Application and development of hard rock TBM and its prospect in China

•The application and development of TBM manufacturing and tunnelling technologies in China are reviewed and summarized.•The complex geological conditions and technical challenges which will be encountered in China’s future TBM engineering are analyzed.•Current progresses in the three aspects of TBM fundamental research, technology development, and engineering application are summarized.•The development trend of TBM manufacturing and tunnelling technologies in China are prospected.

Compared with the drill and blast method, TBM tunnelling has significant advantages with high construction efficiency, low project cost, conducive to environmental protection, favorable stability control of surrounding rock mass, etc. At present in China, it has become the first choice and development trend in the construction of long and deep buried tunnels and over one thousand meters deep coal mine roadways. Recently, the engineering application and fundamental research of TBM tunnelling in China has made great progresses, also unavoidably with some unsolved problems. In this paper, the application and development of TBM manufacturing and tunnelling technologies in China are reviewed and summarized, and the market demand and application prospect are predicted. The complex geological conditions and technical challenges which will be encountered in China’s future TBM engineering are analyzed. Current progresses in the three aspects of TBM fundamental research, technology development, and engineering application are summarized. The development trend of TBM manufacturing and tunnelling technologies in China are prospected.