Comparative studies on the performance of a roadheader, impact hammer and drilling and blasting method in the excavation of metro station tunnels in Istanbul

Abstract

Drilling and blasting is the most widely used excavation method in mining and tunnelling especially in hard rock conditions. But in recent years, the application of roadheaders and impact hammers in hard rock, especially in fractured geological formations has increased considerably. However, it is strongly emphasized that the prediction of the machine performance plays ail important role in the time scheduling and in the economy of tunnelling projects and accumulated data will serve a sound basis for performance prediction models.