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How Do Tunnel Boring Machines Dig Tunnels?
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Quick Answer
A tunnel boring machine grinds through rock and soil with a rotating cutter head while lining the tunnel behind it with concrete segments.
The Full Story
A tunnel boring machine, or TBM, is like a moving underground factory that can be over 100 metres long. At the front, a huge rotating disc fitted with steel cutting discs or teeth chips away the ground. Conveyor belts or pipes carry the spoil back out of the tunnel. Behind the cutter, a shield protects workers while robotic arms place curved concrete segments to form rings that line the tunnel. Hydraulic jacks push against the finished rings to drive the machine forward, often advancing tens of metres per day.
Key Facts
1.Eleven TBMs were used to dig the Channel Tunnel between England and France.
2.By tradition, TBMs are given female names before they start digging.
3.The machines used on Hong Kong's Tuen Mun tunnel had cutter heads about 17.6 metres wide.
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"Meet the giant earthworms of steel that dig under cities."