China's domestically developed tunnel-boring equipment has achieved a localization rate of 60 percent.

2013-08-26

The prototype slurry balance tunneling machine "Jin Yue," developed and built by five organizations including Shanghai Urban Construction Tunneling Co., Ltd., boasts full independent intellectual property rights and a diameter of 11.22 meters. It was successfully deployed in the Dapu Road twin-tunnel project—a key infrastructure supporting the Shanghai World Expo—and completed the 1,472-meter-long tunneling task flawlessly. During construction, the "Jin Yue" slurry balance shield machine operated smoothly, showcasing the exceptional maneuverability and precision of domestically produced shield equipment, especially when it came to protecting nearby structures and navigating ultra-small-radius tunneling sections.

  The prototype slurry balance tunneling machine "Jin Yue," developed and built by five organizations including Shanghai Urban Construction Tunneling Co., Ltd., boasts full independent intellectual property rights and a diameter of 11.22 meters. It was successfully deployed in the Dapu Road twin-tunnel project—a key infrastructure supporting the Shanghai World Expo—and completed the 1,472-meter-long tunneling task. Throughout the construction process, the "Jin Yue" operated smoothly, showcasing the exceptional maneuverability and precision of domestically produced tunneling equipment, particularly in protecting nearby structures and navigating ultra-small-radius tunnels.

  As a key R&D project under China’s 11th Five-Year Plan, the research on "Key Technologies and Prototype Development for Slurry Balance Tunnel Boring Machines" has narrowed the gap between China and global leaders in tunneling equipment technology. It has also filled the domestic technological void in the design and manufacturing of large-diameter slurry balance TBMs, finally breaking China’s longstanding reliance on imported equipment for this critical area.

  According to reports, importing a single 11-meter-diameter slurry shield typically costs around 160 million yuan. However, through research on key technologies for large-diameter slurry balance shields, the localization rate has reached 68.33%. Developing such a shield domestically now costs about 120 million yuan—representing a 25% reduction in costs compared to imports.

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