RAM analysis of earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines: A case study

Amini Khoshalan, Hasel; Torabi, Seyed Rahman; Hoseinie, Seyed Hadi; Ghodrati, Behzad

doi:10.22059/ijmge.2015.56105

RAM analysis of earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines: A case study

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Faculty of Mining, Petroleum and Geophysics, University of Shahrood, Shahrood, Iran

² Department of Mining Engineering, Hamedan University of Technology, Hamedan, Iran

³ Division of operation and maintenance, Lulea University of technology, Lulea, Sweden

10.22059/ijmge.2015.56105

Abstract

Earth pressure balance tunnel boring machines (EPB-TBMs) are favorably applied in urban tunneling projects. Despite their numerous advantages, considerable delays and high maintenance cost are the main disadvantages these machines suffer from. Reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) analysis is a practical technique that uses failure and repair dataset obtained over a reasonable time for dealing with proper machine operation, maintenance scheduling, cost control, and improving the availability and performance of such machines. In the present study, a database of failures and repairs of an EBP-TBM was collected in line 1 of Tabriz subway project over a 26-month interval of machine operation. In order to model the reliability of the TBM, this machine was divided into five distinct subsystems including mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and water systems in a series configuration. According to trend and serial correlation tests, the renewal processes were applied, for analysis of all subsystems. After calculating the reliability and maintainability functions for all subsystems, it was revealed that the mechanical subsystem with the highest failure frequency has the lowest reliability and maintainability. Similarly, estimating the availability of all subsystems indicated that the mechanical subsystem has a relatively low availability level of 52.6%, while other subsystems have acceptable availability level of 97%. Finally, the overall availability of studied machine was calculated as 48.3%.

Keywords

References

[1] Zhang, Q., Li, Sh. J., Cao, L. J. (2013). Experimental study on the pressure control of soil chamber in shield tunneling. Journal of Coal Science & Engineering (China), 19(3). 233-241.
[2] Yagiz, S., Gokceoglu, C., Sezer, E., Iplikci, S. (2009). Application of two non-linear prediction tools to the estimation of tunnel boring machine performance, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence 22, 808–814.
[3] Entacher, M., Lorenz, S., Gallerm R. (2014). Tunnel boring machine performance prediction with scaled rock cutting tests, International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, vol. 70, 450–459.
[4] Mansouri, M., Moomivand, H. (2010). Influence of rock mass properties on TBM penetration rate in Karaj-Tehran water conveyance tunnel, Journal of Geology and Mining Research, 2(5), 114-121.
[5] Hassanpour J., Rostami J., Zhao, J. (2011). A new hard rock TBM performance prediction model for project planning. Tunneling and Underground Space Technology, 26, 595–603.
[6] Jain, P., Naithani, A.K., Singh, T.N. (2014). Performance characteristics of tunnel boring machine in basalt and pyroclastic rocks of Deccan traps – A case study, Journal of Rock mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 6(1), 36-47.
[7] Laughton, C. (1998). Evaluation and Prediction of Tunnel Boring Machine Performance in variable rock Masses” PhD Thesis, University of Texas.
[8] Frough, O., Torabi, S.R., Yagiz, S. (2015). Application of RMR for Estimating Rock-Mass–Related TBM Utilization and Performance Parameters: A Case Study, Rock Mech Rock Eng 48, 1305–1312.
[9] Kumar, U., Granholm, S. (1988). Reliability Technique: A Powerful Tool for Mine Operator, Mineral Resource Engineering, 1, 13-28.
[10] Kumar, U. (1990). Reliability analysis of load-haul-dump machines, Ph.D. thesis, Luleå University of Technology: Luleå, Sweden.
[11] Samanta, B, Sarkar, B., Mukherjee, S. K. (2004). Reliability modeling and performance analyses of an LHD system in mining. Journal of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 104(1), 1-8.
[12] Vayenas, N., Wu, X. (2009). Maintenance and reliability analysis of a feet of load-haul-dump vehicles in an underground hard rock mine, International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 23(3), 227-238.
[13] Hall, R., Daneshmend, L. K. (2003). Reliability and maintainability models for mobile underground haulage equipment, CIM Bulletin, 96,159-165.
[14] Barabady, J., Kumar, U. (2007). Reliability analysis of mining equipment: A case study of a crushing plant at the Jajarm bauxite mine of Iran. Journal of Reliability Engineering and System Safety. doi:10.1016/j.ress.2007.10.006
[15] Furuly, S., Barabady, J., Barabadi, A. (2014). Availability analysis of the main conveyor in the Svea Coal Mine in Norway, International Journal of Mining Science and Technology 24, 587–591.
[16] Samanta, B., Sarkar B., Mukherjee S. K. (2001). Maintenance management a key factor to success in mechanized coal mines. Coal Mining Technology and Management, 6(2), 5–10.
[17] Elevli, S., Uzgören, N., Taksuk, M. (2008). Maintainability analysis of mechanical systems of electric cable shovels, Journal of Scientifc & Industrial Research, 67(4), 267-271.
[18] Hoseinie, S. H., Ataei,M., Khalokakaie, R., Ghodrati, B., Kumar, U. (2012). Reliability analysis of drum shearer machine at mechanized longwall mines, J. Quality Mainten. Engrg. 18(1), 98–119.
[19] Hoseinie, S. H., Ataei,M., Khalokakaie, R., Ghodrati, B., Kumar, U. (2011). Reliability modeling of hydraulic system of drum shearer machine, Journal of Coal Science and Engineering, 17(4), 450–456.
[20] Hoseinie, S. H., Ataei,M., Khalokakaie, R., Ghodrati, B., Kumar, U. (2011). Reliability and maintainability analysis of electrical system of drum shearers, Journal of Coal Science and Engineering, 17(2), 192–197.
[21] Hoseinie, S. H., Ataei,M., Khalokakaie, R., Kumar, U. (2011). Reliability modeling of water system of longwall shearer machine, Arch. Min. Sci. 56(2), 291–302.
[22] Hoseinie S. H., Ahmadi, A., Ghodrati B., Kumar, U. (2013). Reliability – Centered maintenance for spray jets of coal shearer machine, International Journal of Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering, 20 (3):1340006.
[23] Rahimdel, M. J., Hoseinie, S. H., Ataei, M., Khalokakaei, R. (2013). The Reliability and Maintainability Analysis of Pneumatic System of Rotary Drilling Machines, Journal of Institute of Engineering, India Ser. D, 94(2), 105 -111.
[24] Rahimdel, M. J., Ataei, M., Khalokakaei, R., Hoseinie S. H. (2014). Maintenance plan for a fleet of rotary drill rigs, Archive of Mining Science, 59(2), 441–45.
[25] Birolini, A. (2007). Reliability Engineering: Theory and Practice,” 5th edition, Springer, pp.588.
[26] Dhillon, B.S. (2008). Mining Equipment Reliability, Maintainability and Safety, Springer, pp. 209.
[27] Ebeling, C. E. (2010). An Introduction to Reliability and Maintainability Engineering, 2nd Edition, Waveland Press Inc. Illinois, USA, pp. 550.
[28] Barabady, J. (2007). Production Assurance, Concept, Implementation and Improvement, Ph.D. diss., Lulea University of Technology.
[29] TURO, (2004). Tabriz urban railway organization, Report of geological and geotechnical results in Tabriz metro tunnel line 1, in Persian, Tabriz, Iran.
[30] NFM Technologies, 2007. Operating and maintenance manual for EPB TBM for Tabriz metro, Iran.
[31] Ascher, H., Feingold, H. (1984). Repairable Systems Reliability: Modeling, Inference, Misconceptions and Their Causes, Marcel Dekker, New York.
[32] Francois P, Noyes D. (2003). Evaluation of a maintenance strategy by the analysis of the rate of repair, Quality and Reliability Engineering International, 19(2),129-148.
[33] Al-Chalabi, H. (2014). Reliability and Life Cycle Cost Modeling of Mining Drilling Rigs, Ph.D. thesis, Luleå University of Technology: Luleå, Sweden.
[34] Gölbaşı, O., Demirel, N. (2015). Review of Trend Tests for Detection of Wear Out Period for Mining Machineries, 24th International mining congress and exhibition of Turkey- IMCT15, 993-39.
[35] Blischke, W. R., Murthy, D. N. P. (2003). Case Studies in Reliability and Maintenance. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. USA.