AW-17

In high-strength rock formations, excessive wear of cutting tools can damage the cutterhead and significantly reduce TBM performance. To manage this, cutterhead condition must be regularly inspected and worn cutters replaced through Cutter Head Intervention (CHI). Since CHI has a major impact on project time and cost, extending cutter replacement intervals is critical. AW-17 is developed as an anti-wear additive to reduce cutter wear and extend disc cutter life, helping optimize CHI intervals and improve overall tunneling efficiency.

Test Condition	Maintained at 1MPa for 1 min 30 sec
Sample	Water		AW-17 0.7% Solution
Sample	1st	2nd	1st	2nd
Current (A)	3.6~3.7	3.8	3.4	3.4
Weight Loss (g)	0.1	0.143	0.038	0.04
Stabilization Time (sec)	45	80	12	15
Ball Wear
Bearing Condition

Product Features

1

Reduces wear with an application concentration of approximately 0.7%.
2

An eco-friendly water-soluble substance that is non-toxic and harmless.
3

Applicable to all tunneling methods, including EPB shield and Open TBM operations.
4

Reduces heat generated by frictional wear, thereby decreasing the amount of cooling water required.

Package

20 kg Can, 1,000 kg IBC Tank

Field Tests and Research Applications

Evaluation of additives for cutter wear reduction

Project

3,308 m tunnel length · EPB TBM
AW-17 Application Section

Test section length: 69 m Hard gneiss formation (Rock Class I-II) with high cutter wear rates under normal conditions.

Evaluation Method

The performance was evaluated by analyzing cutter wear records from the downstream tunnel section excavated under the same conditions.
Application

• AW-17 is injected through the existing foam line.

• The additive concentrate is supplied to the Agent tank.

• A 0.7% solution is prepared by mixing with water in the mixture tank.

• Using the foam generator, the solution is injected through eight cutterhead nozzles at a flow rate of 427 L/min.