Project Name：Yangtze-to Han River Water Diversion Project

Project Unit：China Railway 18th Bureau Group Tunnel Engineering Co., Ltd

Project Description：The Yangtze-to-Han River Diversion Project is a follow-up water source project of the South-to-North Water Diversion Middle Route, connecting two major national infrastructure works - the Three Gorges Project and the South-to-North Water Diversion Project - and diverts water from the Yangtze River at the Three Gorges Reservoir into the Han River downstream of the Danjiangkou Reservoir.

Project Equipment：The "Jianghan Pioneer" TBM used in this project has a diameter of 12.23 meters, a length of 160 meters, and a weight of 2,800 tons.

Geological Condition：high ground stress, high water pressure, high temperature, multiple faults, abundant groundwater, and numerous soft rock sections.

Cutter Configuration and Material：The core uses heavy-duty disc cutters (edge width over 480 mm) with tungsten carbide cutter rings of hardness above HRC 60, resistant to impacts from extremely hard rock. The edge positions are equipped with ripping and scraping cutters to handle soft rock faults and prevent jamming and wear. The cutter-head is welded from custom thick steel plates, with wear-resistant liners and protective rings added at critical points to enhance impact resistance and abrasion durability, making it suitable for hard rock tunneling.

Cutter Layout and Efficiency：The cutters are densely arranged with 15%-20% smaller spacing than traditional designs, forming a helical pattern to eliminate cutting blind zones and improve efficiency by over 20%. Dozens of cutters engage evenly across the entire cross-section, reducing uneven wear. A zoned design is adopted: short central cutter seats resist high pressure; edge cutters are angled to prevent overcutting; and emergency mechanisms are reserved to handle rock jamming in fault zones, ensuring adaptability to complex geological conditions.