Abstract

This study was deal with blow-out and buoyancy stability evaluation method for slurry shield TBM. When applying a slurry shield TBM for the construction of a shallow tunnel under river or sea, the stability of slurry blow-out and segment lining buoyancy should be evaluated. However, there is a problem in that the currently applied theoreticalformula is somewhat complicated, making it inconvenient to calculate in practice. In this study, some simple charts were proposed to easily evaluate the stability of slurry blow-out and segment lining buoyancy. In addition, the buoyancy safety factor of segmentlining using the strength reduction method was evaluated and compared with the buoyancy safety factor based on the theoretical formula. The buoyancy safety factor by the theoretical formula was evaluated to be rather small, and it was confirmed that it was on the safe side. The simplified charts for the evaluation of slurry blow-out and buoyancy stability presented in this study are expected to be usefully utilized in the planning and design of undersea tunnels.