{"id":2707,"date":"2011-08-25T11:52:30","date_gmt":"2011-08-25T11:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=2707"},"modified":"2017-06-01T03:51:59","modified_gmt":"2017-06-01T03:51:59","slug":"research-and-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robbinstbm.com\/zh-hans\/research-and-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Research and Development: A Sneak Peek at the Next Generation of Disc Cutters"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Cutter<\/a>

Cutter Changing at Malaysia’s Pahang Selangor Raw Water Tunnel<\/p><\/div>\n

R & D is important in any industry, and it is no less true for the tunneling industry.\u00a0 Evolution, even if it is incremental, is where most research and development successes are made.\u00a0 Such improvement forms part of the competitiveness among manufacturers and thus begets further improvements.\u00a0 I also believe it is our obligation, as equipment manufacturers, to assist the market in driving down the costs of tunneling in general by improved product performance and product life.<\/p>\n

Take, for example the research and development going on with our disc cutters: Robbins disc cutters have improved dramatically since the 1950s when they achieved their first success at 11 inches in diameter in crystalline limestone of 190 MPa (28,000 psi) UCS.\u00a0 Today\u2019s disc cutters do reach 20 inches in diameter and cost-effectively excavate rock strengths of 400 MPa (60,000 psi) UCS, all while lasting much longer than their predecessors.<\/p>\n

\"Single<\/a>

Today’s disc cutters are capable of excavating 400 MPa (60,000 psi) UCS rock.<\/p><\/div>\n

That being said, we believe there is always room for improvement.\u00a0 We are working hard right now to develop customized cutters for EPB tunneling in soft and mixed ground, and to optimize those designs so they can excavate under high pressure.\u00a0 In hard rock, we are researching and testing new steels, and developing monitoring systems to allow contractors to plan cutter changes.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a snapshot of what research and development is going on in the cutter department, both in the lab and in the field:<\/p>\n

Improved Metallurgy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Working with the University of Trondheim and the Norwegian government, we are commencing a program of laboratory and field testing to improve the materials making up the disc ring itself.\u00a0 We are always testing new materials in order to find the most durable materials based on the ground conditions. An example of past cutter research in the lab can be seen below:<\/p>\n