ROCK MECHANICS

FINAL REPORT

KURSAT KILIC

D6521104

FEBRUARY 2022
How do you think rock engineering can be useful for your research?

The purpose of my research is the prediction of a tunnel boring machine excavation

efficiency and cutter tool life using a deep learning algorithm. Rock mechanics is a
multidiscipline with geology, mining engineering and civil engineering, and focus on physical
behaviour and mechanical properties of the ground, soil, and rock structure. An
understanding of rock behaviour needs proper engineering mechanics, material knowledge
and physics and structural geology. For these reasons, rock mechanics can consider these
situations as a member of geomechanics. The rock mechanics can evaluate rock properties in
terms of strong, weak, stiff, intact, and deformable using several experiments set up such as
uniaxial compressive strength, Brazilian tensile strength and triaxial compression strength etc.
Through these tests, rock mass and intact rock parameters are evaluated for various research
topics.
In my research, rock mechanics has been used to evaluated soil and rock strength
properties such as an unconfined drained triaxial test to determine cohesion and internal
friction. Moreover, compressive strength, minor and major stress, and elastic module of rock
sample have been decided for mechanical excavation. The purpose of the tests is related to
rock and disc cutter interaction during tunnel boring machine excavation. When the TBM
excavates the tunnel geology, the machine encounters different rock and soil mechanics
properties, thus TBM reduces excavation efficiency and increases operational costs. For these
reasons, rock-machine interaction should be understood properly. The TBM specific energy
is considered in spacing and penetration in rock conditions. Moreover, the cutter bits that are
mounted on the TBM cutter head are evaluated in terms of wearing using rock abrasivity tests
such as the Cerchar Abrasivity Test and Vickers Hardness Test. According to the test
outcomes, the cutter bits life and TBM penetration rate can be predicted based on rock
mechanics rules.
In conclusion, using rock mechanics knowledge, tunnel geology can be interpreted
adequately. Employing rock mechanics laws, mechanical excavation operational parameters
that are thrust force, torque, propulsion speed and earth pressure into the cutter chamber can
be computed to increase excavation efficiency properly. Due to different rock mechanics
properties, the operational parameters are exposed to fluctuation and each fluctuation leads
to cutter wearing along with the tunnel excavation. As a result, the rock mechanics knowledge
is vital for my research to understand machine and rock interaction.