Development of Vacuum Sucker Manipulator for Tunnel Boring Machine to Manipulate Concrete Segment

The latest progress in fabrication of the large-sized vacuum sucker manipulator, for tunnel boring machine (TBM) to manipulate the precast concrete segments in traffic tunnel construction, was tentatively reviewed. The discussions with specific examples centered on:i) the structural properties of precast concrete segment and stringent technical requirements of vacuum sucker manipulator; ii) the strengths and weaknesses of the vacuum sucker manipulator, imported from German, France, Netherland and Japan; iii) the status-quo of the vacuum sucker manipulator developed in China; and iv) the trouble shooting procedures, common breakdown mechanisms and possible solutions of the vacuum sucker manipulator in application. In addition, the design optimization, performance evaluation, skillful operation and regular maintenance of vacuum sucker manipulator in TBM were briefly discussed in a thought provoking way.