Recently, the synchronous tunneling and segment erection technology for tunnel boring machines (TBMs) independently developed by CRCHI (China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation) was successfully applied to the "Chengyu" shield machine in the Shu'an Tunnel project on the Chengdu-Chongqing Middle Line. The successful application of this technology marks that CRCHI's intelligent TBM technology has entered a stage of comprehensive promotion and application.

Synchronous tunneling and segment erection technology applied to the "Chengyu" shield machine in the Shu'an Tunnel project on the Chengdu-Chongqing Middle Line

It is understood that the synchronous tunneling and segment erection technology for TBMs independently developed by CRCHI carries full intellectual property rights. This technology breaks through the challenge of thrust vector control when some thrust cylinders are retracted for segment assembly, enabling parallel operation of TBM advancement and segment erection. At the same time, the technology innovates the traditional alternating tunneling and assembly process of the shield method, effectively reducing the disturbance to surrounding strata caused by frequent starting and stopping of the TBM, lowering the risk of surface settlement, significantly improving construction efficiency, and shortening the overall construction period of the project.

The Chengdu-Chongqing Middle Line high-speed railway is an important component of the Yangtze River corridor of China's "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" high-speed rail network, with a main line length of 292 kilometers and a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour. The shield-driven section of the Shu'an Tunnel is 9.824 kilometers long, and the project is characterized by four features: "long, large, risky, and difficult." In addition to its successful application in the Chengdu-Chongqing Middle Line tunnel, the synchronous tunneling and segment erection technology developed by CRCHI has also been successfully applied in multiple key projects under construction at home and abroad, including the Tianjin-Weifang High-Speed Railway, the Nantong-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Ningbo High-Speed Railway, and the Sicily High-Speed Railway.

Construction site of the Shu'an Tunnel project on the Chengdu-Chongqing Middle Line high-speed railway