Overview
- The Xianglong rolled off a Wuhan production line on Saturday and is slated for an initial on‑site trial at a pumped‑storage hydropower project in Henan.
- Provincial and company statements report laboratory tests showing about a 30 percent boost in hard‑rock excavation efficiency compared with conventional TBMs, a claim that still needs independent field verification.
- Engineers designed the 4.5‑metre machine to switch excavation modes and to carry built‑in drilling and blasting tools so crews do not have to dismantle or move separate equipment when rock conditions change.
- Key technical features listed by developers include a hollow cutterhead, retractable side cutters, an adaptive telescopic tail shield, explosion‑proof shielding for blasting, and dual conveyor belts for material handling.
- Tsinghua University and China Railway Science & Industry Group co‑developed the Xianglong with domestic intellectual property, and developers say the machine targets delays and safety risks that occur when TBMs hit extremely hard, fractured, or water‑bearing rock.