Created on 09.22

Methods to Ensure Efficient Rock Breaking by Pipe Jacking Machine Cutters in Rock Formations

Methods to Ensure Efficient Rock Breaking by Pipe Jacking Machine Cutters in Rock Formations

In rock formation pipe jacking construction, the efficient rock-breaking performance of the pipe jacking machine cutters is the key guarantee for the smooth progress of the project. This can be achieved through the following key aspects:

I. Material Adaptation of Cutters

Accurate selection of cutter materials based on rock characteristics such as hardness and wear resistance.
For extremely hard rock (such as quartzite), tungsten carbide-based cemented carbide cutters are preferred. They possess ultra-high hardness and wear resistance, allowing them to withstand severe friction and impact from the rock.
For rock with lower hardness but higher toughness (such as shale), cemented carbide cutters with an appropriate cobalt content can be selected. The cobalt element improves the toughness of the cutter to prevent brittle fracture, ensuring the cutter remains in good condition and maintains high rock-breaking efficiency during continuous cutting.

II. Reasonable Selection of Cutter Types

Selection priorities vary for different rock formations, requiring a case-by-case analysis.
In intact, dense, and hard granite formations, disc cutters are commonly selected. Compared with traditional straight-bladed cutters, their rolling cutting method can disperse the massive cutting force, making it easier to penetrate the rock and significantly increasing rock-breaking efficiency.
For rock with developed fissures and uneven fragmentation, pointed-tooth tearing cutters are more suitable. They utilize the tooth tips to insert into the fissures like a wedge to tear the rock apart, quickly breaking it by cleverly leveraging the rock's own weak structures.

III. Optimization of Cutter Layout

The layout of cutters on the cutterhead is by no means arbitrary; it must be meticulously designed based on rock-breaking mechanisms and mechanical principles.
On one hand, ensure an even distribution of cutters to avoid excessive rock breaking in some areas and insufficient breaking in others, thereby achieving balanced force distribution on the cutterhead during rock cutting. For example, a spiral layout arranges the cutters along a spiral trajectory, allowing the rock to be broken orderly in both circumferential and axial directions as the pipe jacking machine advances.
On the other hand, configure different types and quantities of cutters in various zones of the cutterhead according to differences in rock strength. For instance, since the rock in the center area of the cutterhead experiences high squeezing pressure, high-strength center disc cutters are deployed there, while the peripheral areas are equipped with auxiliary tearing cutters to improve overall rock-breaking efficiency through collaborative operations.

IV. Real-time Monitoring and Maintenance

Real-time monitoring of cutter status is required throughout the construction process. Various sensors installed on the cutterhead and cutters are used to monitor parameters such as force, wear, and temperature. Once the cutter wear approaches the threshold, downtime must be scheduled immediately for replacement or repair to prevent a sharp drop in rock-breaking efficiency caused by excessive cutter wear.
Optimize cutter utilization strategies based on monitoring data. Concurrently, summarize cutter wear patterns from the monitoring data to optimize cutter usage strategies in subsequent construction, such as adjusting the advancement speed and thrust force distribution, thereby extending cutter service life and continuously ensuring efficient rock breaking.

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