This document describes the development of an expert system for selecting tunnel boring machines (TBMs) using the CLIPS rule-based programming language. The expert system uses several parameters to classify TBMs, including unconfined compressive strength, rock quality designation, joint spacing, surface structure, and ground conditions. The document outlines the literature reviewed in developing the system, including existing expert systems for car failure diagnosis and eye disease diagnosis. It also notes a gap in prior work regarding TBM selection. The developed expert system is concluded to successfully select appropriate TBMs based on input parameters. Future work could involve adding more parameters to improve the system.

1. EXPERT SYSTEM FOR SELECTION OF
TBM USING CLIPS
MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
(SPL. MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING AND TRIBOLOGY)
Submitted by:
BRIJ NANDAN TRIPATHI
17MT001599
Guide:
Associate Prof. Somnath Chattopadhyaya
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, Mechnanical Engg.

2. CONTENT
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Literature Gap
4. CLIPS
5. TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine)
6. Parameters Used To Classify TBM
7. Expert System For Selection of TBM Using CLIPS
8. Conclusion
9. Future Scope
10. References

3. INTRODUCTION
• Expert system is generated using CLIPS
• Expert system is for Selection of TBM
• Parameters used are :
UCS(Unconfined Compressive Stress)
RQD (Rock Quality Designation)
Joint Spacing
Surface
Ground Condition

4. LITERATURE REVIEW
1. An Expert System for Car Failure Diagnosis
This paper on “An Expert System for Car Failure
Diagnosis” was published by Ahmad T. Al-Taani

5. 2. An Expert System for Diagnosing Eye Disease
Using CLIPS
• 32 basic rules for eye problem detection

6. 3. Aircraft Oil System Fault Detection Expert
System

7. LITERATURE GAP
• Many Expert system have been developed but
none covered TBM
• TBM has very high cost value pre and post
use.
• Expert system can be generated to remove the
possibilities of any human error.

8. CLIPS
The CLIPS were developed in 1985
at NASA-Johnson Space Center.
CLIPS is a productive development
and delivery expert system tool which
provides a complete environment for
the construction of rule and/or object
based expert systems.
This project is based on AI (artificial
intelligence) language CLIPS.

9. WHY WAS CLIPS DEVELOPED?
LISP ART
C
L
I
P
S

10. HOW DOES
CLIPS
WORK?

11. • IF part is ‘patterns’ that are to be matched by
Rule
• And if that pattern is matched “THEN” part is
executed
RULES
IF THEN

12. Sample Code for Traffic System
Rule name
PATTERN (if part)
THEN part starts beyond
this symbol
Then part
Comment

14. TBM
• “MOLE”
• used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
through a variety of soil and rock strata
• Tunnel diameters range: 1metre (3.3 ft) to 17.6
metres (58 ft)
• The type of machine used depends on the particular
geology of the project, the amount of ground water
present and other factors.

16. TYPES OF TBM
1. Hard Rock TBMs
Shielded TBM: concrete segments (using thrust cylinders to
advance forward)
Open-type TBM: no shield (using grippers to advance forward)
2. Soft Ground TBMs
Earth Pressure Balance Machines: rate of soil removal
equal to the rate of machine advance
Slurry Shield (SS): ground with very high water pressure and
large amounts of ground water

17. PARAMETERS USED TO CLASSIFY TBM
1. UCS (Unconfined Compressive Stress)
strength of a rock or soil sample when crushed in one direction in a tri-axial
test without any lateral restraint
ROCK TYPE UCS VALUE
Extremely Hard Rock >250MPa
Strong Rock 50-100MPa
Very Strong Rock 100-200MPa
Medium Strong Rock 25-50MPa
Weak Rock 5-25MPa
Very Weak Rock 1-5MPa
Extremely Weak Rock < 1MPa

18. 2. RQD (Rock Quality Designation)
RQD signifies the degree of jointing or fracture in a rock mass measured in
percentage
Rock Quality RQD(%)
Very poor (Completely weathered rock) <25%
Poor (weathered rock) 25-50%
Fair (Moderately weathered rock) 51-75%
Good ( Hard rock) 76-90%
Very Good (Fresh rocks) 91-100%

19. 3. Joint Spacing
A joint is a break (fracture) of natural origin in the continuity of either a layer
or body of rock

20. 4. Surface structure
5. Ground condition
6. Purpose
7. Cost
8. Length of Tunnel etc.

21. EXPERT SYSTEM FOR SELECTION OF TBM USING CLIPS

23. CONCLUSION
• Expert System generated using CLIPS has
produced desired result successfully.
• TBM selected based on the parameters
matches correctly with real world data.

24. Future scope
• More parameters can be added to make the
system more advanced
• Tribology field: Developing an expert system
to find root cause of failure by analysing the
type of wear, wear marks, surface
morphology, wear particles or by its size, oil
colour, condition and many more parameters
that can help to analyse the problem’s root
cause.

25. REFERENCES
[1]. Ahmad T. Al-Taani (2007). An Expert System for Car Failure Diagnosis,Vol.1,No: 12, 750-753.
https://waset.org/publications/161/an-expert-system-for-car-failure-diagnosis
[2]. Assosiate Prof., Samy S. Abu Naser, Abu Zaiter A. Ola (2008). An Expert System for diagnosing Eye
Diseases using CLIPS,923-930
http://www.jatit.org/volumes/research-papers/Vol4No10/5Vol4No10.pdf
[3]. Hao Long (2015), Aircraft Oil system fault detection expert system,(Department of automatics
Beijing university, Beijing, China),196-199
https://download.atlantis-press.com/article/25842635.pdf
[4]. http://www.clipsrules.net/
[5]. NASA, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, CLIPS Basic Programming Guide,1991
[6]. CLIPS reference manual guide version 6.30
[7]. Joseph C. Giarratano CLIPS User Guide, version 6.30
[8]. Joseph Giarratano, Gary Riley (2004). Expert System: Principles and Programming,Fourth Edition.
[9]. Martin, Linda and Talor, Wendy, A Booklet About CLIPS Applications, NASA, Lyndon B. Johnson
Space Center, 1991
[10]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_boring_machine
[11].https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/rqd-rock-quality-designation-calculation/20536/
[12]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_(geology)
[13]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_(geology)#/media/File:PICT1709.JPG
[14].https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_(geology)#/media/File:Joints_City_of_Rocks_NR.jpg

26. Thanks