Recently, the largest-diameter double-shield TBM ever applied domestically in China rolled off the production line at CRCC Heavy Industry's Changsha No.1 Industrial Park. It will soon be deployed in tunnel construction for Civil Works Section 1 of Bid Section 2 (Wuhe–Pingdi) of the Shenzhen–Huizhou Intercity Railway.

Factory acceptance of the domestically applied largest-diameter double-shield TBM

The TBM has an excavation diameter of 9.13 meters, a total length of about 120 meters, and a total weight of about 1,500 tonnes. The equipment will mainly pass through slightly weathered and moderately weathered granite, with surrounding rock dominated by Class III and Class IV rock masses, and local small fault fracture zones. The maximum uniaxial saturated compressive strength is 131 MPa. The tunneling length is about 5 kilometers, with a burial depth of 50 to 100 meters.

In response to the geological characteristics of the project, the CRCC Heavy Industry R&D team conducted in-depth research on domestic and international design and construction cases of large-diameter hard rock TBMs and actively communicated with the construction contractor, successfully completing the design and manufacture of the largest-diameter double-shield TBM ever applied domestically in China. The TBM is equipped with a hard rock cutterhead featuring high structural strength and high wear resistance, as well as a highly reliable main drive system with a long service life, to cope with ultra-long-distance tunneling conditions. Its key technologies, including an advance drilling system, a belt muck weighing system, an intelligent grouting system, and an air cooling system, provide strong support for fast and safe TBM tunneling.

It is reported that once completed, the Shenzhen–Huizhou Intercity Railway project will effectively promote the construction of the "five vertical and four horizontal" intercity network in the Shenzhen metropolitan area. It is of great significance for building a "Greater Bay Area on rails," advancing Shenzhen–Dongguan–Huizhou integration, accelerating the development of an interconnected transportation framework in the Greater Bay Area, and driving the eastern growth engine of the Pearl River Delta.