Experimental Investigation of Possible Use of Ferroprobe Sensors in Advanced Exploration System of Tunneling Shield

The issues of a numerical modelling magnetic field topology in the front part of the microtunneling shield with regard to massive ferromagnetic objects in its structure, such as rotor, main drive shaft, blade-bed plate, bed plates and hydraulic cylinder block, were considered. Based on the investigation results, the authors established a possible use of ferroprobe sensors to monitor the parameters of the magnetic field formed by underground power utilities, the requirements to the parameters of ferroprobe magnetic sensors were determined, and their arrangement in the shield was defined. The influence of the ferroprobe arrangement in the microtunneling shield housing being a massive ferromagnetic object was established and investigated. The measures to eliminate accidental feedback between the ferroprobe windings arising during its operation in the shield housing were offered. The possibility to arrange the magnetic sensors in the microtunneling shield housing for realization of a magnetometric part of the advanced exploration system was experimentally confirmed.