On April 15, the "Tielong No. 9" shield machine for the left line of the section from Nanwan Station to Sifangchang Station (referred to as the "Nansi Section") of the Phase I project of Qingdao Metro Line 15 was successfully launched.

Phase I of Line 15 has 17 stations

　　The Phase I project of Qingdao Metro Line 15 starts at Xiawangbu Station and ends at Sifangchang Station, with a total length of 31 kilometers. It has 17 stations and one vehicle depot, with an average station spacing of about 1.89 kilometers. The line passes through three districts: Licang, Chengyang, and Jimo. The "Tielong No. 9" shield machine launched this time undertakes the tunneling task for the Nansi Section. It launched from the section ventilation shaft and tunnels eastward along Jinhong East Road to be received at the small-mileage end of Nanwan Station. After reception, the shield machine will be relocated to the section ventilation shaft for a second launch, tunneling westward along Jinhong East Road to be received at Sifangchang Station, totaling 3.7 kilometers.

　　"Tielong No. 9" weighs 600 tons

　　The "Tielong No. 9" shield machine has a total weight of 600 tons, and its main drive can reach 4 revolutions per minute. It has previously participated in metro construction in other cities in China, tunneling through soft and hard rock strata, and can be described as "handling both soft and hard ground." In response to the challenges of the complex geological conditions, relatively high safety control risks, and high technical requirements of the Nansi Section, the project team conducted in-depth research and multi-party demonstration, and equipped the "Tielong No. 9" shield machine with intelligent systems such as shield tail clearance measurement, soil chamber visualization, and manlock visualization. Through AI algorithms of cameras inside the tunnel, smart functions such as prohibited entry into the track area, human posture monitoring, and segment water leakage identification have been realized, ensuring safe, stable, and reliable construction. At the same time, the reuse of muck resources has been optimized, and "muck separation equipment" has been adopted to achieve green construction goals such as muck reuse and zero waste discharge.

　　To ensure the smooth launch of the shield machine, under the supervision and guidance of the Qingdao Municipal Public Utility Engineering Quality and Safety Supervision Station, construction risk sources in the Nansi Section were identified, and experts were invited to demonstrate construction plans for hoisting, launching, and tunneling. During the equipment manufacturing stage, the project's shield machine supervision team was stationed at the factory for full-process supervision, conducting dynamic and static inspections of the shield machine and strictly controlling factory standards, laying a solid foundation for the smooth launch of the shield machine.

　　A total of 21 shield machines and 6 TBM tunneling devices will be deployed across all sections of the Phase I project of Qingdao Metro Line 15, and 5 have currently entered the site.