ABSTRACT
Advances in the design and reliability of full-face tunnelling machines have led to a significant increase in their utilisation in recent decades. One consequence has been the increased demand for mechanisation and automation of the entire tunnelling process. Investment in major infrastructure projects in Japan has enabled research and development in this area to proceed to such an extent that automation of most elements of shield tunnelling is now theoretically possible. In practice however, adoption of these technologies must also weigh up other factors such as the limitations of automation in the harsh and sometimes unpredictable tunnelling environment, and particularly in recent times, the cost-benefit balance. At present, most efforts at automation are aimed at increasing work speed and reducing costs. Future development will gravitate towards those tunnelling processes which most benefit from mechanisation and automation, and hopefully to ways in which such technologies can be used to improve safety and working conditions.
