A method and apparatus for forming a tunnel structure at a relatively shallow depth from the surface, which tunnel can be used as a replacement or additional transport route to an existing transport route (2) which is already formed on the surface. The method comprises the steps of forming two spaced apart access tunnels, installing piles (15), installing slide tracks (17) in each of the tunnels, removing a part of the tunnels (hatched portion) to expose the tracks, introducing units (22) comprising side walls portions (26, 28) and a roof section (30) by moving the units along the tracks while excavating the soil in which the tunnel is to be formed is in advance of the leading edge of the units.

Long tunnels of many kilometres are likely to pass through a range of geologies which may cause problems. The present invention seeks to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by: drilling a first bore 10 along a first predetermined path, the first bore having a length of at least 25 m; drilling a plurality of second bores 20 along respective second predetermined paths, each substantially parallel to the first predetermined path in order to define a substantially prism-shape region therebetween; and excavating material within the substantially prism-shape region to form a tunnel. In this way, data from drilling the first bore 10 and the plurality of second bores 20 can be recorded and used to inform operators as to the types of material through which they will be excavating. Thus, a more complete view of the underlying geology can be achieved before beginning excavations.

A method and system for real-time prediction of jamming in TBM tunneling. The method includes: (1) obtaining actually measured TSP physical property parameters by applying a TSP method; (2) analyzing value ranges and change trends of the TSP physical property parameters obtained in real time; (3) establishing a TSP physical property parameter sample database of a TBM tunnel; (4) establishing a mapping relationship between TSP physical property parameters and occurrence or not of jamming; (5) establishing a mapping relationship between time sequence values of tunneling parameters and occurrence or not of jamming; and (6) forecasting a TBM jamming risk in real time, and storing reliable data into the TSP physical property parameter sample database. The method and system can effectively obtain a state of surrounding rocks in time, thereby providing real-time forecasting of TBM tunneling jamming, avoiding occurrence of accidents to some extent, and improving the TBM tunneling efficiency.

A mining machine applicable to fluidized mining and a mining method therefor are provided herein. A microwave transmitting mechanism, a liquid jet drill rod and a cutter-head are arranged at the head of a first excavation device of the mining machine. The ore body in front is first processed by the microwave transmitting mechanism and the liquid jet drill rod to reduce the strength of the ore body, which facilitates subsequent mining of the ore body, lowers the hardness requirements of the cutter-head, and reduces the wearing of the cutter-head. With this mining machine mining the ore body, the mined ores can be directly converted, under the ground, into resources in the easily transportable form, without transporting the ore to the surface for conversion, which saves the cost of transporting the ore to the surface.

A shield-carried noncontact frequency-domain electrical real-time advanced detection system and method. Noncontact electrodes are installed on a cutter head of a shield tunneling machine, current is emitted and received using capacitance coupling, the electrodes are connected to a host via a multi-way swivel joint, measured data is inversed and interpreted in real time, and the prediction result is transmitted to a control system of the shield tunneling machine so as to provide a technical support for safety construction of the shield tunneling machine; the noncontact electrodes are installed on the shield cutter head. Real-time advanced detection of geology in front of a tunnel face can be realized in the tunneling process, so that the requirement for quick tunneling construction is met, and the efficiency of advanced geological detection of the shield tunneling machine is improved; and an electrode system is only installed on the cutter head.

An integrated jacking pipe comprising a concrete jacking envelope integrally-formed with and encircling a metal pipe, wherein said metal pipe comprises a spigot protruding from said concrete jacking envelope and a bell whose diameter is larger than a diameter of said spigot.

A tunnel boring machine having a cutting wheel equipped with a number of excavation tools provided with sensor units and, in a corresponding tunnelling method, only substantially fully worn excavation tools are able to be replaced using a data processing device designed with an advancement planning unit by detecting the current state of the excavation tools and predicting the state of the excavation tools on tool replacement predication planes lying in the advancing direction.

A tunneling apparatus for use in a pipe jacking method including an excavating apparatus, a head front-end track, a middle-section track, and a rear device. The excavating apparatus includes a transmission device and a chain blade. The transmission device includes a driving device and a sprocket. During construction, the chain blade for excavating rock and earth runs on the head front-end track and the middle-section track. The shape of a head excavation face is the same as that of the cross-section of a pipe section. The rear apparatus includes a jacking device mounted in a construction well. The front end of the middle-section track is connected to the head front-end track, and the tail end of the middle-section track is connected to the rear device. During construction, the driving device drives the chain blade, so that the chain blade runs along the tracks. Blades on the head front-end track excavate the ring-shaped rock and earth in a projection part of the cross-section of the pipe section.

A system and methods are disclosed for providing the location of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) by establishing of a plurality of known locations or “monuments”; from these monuments located at least on, over or within the TBM's start point, known in the art as a “pit”. The present invention provides among other things an integrated navigation system that provides real-time parametric guidance information to the TBM, relative to the tunnel origin, past course and current trajectory, while simultaneously employing a non-contact measuring system in concert with said origin and course information for the final provision of an as-built map of tunnel dimensions and centerline.

A rock breaking seismic source and active source three-dimensional seismic combined detection system uses a tunnel boring machine for three-dimensional seismic combined detection by active seismic source and rock breaking seismic source methods. Long-distance advanced prediction and position recognition of a geological anomalous body are realized using the active source seismic method. Machine construction is adjusted and optimized according to the detection result; real-time short-distance accurate prediction of the body is realized using the cutter head rock breaking vibration having weak energy but containing a high proportion of transverse wave components as seismic sources and adopting an unconventional rock breaking seismic source seism recording and handling method. An area surrounding rock quality to be excavated is represented and assessed. A comprehensive judgment is made to the geological condition in front of the working face with the results of active source and rock breaking seismic source three-dimensional seismic advanced detection.