On September 12, a 6.35m diameter TBM passed its FAT at CRCHI’s second industrial park in Changsha. It will now be shipped to Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where it will be used in the construction of the local metro system. This marks the first time that a Chinese-made TBM has been exported to Romania.

Two Chinese-made TBMs have been purchased for the Cluj-Napoca metro project, and they will be used in the construction of the tunnel between St. Mary’s Station and United Europe Station. During the project, the TBM is required to undertake a single-line long-distance excavation of 5.6 kilometres, passing through complex geological conditions such as sand, gravel, salt mines, and five fault zones. The machine will also need to overcome challenges such as continuous excavation through sticky soil and making turns with a small radius of 175 meters.

To address these challenges, including long-distance tunnelling, complex strata, and the risk of clay clogging on the cutter head, CRCHI’s R&D team made targeted design including a four-arms large-opening composite cutter head, multiple soil conditioning systems, advanced ground improvement through probe drilling and grouting, and an active articulation system to ensure that the TBM’s performance meets the demands of the project.

Cluj-Napoca is Romania’s second-largest city, and the Cluj-Napoca metro tunnel spans approximately 21 kilometres, with 19 underground stations and one above-ground station. For further information please visit https://en.crchi.com/ .