer specified point Pos and the right first axis O1R, which is the origin. The outer specified line Los in the third embodiment is set as a line passing through the outer specified point Pos and the right first axis O1R, which is the origin. -1 The angle is (yоs / xоs) ≒ 56.31°.

[0092] The central specific point Pcs is set as the intersection of the horizontal virtual line VL23 and the central vertical line Lv. The coordinates (xcs, ycs) of the central specific point Pcs are xcs = -D / 2 = -2.50, yos = Lr2 / 2 + R1 = 4.50.

[0093] The center-side specific line Lcs is set as a line passing through the center-side specific point Pcs and the first right-side axis O1R, which is the origin. The center-side specific line Lcs in the third embodiment is set as a line passing through the center-side specific point Pcs and the first right-side axis O1R, which is the origin. -1 The angle is (ycs / xcs) ≒ 119.06°.

[0094] In Example 3, the outer specific line Los and the central specific line Lcs are set as region boundary lines that divide the regions. Hereinafter, the region between the horizontal axis (axial horizontal line Lx) and the outer specific line Los (the region on the minor angle side where the angle is smaller) will be referred to as the "outer region," the region between the outer specific line Los and the central specific line Lcs will be referred to as the "middle region," and the region between the central specific line Lcs and the horizontal axis (the region on the minor angle side where the angle is smaller) will be referred to as the "central region."

[0095] The excavation area per unit angle of the right cutter 25R in the outer region, middle region, and center region is as shown in FIG. 13. Note that the region that can be excavated by the right rotor 21R is excluded from the excavation area. As shown in FIG. 13, the excavation area per unit angle increases in the middle region, outer region, and center region in that order. Therefore, in Example 3, the angular velocity of the right cutter 25R is set to increase in the center region, outer region, and middle region in that order. As in the first and second examples described above, the angular velocity of the right cutter 25R in each region is set in accordance with the ratio of the excavation area so that the smaller the excavation area, the greater the angular velocity, so that a predetermined average speed per rotation is achieved.

[0096] In particular, because the horizontal distance D1 between the right first axis OR1 and the central vertical line Lv is shorter than the distance D2 between the right first axis OR1 and the vertical virtual line VL13, the excavation volume per unit angle in the outer region is greater than the excavation volume per unit angle in the central region. Therefore, the angular velocity of the right cutter 25R relative to the right first axis O1R is set to be greater in the central region than in the outer region by an amount corresponding to the ratio of the excavation volumes per unit angle. This equalizes the movement speed of the right cutter 25R between the divided regions, suppressing fluctuations in the movement amount of the cutter 25 per unit time and, ultimately, the excavated soil volume. As in Examples 1 and 2 of the first embodiment, the angular velocity here refers to the angular velocity in each region (outer region, central region, and intermediate region) as a whole, and can also be referred to as the average angular velocity in each region.

[0097] According to the first and second embodiments described above, the following advantageous effects are achieved.

[0098] The shield machine 100 according to the first embodiment comprises a skin plate 11 capable of supporting the inner wall of the natural ground, an excavation unit 20 attached to the skin plate 11 and excavating the natural ground, and a control unit 50 for controlling the operation of the excavation unit 20. The excavation unit 20 comprises a rotor 21 configured to be rotatable about a first axis O1 parallel to the axis of the tunnel T, a first drive means 30 for rotating the rotor 21 about the first axis O1, a frame 23 supported by the rotor 21 to be rotatable about a second axis O2 parallel to the first axis O1 and spaced apart from the first axis O1, a second drive means 32 for rotating the frame 23 about the second axis O2, and a drive means 33 for rotating the frame 23 about a second axis O2 parallel to the second axis O2 and spaced apart from the second axis O2. The control unit 50 is configured to control the operation of the first driving means 30 and the second driving means 32 so that, in a quadrant of a rectangular excavation cross section on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T formed by the outer excavation edge of the cutter 25, divided by a horizontal line passing through the first axis O1 and extending horizontally and a vertical line passing through the first axis O1 and extending vertically, the average angular velocity of the third axis O3 relative to the first axis O1 is larger in a constant region within an angular range that does not include the specific line Ls than in a variable region within a specified angular range that includes a specific line Ls passing through the first axis O1 and a specified specific point Ps. The specific point Ps is set as the intersection of a vertical virtual line VL11 extending vertically through the position furthest horizontally from the first axis center O1 at the outer edge of the excavation cross section within the quarter region, and a horizontal virtual line VL21 extending horizontally through the position furthest vertically from the first axis center O1.

[0099] In addition, in the shield tunneling machine 100, the change region is an angle range of 35 degrees or more and 55 degrees or less.

[0100] In addition, in the shield tunneling machine 100, the control unit 50 is configured to control the operation of the first driving means 30 and the second driving means 32 so that in a quadrant of the rectangular excavation cross section on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T formed by the excavation outer edge of the cutter 25, divided by a horizontal line passing through the first axis center O1 and extending horizontally and a vertical line passing through the first axis center O1 and extending vertically, the average angular velocity of the third axis center O3 relative to the first axis center O1 is greater than the average angular velocity moving through the region corresponding to the long side of the rectangle, with the boundary being a specific line Ls passing through the first axis center O1 and a predetermined specific point Ps.

[0101] With this configuration, the angular velocity of the third axis O3 relative to the first axis O1 is controlled in accordance with the excavation volume by the cutter 25. Specifically, in an area where the excavation volume per angle relative to the first axis O1 is large, the average angular velocity of the third axis O3, which is the center of the cutter 25, is controlled to be smaller than the average angular velocity in other areas where the excavation volume is smaller than the area. This reduces the difference in the excavation volume per hour between areas where the excavation volume of the cutter 25 is large and areas where it is small, thereby suppressing fluctuations (variations) in the excavation volume per hour by the cutter 25. Because fluctuations in the excavation volume of the cutter 25 are suppressed, the earth pressure at the face can be appropriately controlled. In other words, in the quadrant of the rectangular excavation cross section divided by a horizontal line passing through the first axis O1 and extending horizontally and a vertical line passing through the first axis O1 and extending vertically, the fluctuation (variation) in the amount of excavation by the cutter 25 can be suppressed without controlling the extension speed (extension amount per time) of the jack 15, and the earth pressure at the face can be appropriately controlled.

[0102] The shield machine 200 according to the second embodiment comprises a skin plate 11 capable of supporting the inner wall of the natural ground, a right-side excavation unit 20R and a left-side excavation unit 20L attached to the skin plate 11 and excavating the natural ground, and a control unit 50 for controlling the operation of the right-side excavation unit 20R and the left-side excavation unit 20L, and the right-side excavation unit 20R and the left-side excavation unit 20L each comprise rotors 21R, 21L configured to be rotatable about first axes O1R, O1L parallel to the axis of the tunnel T, first drive means 30R, 30L for rotating the rotors 21R, 21L about the first axes O1R, O1L, frames 23R, 3L supported by the rotors 21R, 21L rotatable about second axes O2R, O2L which are parallel to the first axes O1R, O1L and spaced apart from the first axes O1R, O1L, and a control unit 50 for controlling the operation of the right-side excavation unit 20R, 21L. Each of the right and left excavation sections 20R and 20L has a second driving means 32R, 32L that rotates the right and left first axes O1R, O1L around the second axes O2R, O2L, and a cutter 25R, 5L supported by the frame 23R, 23L so as to be rotatable about a third axis O3R, O3L that is parallel to the second axes O2R, O2L and spaced apart from the second axes O2R, O2L.The right excavation section 20R and the left excavation section 20L are arranged so that their respective first axis O1R, O1L are spaced apart horizontally from each other, and the excavation cross section of the tunnel T perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T is divided into a right excavation cross section CS1 and a left excavation cross section CS2 by a central vertical line Lv that passes through the horizontal center point Pc between the right first axis O1R of the right excavation section 20R and the first axis OR1L of the left excavation section 20L and extends horizontally and vertically perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T. The right excavation cross section CS1 is a cross section excavated mainly by the right excavation section 20R, and the left excavation cross section CS2 is a cross section excavated mainly by the left excavation section 20L.

[0103] In the second embodiment, the control unit 50 controls the operation of the right-side excavation unit 20R and the left-side excavation unit 20L so as to form rectangular right-side excavation sections CS1 and left-side excavation sections CS2 on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T, and is configured to control the operation of the right-side first driving means 30R and the right-side second driving means 32R of the right-side excavation unit 20R so that in the half-sectional area obtained by dividing the right-side excavation section CS1 by the axis horizontal line Lx extending horizontally through the first axis O1R of the right-side excavation unit 20R, the average angular velocity of the right-side third axis center O3R relative to the right-side first axis center O1R is larger in the central area between the central specific line Lcs passing through the first axis center O1R and a predetermined central specific point Pcs and the axis horizontal line Lx than in the outer area between the outer specific line Los passing through the right-side first axis center O1R and a predetermined outer specific point Pos and the axis horizontal line Lx. The outer specific point Pos is set at the outer edge of the half-sectional area of ​​the right-side excavation cross section CS1 as the intersection of a vertical virtual line VL13 extending vertically from the first axis O1R of the right-side excavation section 20R through the position horizontally farthest from the left-side first axis O1L, and a horizontal virtual line VL23 extending horizontally through the position vertically farthest from the right-side first axis O1R, and the central specific point Pcs is set as the intersection of the horizontal virtual line L23 and the central vertical line Lv, and the distance D1 from the right-side first axis O1R to the central vertical line Lv is shorter than the distance D2 from the right-side first axis O1R to the vertical virtual line VL13.

[0104] In addition to or instead of controlling the right-side excavation unit 20R as described above, the control unit 50 can also be configured to control the operation of the right-side excavation unit 20R and the left-side excavation unit 20L so as to form rectangular right-side excavation cross section CS1 and left-side excavation cross section CS2 on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel T, and to control the operation of the left-side first drive means 30L and the left-side second drive means 32L of the left-side excavation unit 20L so that in the half-sectional area obtained by dividing the left-side excavation cross section CS2 by an axis horizontal line passing through the first axis O1L of the left-side excavation unit 20L and extending horizontally, the average angular velocity of the left-side third axis center O3L relative to the left-side first axis center O1L is greater in the central area between the central specific line passing through the first axis center O1L and a predetermined central specific point and the axis horizontal line than in the outer area between the outer specific line passing through the left-side first axis center O1L and a predetermined outer specific point and the axis horizontal line. The outer specific point is set at the outer edge of the half-sectional area of ​​the left-side excavation cross section CS2 as the intersection of a vertical imaginary line extending vertically from the first axis O1L of the left-side excavation section 20L through the position horizontally farthest from the first axis O1R opposite the right-side first axis O1R, and a horizontal imaginary line extending horizontally through the position vertically farthest from the left-side first axis center; the central specific point is set as the intersection of the horizontal imaginary line and the central vertical line Lv, and the distance from the left-side first axis center O1L to the central vertical line Lv is shorter than the distance from the left-side first axis center O1L to the vertical imaginary line.

[0105] With this configuration, the average angular velocity of the right-side third axis O3R relative to the right-side first axis O1R is controlled according to the excavation volume by the right cutter 25R. Specifically, in the outer regions where the excavation volume per angle relative to the right-side first axis O1R is large, the average angular velocity of the right-side third axis O3R, which is the center of the right cutter 25R, is controlled to be smaller than the average angular velocity in the central region where the excavation volume is smaller than in the outer regions. This reduces the difference in the excavation volume per hour between regions where the excavation volume of the right cutter 25R is large and regions where it is small, thereby suppressing fluctuations (variations) in the excavation volume per hour by the right cutter 25R. Because fluctuations in the excavation volume of the right cutter 25R are suppressed, the earth pressure at the face can be appropriately controlled.

[0106] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0107] In the first and second embodiments described above, the frame 23 is provided with a single cutter 25. However, in addition to the cutter 25 described in each of the above embodiments, one or more auxiliary cutters may be provided on the frame 23. For example, the length of the frame 23 (length L2 of the second link 61) may be increased compared to the above embodiments, and the auxiliary cutter may be provided on the frame 23 coaxially with the second axis O2 and rotated about the second axis O2 by an auxiliary cutter driving means. Also, in the above embodiments, the frame 23 may be extended to the side opposite the cutter 25, and the auxiliary cutter may be provided at the extended end. Providing such an auxiliary cutter increases the excavation area of ​​the shield machine 100, enabling it to excavate a tunnel T with a larger cross-section.

[0108] Furthermore, the method of setting the specific points Ps and specific lines Ls and the method of dividing the area described in Examples 1 and 2 are not limited to those of the above-mentioned examples. Similarly, in Example 3, the method of setting the outer specific points Pos and outer specific lines Los and the central specific points Pcs and central specific lines Lcs and the method of dividing the area are not limited to those of the above-mentioned examples.

[0109] For example, in Example 1, the angular range of the change region does not have to be 45°. When the region is divided into multiple regions with different angular ranges, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be achieved by setting the angular velocity according to the excavation area in each region. For example, the angular range of the change region is preferably set to be between 35° and 55°, inclusive, to achieve the same effects as those of the above embodiment.

[0110] Furthermore, in Example 2, similar to Example 1, the area may be divided into an area of ​​a predetermined angle range (for example, 45°) including the specific line Ls and an area not including the specific line Ls. That is, in Example 2 in which the trajectory of the cutter 25 is rectangular, the specific line Ls may be set similar to Example 1, and the angular velocity of the cutter 25 may be made different between the varying area and the constant area. In such a case, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be achieved by setting the angular velocity according to the excavation area in each area.

[0111] In the second embodiment and the third example, the left excavation section 20L and the right excavation section 20R The configurations of the left and right excavation areas A2 and A1 may not be identical to each other and may be different from each other. In other words, the left and right excavation areas A2 and A1 may not be symmetrical with respect to the central vertical line Lv, and may have different shapes, such as a square and a rectangle, respectively. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 11 Skin Plate (torso) 13 Bulkhead 20, 20L, 20R Excavation Section 21, 21L, 21R Rotating body (first member) 23, 23L, 21R Frame (second member) 25, 25L, 5R cutter 30, 30L, 30R First driving means 32, 32L, 32R Second driving means 50 control section 100,200 Shield tunneling machine (tunnel boring machine) CS1 Right side excavation cross section CS2 left side excavation cross section Ls specific line Lcs center specific line Los outside specific line Lv center vertical line Lx axis horizontal line Ly axis vertical line O1, O1L, O1R 1st axis center O2, O2L, O2R 2nd axis center O3,O3L,O3R 3rd axis center Ps specific point PC center point Pcs Central specific point Pos Outside specific point T-Tunnel VL11 Horizontal virtual line VL12 Virtual Line VL21 Virtual Line VL22 Virtual Line VL13 Vertical virtual line VL23 horizontal virtual line

Claims

1. A tunnel boring machine for excavating a tunnel, a trunk capable of supporting the inner wall of the natural ground; an excavation unit attached to the body and configured to excavate the natural ground; a control unit that controls the operation of the excavation unit, The excavation section is a first member configured to be rotatable about a first axis parallel to the axis of the tunnel; a first driving means for rotating the first member about the first axis; a second member supported by the first member so as to be rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis and spaced apart from the first axis; second driving means for rotating the second member about the second axis; a cutter supported by the second member so as to be rotatable about a third axis that is parallel to the second axis and spaced apart from the second axis, the control unit controls the operation of the excavation unit so that the excavation outer edge of the cutter forms a rectangular excavation cross section on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel; The operation of the first driving means and the second driving means is controlled so that, in a quarter region of the excavation cross section divided by an axis horizontal line passing through the first axis and extending horizontally, and an axis vertical line passing through the first axis and extending vertically perpendicular to the horizontal direction and the axis of the tunnel, the average angular velocity of the third axis relative to the first axis is larger in a constant region within an angle range that does not include a specific line than in a changing region within a specific angle range that includes a specific line passing through the first axis and a specific point, The specific point is set as an intersection point of a vertical imaginary line extending in the vertical direction through a position farthest from the first axis center in the horizontal direction at the outer edge of the excavation cross section within the quarter region, and a horizontal imaginary line extending in the horizontal direction through a position farthest from the first axis center in the vertical direction. Tunnel boring machine.

2. 2. A tunnel boring machine according to claim 1, The change region is an angle range of 35° to 55°. Tunnel boring machine.

3. A tunnel boring machine for excavating a tunnel, a trunk capable of supporting the inner wall of the natural ground; an excavation unit attached to the body and configured to excavate the natural ground; a control unit that controls the operation of the excavation unit, The excavation section is a first member configured to be rotatable about a first axis parallel to the axis of the tunnel; a first driving means for rotating the first member about the first axis; a second member supported by the first member so as to be rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis and spaced apart from the first axis; second driving means for rotating the second member about the second axis; a cutter supported by the second member so as to be rotatable about a third axis that is parallel to the second axis and spaced apart from the second axis, the control unit controls the operation of the excavation unit so that the excavation outer edge of the cutter forms a rectangular excavation cross section on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel; The operation of the first driving means and the second driving means is controlled so that, in the quadrant of the excavation cross section divided by an axis horizontal line passing through the first axis and extending horizontally, and an axis vertical line passing through the first axis and extending vertically perpendicular to the horizontal direction and the axis of the tunnel, the average angular velocity of the third axis relative to the first axis is greater than the average angular velocity of the movement in an area corresponding to the long side of the rectangle with a boundary defined by a specific line passing through the first axis and a predetermined specific point, The specific point is set as an intersection point of a vertical imaginary line extending in the vertical direction through a position farthest from the first axis center in the horizontal direction at the outer edge of the excavation cross section within the quarter region, and a horizontal imaginary line extending in the horizontal direction through a position farthest from the first axis center in the vertical direction. Tunnel boring machine.

4. A tunnel boring machine for excavating a tunnel, a trunk capable of supporting the inner wall of the natural ground; a first excavation unit and a second excavation unit attached to the body and configured to excavate the natural ground; a control unit that controls the operation of the first excavation unit and the second excavation unit, The first excavation unit and the second excavation unit are a first member configured to be rotatable about a first axis parallel to the axis of the tunnel; a first driving means for rotating the first member about the first axis; a second member supported by the first member so as to be rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first axis and spaced apart from the first axis; second driving means for rotating the second member about the second axis; a cutter supported by the second member so as to be rotatable about a third axis that is parallel to the second axis and spaced apart from the second axis, The first excavation portion and the second excavation portion are provided such that the first axes thereof are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction, The excavation cross section of the tunnel perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel is divided into a first excavation cross section that can be excavated by the first excavation unit and a second excavation cross section that can be excavated by the second excavation unit by a central vertical line that passes through a horizontal center point between the first axis of the first excavation unit and the first axis of the second excavation unit and extends in a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction and the axis of the tunnel, The control unit controlling the operation of the first excavation unit and the second excavation unit so as to form rectangular first excavation cross sections and second excavation cross sections on a cross section perpendicular to the axis of the tunnel; The operation of the first driving means and the second driving means of the first excavation unit is controlled so that, in a half cross-sectional region obtained by dividing the first excavation cross section by an axis horizontal line passing through the first axis of the first excavation unit and extending in the horizontal direction, the average angular velocity of the third axis with respect to the first axis of the first excavation unit is larger in a central region between a central specific line passing through the first axis and a predetermined central specific point and the axis horizontal line than in an outer region between an outer specific line passing through the first axis and a predetermined outer specific point and the axis horizontal line, The outer specific point is set as an intersection point of a vertical imaginary line extending in the vertical direction, passing through a position furthest from the first axis center of the first excavation section toward an opposite side of the first axis center of the second excavation section in the horizontal direction, at an outer edge of the half cross-sectional area of ​​the first excavation section, and a horizontal imaginary line extending in the horizontal direction, passing through a position furthest from the first axis center in the vertical direction, the central specific point is set as an intersection of the horizontal virtual line and the central vertical line; The distance between the first axis and the central vertical line is shorter than the distance between the first axis and the vertical virtual line. Tunnel boring machine.

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