16.64米！国产最大直径盾构机“江海号”长沙下线

China's largest tunnel boring machine — with a diameter of 16.64 meters — rolled off the production line in Changsha, Hunan province on Thursday.

10月31日，中国最大开挖直径达16.64米的超大直径盾构机在湖南长沙下线。

The machine, weighing around 5,000 metric tons and 145 meters long, is the largest TBM designed in the country and has been named Jianghai — the Chinese equivalent of river and ocean.

这台由中国自主研发的盾构机名为“江海号”，总重量约5000吨，整机长约145米。

The machine is jointly developed by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corp Ltd and China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co Ltd (CR14G), both units of China Railway Construction Corp, a centrally administered State-owned enterprise.

据了解，该盾构机由中国铁建重工集团、中铁十四局集团联合打造，均为国有企业中国铁道建筑集团有限公司旗下子公司。

The TBM will be used for building a tunnel across the Yangtze River linking Nantong and Suzhou in Jiangsu province.

未来这台超大直径盾构机将会用于建设连接江苏南通与苏州的海太长江隧道。

The tunnel is a section of a highway spanning 39.07 kilometers, which is expected to finish construction in 2028. The tunnel under the river, with the deepest areas reaching 75 meters underground, is some 11.185 km long.

海太长江隧道工程线路全长约39.07千米，预计于2028年建成。过江隧道部分全长约11.185千米，最大埋深约75米。

Meanwhile, the tunnel is situated in areas with underground water sources, soft earth and silt, which make it impossible to use traditional manual tunneling methods, said You Shaoqiang, chief engineer of the project at CR14G.

中铁十四局海太长江隧道项目总工程师游少强表示，海太长江隧道沿线需穿越含地下水、松软土层和淤泥的地质带，无法采用传统人工挖掘隧道的方法。

The machine can advance 12 to 16 meters per day, and it will take about two-and-a-half years for the tunneling to be completed, he said.

他还介绍道，“江海号”超大直径盾构机每天可以掘进12至16米，大概两年半之后就能完成隧道的挖掘。

As the tunnel is situated at the estuary of the Yangtze River, the precision of the tunneling area needs to be kept within 1 centimeter in order to protect the safety of dams across the river, the engineer said.

他还说道，由于该隧道位于长江入海口处，为了保护长江上大坝的安全，隧道区域工程设计的精确度要保持在1厘米以内。

In 2022, a TBM with a diameter of 16.07 meters was manufactured by the two companies, which has been used for a renovation project in Beijing.

2022年，中国铁建重工集团与中铁十四局集团研发了一台最大开挖直径达16.07米的超大直径盾构机，将其用于北京的一项改造项目。

Fan Ruiqiang, senior engineer at CRCC's heavy industry arm, said it took the research team more than two years to make the new and largest TBM.

国铁建重工集团掘进机研究设计院高级工程师范瑞强表示，研究团队花了超过两年半的时间来研发这台新型超大直径盾构机。

The new TBM is also more intelligent and comes equipped with a database that contains previous problems in tunneling. This means the machine can offer suggestions to drivers when similar problems occur, he said.

范瑞强还补充，这台新型盾构机更加智能，装配了数据库，其中囊括了以往挖掘期间所遇到的各项问题。这意味着当相似的问题发生时，这台机器可以给盾构机驾驶员提供解决建议。

Wang Jun, deputy head of the Jiangsu transport project construction bureau, said the new machine marks the first step in the construction of the highway, which is a major transport infrastructure for the province.

江苏省交通工程建设局副局长王峻表示，“江海号”盾构机的下线意味着海太长江隧道工程成功踏出了首要一步，而这条隧道乃是江苏省至关重要的交通基础设施。

The new machine is also a major breakthrough in China's manufacturing industry and showcases the hard work of engineers and previous achievements in the sector, Wang said.

王峻表示，这台盾构机也标志着中国制造业的重大突破，突显了工程师们的不懈努力以及该领域所取得的斐然成就。

The successful manufacturing of the larger TBM with new technology and materials shows China's industrial upgrading. The constant breakthroughs in TBM technology have improved the country's influence and competitiveness in the sector, he added.

他还补充道，用新技术、新材料成功研发更大型的超大直径盾构机，标志着中国的产业升级，超大直径盾构机持续的技术突破更提高了中国在该领域的影响力和竞争力。