On October 22, the “Funing” tunnel boring machine (TBM), the world’s first large diameter hard rock TBM with an ultra-small turning radius, was sent to Funing pumped storage power station in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province. Jointly developed and manufactured by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co., Ltd. and Sinohybrid Bureau 11 Co., Ltd., the machine will facilitate the development of green energy in China.

　　The “Funing” TBM will be used in the 1,030-meter excavation task of the traffic tunnel and ventilation tunnel of the Funing pumped storage power station of the State Grid Xinyuan Company Ltd. The machine is 85 meters long and the cross-sectional diameter is 9.5 meters, while the designed minimum turning radius is 90 meters, and the maximum design longitudinal slope is 10 percent. The “Funing” TBM is rather flexible in construction. Compared with traditional blasting approaches, the machine is fast, safe and environmental-friendly. Meanwhile, it demands less labor and is highly-automated. The machine can avoid blasting vibration and reduce costs for over-excavation and lining.