China's largest tunnel boring machine — with a diameter of 16.64 meters — rolled off the production line in Changsha, Hunan province on Thursday.

10月31日,，中國最大開挖直徑達16.64米的超大直徑盾構(gòu)機在湖南長沙下線,。

The machine, weighing around 5,000 metric tons and 145 meters long, is the largest TBM designed in the country and has been named Jianghai — the Chinese equivalent of river and ocean.

這臺由中國自主研發(fā)的盾構(gòu)機名為“江海號”，總重量約5000噸,，整機長約145米,。

The machine is jointly developed by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corp Ltd and China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co Ltd (CR14G), both units of China Railway Construction Corp, a centrally administered State-owned enterprise.

據(jù)了解，該盾構(gòu)機由中國鐵建重工集團,、中鐵十四局集團聯(lián)合打造,，均為國有企業(yè)中國鐵道建筑集團有限公司旗下子公司。

The TBM will be used for building a tunnel across the Yangtze River linking Nantong and Suzhou in Jiangsu province.

未來這臺超大直徑盾構(gòu)機將會用于建設(shè)連接江蘇南通與蘇州的海太長江隧道,。

The tunnel is a section of a highway spanning 39.07 kilometers, which is expected to finish construction in 2028. The tunnel under the river, with the deepest areas reaching 75 meters underground, is some 11.185 km long.

海太長江隧道工程線路全長約39.07千米,，預計于2028年建成,。過江隧道部分全長約11.185千米，最大埋深約75米,。

Meanwhile, the tunnel is situated in areas with underground water sources, soft earth and silt, which make it impossible to use traditional manual tunneling methods, said You Shaoqiang, chief engineer of the project at CR14G.

中鐵十四局海太長江隧道項目總工程師游少強表示,，海太長江隧道沿線需穿越含地下水、松軟土層和淤泥的地質(zhì)帶,，無法采用傳統(tǒng)人工挖掘隧道的方法,。

The machine can advance 12 to 16 meters per day, and it will take about two-and-a-half years for the tunneling to be completed, he said.

他還介紹道，“江海號”超大直徑盾構(gòu)機每天可以掘進12至16米,，大概兩年半之后就能完成隧道的挖掘,。

As the tunnel is situated at the estuary of the Yangtze River, the precision of the tunneling area needs to be kept within 1 centimeter in order to protect the safety of dams across the river, the engineer said.

他還說道，由于該隧道位于長江入?？谔?，為了保護長江上大壩的安全，隧道區(qū)域工程設(shè)計的精確度要保持在1厘米以內(nèi),。

In 2022, a TBM with a diameter of 16.07 meters was manufactured by the two companies, which has been used for a renovation project in Beijing.

2022年,，中國鐵建重工集團與中鐵十四局集團研發(fā)了一臺最大開挖直徑達16.07米的超大直徑盾構(gòu)機，將其用于北京的一項改造項目,。

Fan Ruiqiang, senior engineer at CRCC's heavy industry arm, said it took the research team more than two years to make the new and largest TBM.

國鐵建重工集團掘進機研究設(shè)計院高級工程師范瑞強表示,，研究團隊花了超過兩年半的時間來研發(fā)這臺新型超大直徑盾構(gòu)機。

The new TBM is also more intelligent and comes equipped with a database that contains previous problems in tunneling. This means the machine can offer suggestions to drivers when similar problems occur, he said.

范瑞強還補充,，這臺新型盾構(gòu)機更加智能,，裝配了數(shù)據(jù)庫，其中囊括了以往挖掘期間所遇到的各項問題,。這意味著當相似的問題發(fā)生時,，這臺機器可以給盾構(gòu)機駕駛員提供解決建議。

Wang Jun, deputy head of the Jiangsu transport project construction bureau, said the new machine marks the first step in the construction of the highway, which is a major transport infrastructure for the province.

江蘇省交通工程建設(shè)局副局長王峻表示,，“江海號”盾構(gòu)機的下線意味著海太長江隧道工程成功踏出了首要一步,，而這條隧道乃是江蘇省至關(guān)重要的交通基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施。

The new machine is also a major breakthrough in China's manufacturing industry and showcases the hard work of engineers and previous achievements in the sector, Wang said.

王峻表示,，這臺盾構(gòu)機也標志著中國制造業(yè)的重大突破,，突顯了工程師們的不懈努力以及該領(lǐng)域所取得的斐然成就。

The successful manufacturing of the larger TBM with new technology and materials shows China's industrial upgrading. The constant breakthroughs in TBM technology have improved the country's influence and competitiveness in the sector, he added.

他還補充道,，用新技術(shù),、新材料成功研發(fā)更大型的超大直徑盾構(gòu)機，標志著中國的產(chǎn)業(yè)升級,，超大直徑盾構(gòu)機持續(xù)的技術(shù)突破更提高了中國在該領(lǐng)域的影響力和競爭力,。