Precise Control of Thrust Force on the Shield Tunneling Machine

Hydraulic thrust system is a critical part of shield tunneling machine. The precise control of the thrust force is a significant task of thrust system during tunneling excavation. In this paper, an operation principle of the hydraulic thrust system test rig is illustrated. Taking into account the variable deadband nonlinear characteristics of proportional relief valve which is used for regulating the thrust pressure, several compensation control strategies are adopted to achieve the precise control of thrust force. Analysis and comparison which bases on simulation and experiment is done at last. The result shows that Fuzzy control can both eliminate the error and reduce the adjustment time which can basically meet the requirement of practical tunnel excavation.