Development of an Advanced Control System for Shield Tunnelling Machines

This paper describes the development of a control system for shield tunnelling machines. The purpose of this control system is to avoid soil stress reductions during the shield tunnelling process that are due to sub optimal machine control. In the current situation, this sub optimal control can occur because the machine operator can not take all relevant information into account. E.g. he can not anticipate to local changes in soil conditions around the tunnelling machine nor can he observe settlements at the surface to optimise control actions. This paper describes an idea and plan to develop a new type of control system. With the help of computer modelling and simulation it should become possible for the operator to evaluate his control actions in a simulation before he takes them. This way control actions can be optimised in an iterative procedure. Measurements of surface settlements are to be used to evaluate the simulation with the 'as realised' situation.