ABSTRACT
During EPB shield tunnelling, clogging potential could be rather high in soils with high plasticity and at certain consistencies. If not mitigated, clogged material needs to be removed by sending workers inside the soil chamber, which is costly, potentially dangerous and time consuming. A simple methodology, which can be performed in the lab and on the jobsite, is needed to monitor clogging potential and adapt the soil conditioning scheme to changing soil conditions during the tunnel drive. This study introduces a clogging potential assessment device modified from the ATUR device and using an apparatus attached to a regular flow table. The device is straightforward and easy to build, as well as the simplicity of the method itself. Thus, the methodology described in this study can be adopted, repeated, and verified by engineers and scholars around the world. This article includes preliminary results of some tests, investigating the influence of water content and device weight.
