Improving the design of the tunneling shield cutting working body

Object of research. The article presents a variant of improving the design of the working body of the tunneling shield, namely, its cutting part. Research aims to confirm the performance of the proposed design using the method of solid 3D modeling in T-Flex CAD. Methodology. The working body of the tunneling shield has been improved by making changes to the design of the working surface of the rotor. Theoretical studies have been carried out to determine the strength characteristics of the proposed rotor design. The proposed rotor model was visualized using the T-Flex CAD software product. The advantages of the solid-state method of 3D modeling are that the mathematical model is endowed with the real physical properties of the object (weight, volume, material, surface area, etc.), and the technology of rapid prototyping allows you to get layouts of photorealistic images in the shortest possible time. Results and discussion. Based on the results of the data obtained in the course of theoretical studies, a comparative analysis of the strength characteristics of the basic and modernized models of the tunneling shield cutting working body was carried out. The studies carried out in T-Flex CAD have confirmed the functionality of the modernized design of the tunneling shield working body. An algorithm for calculating the strength characteristics of the proposed rotor design is presented. The algorithm is universal and can be used to calculate other designs of the tunneling shield working body. Conclusions. As a result of the research carried out, the strength characteristics of the rotor have been determined. Maximum values: displacement modulus – 2.875 · 10–5 m, equivalent stresses – 29.47 MPa, and safety factor for an equivalent stress is 9.446 · 106.