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Pioneering Underground Technologies

CORE PRODUCTS
Tunnelling
EPB Shield

Double Shield TBM

Continuous tunnelling at maximum speed

Mixshield
Single Shield TBM
Double Shield TBM
Gripper TBM
Partial-face Excavation Machine
AVN Machine

________________ Double Shield TBMs are

among the most technically sophisticated tunnel
boring machines. They unify the functional
principles of Gripper and Single Shield TBMs in
one machine. Under stable geological conditions,
the combination of methods allows for the
installation of concrete segments parallel to

HDD Rig

tunnelling, achieving very high tunnelling

performances. This powerful technology is
therefore perfectly suited for excavating long

Direct Pipe

tunnels in hard rock.

Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine

(VSM)

Advancing with power

Auger Boring Machines

Mining
Exploration
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT
PROJECT CONFIGURATOR

Your contact person

Michael Knabe
Area Manager Project
Management | Traffic
Tunnelling
Phone +49 7824 302-5330
Knabe.Michael@herrenknecht.com

250 meters per week of bored and lined tunnel

for the Palomino project, Dominican Republic.

When tunnelling with a Double Shield TBM, a rotating cutterhead equipped with disc cutters is
pressed against the tunnel face with a pressure of up to 32 tonnes per disc. Due to the rolling
movement of the discs, single pieces so-called chips are broken out of the rock. Water jets
can cool the cutting tools and reduce dust formation. Buckets installed at the cutterhead take
up the excavated material. Due to gravity, it slides to the center of the machine through
integrated muck chutes while the cutterhead rotates and then falls through the funnel-shaped
muck ring onto the machine belt. At the end of the machine belt, the rock chips are passed on
to belt conveyors or transport vehicles and removed from the tunnel.

Marcus Lbbers
Product Manager | Utility
Tunnelling
Phone +49 7824 302-7707
Luebbers.Marcus@herrenknecht.com

00

Your Selected Files

Double Shield TBM

Illustration of a typical segmental lining machine (diameter 5.4 m)

High speed due to a continuous tunnelling mode

Double Shield TBMs consist of two main components: a front shield with cutterhead, main
bearing and drive, and a gripper shield with gripping unit, auxiliary thrust cylinders and tailskin.
The main thrust cylinders connect the two parts of the shield. They are protected by the
telescopic shield where the shield skins of the front and gripper shield overlap. Thus, Double
Shield TBMs are also called telescopic shields. In stable rock, the machine is braced radially
against the tunnel with the gripper shoes. This means that the front shield can be advanced
independently of the gripper shield using the main thrust cylinders.
The reaction forces during the excavation process are transferred into the rock by the
extended gripper shoes. Simultaneously to tunnelling, the segments are installed in the tailskin
section. The auxiliary thrust cylinders serve only to secure the position of the concrete
segments placed. When the stroke is completed, the gripper shoes are loosened and the
gripper shield is pushed behind the front shield using the auxiliary thrust cylinders. Regripping
lasts only a few minutes, which means that tunnelling is almost continuous. In ideal rock
formations, Double Shield TBMs can also operate without segmental lining.
GEOLOGY & DIAMETERS

FUNCTIONALITY

ADVANTAGES

Excavation
Disc cutters break chips from the tunnel face applying high contact pressure
Removal
Buckets, muck chutes and muck ring provide for efficient removal of the excavated material onto a
center belt conveyor
Thrust
Hydraulic main thrust cylinders or auxiliary thrust cylinders push the machine forward
Tunnel lining
Segmental lining

+ High advance rates in stable rock due to continuous tunnelling operation

+ Flexible use in all kinds of rock
+ High level of work safety for the machine personnel in geological fault zones

Safe in geological fault zones

In fault zones or areas of low rock
strength, radial bracing of the gripper
shoes is not possible. In these
sections, the telescopic shield can be
retracted completely so that the front
and gripper shields form a rigid unit.
The necessary thrust forces are
applied using the auxiliary thrust
cylinders. As with the Single Shield
A movable telescopic shield provides for access to the tunnel
TBM, the last segment ring installed
wall during cleaning work in Double Shield TBMs.
serves as a counter bearing to
advance the machine. Thrust and ring building can no longer take place simultaneously. In
turn, this discontinuous mode provides for higher tunnelling safety in difficult sections of the
alignment.

Application-related special solutions for difficult cases

Double Shield TBMs have a comparatively long shield skin. In cases of rock convergence
there is therefore an increased risk of the machine becoming jammed. Herrenknecht
engineers have developed a range of design solutions to deal with this problem. These include
graded shield diameters and a vertical shift of the longitudinal axes of cutterhead, front and
gripper shield, for example. Crumbling rock and excavated material can block the telescopic
joint and the annular gap. This makes it difficult to push the gripper shield ahead. As a
countermeasure, Herrenknecht Double Shield TBMs usually have a telescopic shield which
can be moved independently. Using additional displacement cylinders, access to the tunnel
wall can be provided if this is necessary for cleaning or securing measures. Additional drilling
devices and drilling ports in the shield section serve to secure the open telescopic section
above the TBM using a pipe arch.

The right drive for any diameter

In the diameter range from 2.8 6 meters,
Double Shield TBMs are equipped with
permanently installed drives with straightpositioned main thrust cylinders or v-positioned
lattice cylinders. Tunnelling control is carried out
directly by the cylinders. For diameters of more
than 6 meters, movable drives with additional
longitudinal displacement cylinders are generally
used. Through the cylinders, the contact pressure
of the drive can be measured directly, making
optimum use of the power provided. An
articulation bearing or torque box cylinders help
control the TBM. The latter provide for continuous
horizontal and vertical shift of the drive. In this
way, the cutterhead can be steered precisely in all
directions and can even produce a local overcut.
The cutterhead can be pulled back with all drive types, allowing direct access to the tunnel
face.
Torque box drives allow for local overcut and

precise horizontal and vertical control options.

Meters of tunnel in continuous production

Double Shield TBMs are mainly used for tunnel projects in changing rock formations. They
achieve very high tunnelling performances in stable rock by working in continuous tunnelling
mode. Therefore, the combined method of Gripper and Single Shield TBM is often the
quickest and most cost effective solution for long drives in hard rock.

Double Shield TBM

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Products

Core products

Tunnelling

Double Shield TBM