As far back as 1965, Teale [
2] proposed the concept of specific energy, defined as the amount of energy required to cut through a unit volume of rock, and thereby introduced the start of a new era in terms of energy-saving designs for TBM. The distinctive feature of this design was the concept of an optimal cutter spacing, which was utilized to determine the position of the disc cutters (the difference between the radii of adjacent disc cutters), i.e., the cutter spacing was determined by the minimum specific energy requirement. In 1978, by using a TBM indentation test, Wang, et al [
3] found that an optimal cutter spacing existed for the layout of disc cutters. In 1985, Mao, et al [
4] also discovered the existence of an optimal cutter spacing by using a disc-cutter rolling test. In 2007, Gertsch, et al [
5] used linear rolling test, determined the optimal spacing of disc cutters used in hard rocks, such as Colorado Red Granite, for which the optimal spacing was 76 mm. Acaroglu, et al [
6] developed a fuzzy logic model to predict specific energy requirements for TBM performance. In 2012, Moon, et al [
7], through simulations and results obtained in real linear cutting machine (LCM) tests, revealed that the effective rock-cutting condition corresponding to the minimum specific energy could be estimated by an optimized ratio of disc spacing,
s, to penetration depth,
p (the
s/
p ratio), which, in turn, is linearly proportional to the square of the material brittleness,
B
2, and cutter tip width,
t (i.e.,
s/
p =
cB
2
t, where
c is a coefficient). In 2013, Cho, et al [
8] studied the minimum specific energy required during TBM excavation in a Korean granitic rock using LCM testing and photogrammetric measurement and provided a three-dimensional (3D) digital comparison. In 2015, simulation by Hadi, et al [
9] revealed that eroded disc cutters increased the specific energy requirement. Simulations by Mohammad [
10] showed that the specific energy requirement of a double disc was less than that of a single disc and that the optimum
s/
p ratio was about 10. These studies all focused on constant cross-section (CCS)-type disc cutters and those used earlier. At present, the energy saving method is mainly focus on the traditional cutters [
11], and no researches can be found from the public information about designing a new cutter to reduce the energy consumption of TBM. The large energy consumption by use of traditional cutter in the excavation process enhanced the vibration of the cutterhead, increased the disturbance variable in the control of the cutter head system, and influenced the stability of the cutterhead [
12].
In 2012, the 3D fragmentation theory of disc cutters was developed [
13]. The following year, it was reported that disc cutters designed according to this theory had an apparent enhancement in their lifetime [
14] and the specific energy required for fragmentation was lower [
15,
16]. Alteration of the angles of the disc cutters during fragmentation was found to be capable of reducing the force required for fragmentation [
17].
This work presents fragmentation models of traditional (CCS-type) and newly designed (according to 3D fragmentation theory) disc cutters based on the above research and with consideration of the effects of alternating cutter edge angles. Coupled with a field study, research has been carried out concerning the energy consumption of penetration, rolling, and side-sliding fragmentations. Related field data revealed that the amount of energy required by the newlydesigned disc cutters was 14.8% less than that of traditional cutters.