Tunnel Extraction Machine (TEM)
A Tunnel Extraction Machine (TEM) and its alternatives is a sustainable machine to excavate the tunnel or mine or dredge seabed in a rapid, efficient and cost-effective way as it allows large parts of the rock (or soil) to be extracted and pulled out of the tunnel or mine without necessity of digging or crushing them and with significantly reduced amount of the energy. Basically, it can excavate (cut) perimeter of the tunnel section in different shapes and sizes along with some other required longitudinal and transversal cuts and then extract and pull out the untouched and undug large portions of the rock or soil out of the tunnel.
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This invention is generally related to introduction and basics of a new shield machine named Tunnel Extraction Machine (TEM) to excavate the tunnels by faster, efficient and more economic system and can be used widely in tunneling and mining industries and their variations specially in rock tunnels.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA Tunnel Extraction Machine (TEM) is a machine to excavate the tunnels or mines in a rapid, efficient and cost-effective method as it allows large parts of the rock (or soil) to be extracted and pulled out of the tunnel or mine without necessity of digging or crushing them and with significantly reduced amount of the energy.
Basically it will excavate (cut) perimeter of the tunnel section along with some other required longitudinal and transversal cuts and then extract and pull out the untouched and undug large portions of the rock or soil mechanically out of the tunnel.
This invention is described by way of examples and not by way of limitations in the accompanying drawings including:
Advantages, objects and novel features of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered along with the accompanying drawings. One skilled in the art understands that other embodiments may be utilized and other structural, mechanical, electrical and logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. So, the following detailed illustration to not be taken in limiting sense as scope of the present invention are defined in the relevant claims.
Whenever the muck boxes 80 are filled with rock 81, then cutter drums 25 will be rotated around the central axis of the TEM 5 while they are actively working and turning in order to cut the rock transversally. At this stage the trapped large portions of the untouched muck rocks 81 within the muck boxes 80 would be free to be extracted and pulled out of the tunnel. In some cases in soft soils, transversal cut may not be necessary. The muck boxes 80 sides may include openable connections e.g. bolted, hinged etc. between each others and may include attachable lifting eyes to be handled on the ground and to discharge its carrying rock 81.
At the illustrated embodiment, 4 sections of the Muck boxes have been considered as example. The lowest muck box 80 and its muck rock 81 may be pulled out by any pulling/pushing means such as Locomotive 99, rubber wheel truck or winches. The extracted muck box 80 to be placed on any means of transporting device such as shown muck box dollies 85 as it is being pulled out from the muck frame 21. If necessary a front cap 83 may be added as shown at
The muck frame 21 is comprising cylindrical muck external frame 90 and muck internal frame 91 and muck central frame 92 and muck boxes 80 are being pushed/pulled into the muck frame 21. The muck frame 21 is rotatable as it is located within plurality of the rollers 39 which may be powered themselves and therefore muck boxes 80 can be positioned at lower part of the TEM 5 to be entered into the muck frame 21 or to be extracted from the muck frame 21. If necessary racks/gears may be used to be engaged with pinion/sprocket of the rollers 39 (See
As shown at
As shown at
As shown at
The cutter head screw conveyor 50 may be extended into the ring cutter head 10 as shown at
As shown at
Whenever it is necessary or whenever the muck box 80 are full for excavation of the rock transversally, the drum cutters 25 can be rotated around central axis of the TEM 5 by the drum radial drives 60 which are mounted on the drum cutter 25 within space behind the ring cutter head 10 and can make rotation of the drum cutters 25 transversely by engaging its gears (pinion/sprocket) to the fixed drum radial ring gear 63 (rack) on the forward shield 35.
The said drum roller 55 may be powered itself alternatively to make perimeter rotation of the drum cutters 25 on the forward shield 35. Also due to lateral loading on the drum rollers 55 during the excavation, extra lateral supports on the drum cutters 25 within spaces behind the cutter head ring 10 may be needed.
As an alternative as shown at
The center axial cutter 30 may be added optionally on central drum cutter holder 95 and the central axial cutter drive 31 may be mounted within the central drum cutter holder 9 (See
As an alternative as shown at
As shown at
The excavated and crushed materials will be discharged into a separate muck box(es)—mostly in cube shape with an open area at top to be filled by extension of cutter head screw conveyor 50 and muck box screw conveyor 51 at this example and then transported to out of the tunnel. (not shown for clarity).
Generally at some mines or tunnels, stabilizing the face of the cut areas may be required by using similar technologies of EPB or slurry TBMs.
The cutter head screw conveyor extension 53 would need to be removed/rotated/lifted to be out of way of pulling/pushing of the muck boxes 80 at invert of the TEM 5 whenever needed. Alternatively the extension may be rerouted directly to a location out of the lowest muck box 80 path.
Several types of the thruster system may be used to move the TEM 5 forward. As shown at
For the tunnels with the segmental lining moving of the TEM 5 forward may be done by using thrust cylinders 136 thrusting against the segmental ring 135 (conventional ring/Helical course) within the tail shield 38 as shown at
In one embodiment crawlers may be used to walk the TEM 5 forward (or backward).
Due to expected high speed of TEM excavation and its advancement, it is recommended to utilize either Thrust Shell System (TSS)—WO 2020/172195 or Helical Segmental lining (HSL)—WO 2019/160638, both invented and patented by TopEng Inc.—for simultaneous/continuous excavation and segment erection to significantly increase rate of the segmental lining erections.
In one embodiment, the drum cutters 25 may be fit at shorter diameter just behind the ring cutter head 10 as shown at
At this case additional muck frame conveyors 52 or 54 may be added if necessary within the muck internal frames 91 as shown at
As shown at
In one embodiment, the muck box dollies 85 may be powered and make them mechanically movable platforms for the muck boxes 80 that may enter or exit inside of the muck frame 21 without necessity to any other device such as locomotive 99 or rubber wheel truck.
The muck box 80 may have removable muck box rear cap 82 as shown in
Then after filling the muck boxes 80 and transversal cut of the rock by drum cutters 25, the muck box front gate 84 may be closed before extracting of the muck boxes 90 by moving the gate driver 110 inward direction.
The articulation jacks may be added between forward shield 35 and cylindrical middle shield 36 and cylindrical rear shield 37 for making turns by the TEM 5. These articulations have not been shown for the clarity but basically they would be similar to articulation of the conventional TBMs.
In one embodiment as alternative a plurality of axial drum cutters 325 or similar to roadheader attachments will be driven by axial drum drives 350 through the axial shafts 351 which are mounted and rotatable within the muck internal frame 91 as shown at
The muck frame 21 may include some means and devices to keep the muck boxes 80 during the mining/tunneling operation in their places within the muck frame 21 and avoid sliding them while TEM 5 is moving forward and rock 81 is moving into the muck box 80. (not shown for clarity)
Generally any means of excavation/cutting/crushing/melting/rock weakening tools 15 may be used as cutting and excavation devises either on the external face of ring cutter head 10 or on external face (or instead) of drum cutter 25 such as cutter discs, bits, reamers, waterjet, wave, plasma thermal torches, ultrasonic, laser, chain cutters, trenching devices and etc. or combination of them.
The plurality of sliding rails 228 mounted on the central rail holder 295 will be utilized as guide rail for the sliding plasma torch pans 225 which have front plasma torches 226 to melt/evaporate front of the sliding rails 228 as well as muck boxes 280 edges. The sliding plasma torch pans 225 also have side plasma torch 227 that will be utilized for transversal cutting of the rock whenever the muck boxes 280 are full. Alternatively the sliding rail 228 may be rotatable (90 degrees) to position the front plasma torches 226 for transversal cutting.
Optional center plasma torch pan 230 may be added to the central rail holder 295 if necessary.
The TEM 5 is being thrusted by gripper system as mentioned before and
As mentioned any other excavation tools on the ring cutter head or instead of drums such as Waterjet or microwaves or cutter chains will be working in TEM well.
At
For transporting the large parts of the muck boxes 80 out or into the tunnel, it may be necessary to have a liftable platform to work as switch inside the tunnel. An example has been shown at
At this example it might be better to have 12 muck boxes 80, 4 within the TEM 5 that are being filled and 4 muck boxes 80 that are being transported to be dumped on the ground and 4 other muck boxes 80 that are empty and returning or waiting at the switch lift to be entered into the TEM 5.
The present invention may be generalized to non-circular sections as rectangular, horseshoe, etc.
The extracted rocks 81 by muck boxes 80 may be used in various construction sectors such as armors in water breaks, retaining walls etc.
During pulling the muckboxes 80 out of the muck frame 21, the face of the excavated rock will be partially supported by drum cutters 25 which may be sufficient in most of the cases. If there is concern that this support is not sufficient, similar gate concepts shown at
As an alternative instead of drum cutters 25 plurality of axial cutters 395 in serios may be utilized as shown at
As an alternative method the rotating of the drum cutters 25 around the central axis of the TEM 5 during rock transversal cutting may be done by utilizing wireropes and mounted winches within the space between front shield 35 and Muck external frame 90. At this case the wirerope that have been connected to the drum cutter 25 frame at their outer point can be pulled at both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions to make necessary rotations around the central axis of the TEM 5 (e.g. 90 degrees at this example) by engaging 2 winches for each drum cutters 25.
As an alternative for cutting the rocks transversally, instead of rotatable drum cutters 25, a similar system of expandable rings described in Thrust Shell system patent (TSS) may be utilized that waterjet nozzles or plasma torches or any other cutting tools will be mounted on inner face of the expandable rings which will cut the rock whenever it collapses by its circumferential cylinders/jacks to reduce its diameter.
In one embodiment, transversal cut of rock may not be done at the face of the tunnel and the cutter drums 25 may only be used for longitudinal excavation. However other means of transversal cut may be provided with offset from the face of the tunnel in order to cut the extracted rock in desired length.
In one embodiment, the muck frame 21 may be not rotatable and discharging of the extracted rock 81 or muck boxes 80 may be done by other means from their position without rotating them to lowest part of the TEM 5.
In one embodiment the drum cutters 25 may be hollow and have openings on their face (similar to hollow ring cutter head 10) that excavated material may enters into the cutter drums 25 and carried to either muck box screw conveyors 51/52/54 or into a central screw conveyor placed within the central muck frame 92.
In one embodiment the extracted muckboxes 80 may be combined and connected by necessary devices to be extracted out of tunnel together on dollies or other means like shown example at
This system may be used for construction of the shafts as well by utilizing it in vertical position with some modifications. At this case front cap closing system may be necessary.
In soft soils transversal cut of the soil by rotation of the drum cutters 25 may not be necessary as soft soil may be transversally separated itself from the face of the tunnel while pulling the muck boxes 80 out.
For larger diameter TEM 500, a plurality of shields and a plurality of cutter drums 425 between the shields may be added to a single shield TEM 5 as shown example at
In hard rocks using muck boxes 80 may not be necessary as rock may be stable enough to be handled within muck frame 21. In some cases, only bottom curved side of the muck boxes 80 may be sufficient which can hold the extracted rock 81 while being pulled out of the muck frame 21 or while it is being transported on the dollies 85.
In one embodiment, a plurality of plasma torches 216 will be fixed on the fixed cutter ring to cover full perimeter of the cutter drum without necessity to rotate. Similarly a plurality of front plasma torches 226 may be fixed on the sliding rail 228 to cover full length of the sliding rail 228 to avoid necessity to slide.
A sample of horseshoe shape TEM 550 by using plasma torches 216 on the perimeter to cut circumference of the section and internal front or side plasma torches 226 or 227 may look like
In order to reduce nos. of required plasma torches 216 to decrease amount of required energy either sliding systems may be utilized as explained or alternatively rotatable plasma torches 216 can be mounted on two frames 218 and 219 by pivot connections as shown at
The TEM concept may be used for dredging purposes as well with different cutting tools.
Alternatively axial cutters 395 in series may be used instead of described plasma torches 216, drum cutters 325 in a dredging TEM 501. Also drum cutters 325 may be utilized as well for cutting the rock or soil longitudinally and transversally. At this case section D1-D1 in a dredging TEM 501 may look like to
As An alternative for the front cap 83, pairs of door caps 183 and 184 may be utilized as shown in an example at
Available technologies for drum roller compactors that their motors are inside the drums may be used for detailed design of the drum cutters 25. As an example refer to U.S. Pat. No. 3,814,531 which describes such roller assembly, however electric motors may be used for the drum cutters 25 of a TEM 5.
In case of using plasma torches for the TEM, a similar methods for closing front face of Tunnel Digging Machine (TDM)—USPTO 17/476399 may be utilized with adding cutting tools (e.g. plasma torches) on the front edge of the closing gates in order to transversally cut front face of the rock.
Extracted rocks 81 may be used to make arc shapes storage, shelters or arc bridges 87 as shown in an example at
Smaller versions of the TEM 5 may be used in other industries for core drilling of anything that can be dug, such as wood industry to dig out inside the trunks without affecting entire face.
In one embodiment, thrusting the TEM 5 forward may be done by using crawler or rubber wheels similar to the Continuous miner or cranes, which in this case thrusting against erected segmental lining or rib and lagging or moving TEM 5 by grippers may not be necessary.
In one embodiment of horseshoe shape tunnel TEM 550, plasma torches 216 on perimeter of horseshoe section may be used for transversal cut as well either by making them axially rotatable (e.g. 90 degrees in this example) and then sliding them to complete the transversal cut, or by adding extra side plasma torches on the perimeter of the horseshoe shape section mounted on frame 328 and then slide them to make the transversal cut.
Claims
1. A tunnel extraction machine 5 to extract and excavate material from ground, the machine 5 comprising:
- a hollow ring cutter head 10 with a plurality of openings 20 and a plurality of cutting tools 15 on its external face that is rotated around central axis of said machine 5 for excavation,
- a cylindrical forward shield 35 which said ring cutter head 10 is rotatably mounted,
- a plurality of drum cutters 25 with a plurality of cutting tools on their external faces that are rotated axially for excavation,
- a central drum cutter holder 95 positioned at axial center of said machine 5 which said drum cutters 25 are rotatably mounted,
- wherein tunnel face is only excavated at location of said ring cutter head 10 circumferentially and at location of said drum cutters 25 longitudinally while said machine 5 moves forward and concurrently unexcavated and untouched parts of tunnel 81 enter into spaces between said ring cutter head 10 and said drum cutters 25,
- whereby said drum cutters 25 will be rotated around central axis of said machine 5 for transversal excavation at their location as needed,
- wherein unexcavated parts of tunnel 81 are extracted without necessity of digging them.
2. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cutter head drivers 40 mounted inside said forward shield 35 for rotating said ring cutter head 10 for excavation.
3. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a center cutter 30 and a center cutter drive 31 that is mounted within said central drum cutter holder 95 to excavate at central axis location of said machine 5.
4. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of drum radial drive 60 that are mounted on said drum cutter 25 in the space behind said ring cutter head 10 to rotate drum cutters 25 around central axis of said machine 5 and within said forward shield 35 whenever needed for transversal excavation.
5. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical middle shield 36 at extension of said cylindrical forward shield 35, a muck frame 21 comprising a central frame 92 located at central axis of said machine 5 which said drum cutter holder 95 is rotatably mounted, a cylindrical muck external frame 90 and a plurality of muck internal frame 91 that is connecting said central frame 92 and said external frame 90, wherein said muck internal frame 91 are located behind said drum cutters 25 during moving forward of said machine 5, wherein said external frame 90 is rotatably hold by a plurality of rollers 39 that are mounted on said middle shield 36.
6. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 5, further comprising a plurality of muck boxes 80, wherein said muck boxes 80 are slidably located within said muck internal frame 91 and said cylindrical muck external frame 90, wherein untouched muck rock 81 or soil within said ring cutter head 10 and said drum cutters 25 enters into said muck boxes 80 during moving forward of said machine 5, wherein said muck boxes 80 can be rotated around central axis of said machine 5 by rotation of said muck frame 21.
7. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical rear shield 37 at extension of said cylindrical middle shield 36, a central frame support 93 that is mounted on said rear shield 37, wherein said muck central frame 92 is rotatably mounted on said central frame support 93, wherein said central frame support 93 is preventing muck frame 21 to move backward or forward.
8. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of cutter head screw conveyor 50 that are mounted at bottom of said machine 5 in space between said cylindrical muck external frame 90 and said cylindrical middle shield 36 to discharge the excavated muck from said ring cutter head 10, whereby said screw conveyor 50 may be extended inside said ring cutter head 10 for better discharge of the excavated muck.
9. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of muck box screw conveyors 51 that are mounted at lower part of said machine 5 in space between said cylindrical muck external frame 90 and said cylindrical middle shield 36 align with said drum cutters 25 to discharge the excavated muck from said drum cutters 25.
10. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a central drum cutter holder rotator 56 mounted within said muck central frame 92, wherein said central drum cutter holder rotator 56 rotates said central drum cutter holder 95 around central axis of said machine 5 during the transversal excavation.
11. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of drum drives 57 mounted on said central drum cutter holder 95 and within said drum cutters 25 to rotate said drum cutters 25 axially for excavation.
12. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of drum end drives 58 mounted within said drum cutters 25 and on a drum cutter base 59 with a plurality of drum rollers 55 sitting on said forward shield 35 to rotate said drum cutters 25 axially for excavation.
13. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising a drum radial ring 61 which said drum cutters 25 are mounted, a plurality of drum radial ring drives 62 that are mounted on a plurality of brackets of said forward shield 35 and within space behind said ring cutter head 10 to rotate said drum radial ring 61 during transversal excavation of said drum cutters 25.
14. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of muck box front cap 84 in open mode and 83 close mode by continuously connected front cap segments 101-106 that are engaged by a plurality of gate rod 111 that are mounted on a plurality of gate drive 110 to plurality of opening holes in the smallest said front cap segments 101-106, wherein said gate drive 110 are sliding inward and outward on a plurality of gate rail 108 which are mounted on said muck frame 21, wherein said front cap segments will close front of said muck boxes 80 by moving said gate drive 110 inward and will open front of said muck boxes 80 by moving said gate drive 110 outward, wherein said font cap segments 101-106 are located in space between said forward shield 35 and said external frame 90 and behind said ring cutter head 10 at open mode.
15. A tunnel extraction machine 5 to extract and excavate material from ground, the machine 5 comprising:
- a ring cutter head 210,
- a plurality of cutter head pans 215 including a plurality of plasma torches 216 or water jet nozzles or microwave antenna that are rotatably mounted on said ring cutter head 210,
- a plurality of plasma torches 226 or water jet nozzles or microwave antennas mounted on a plurality of sliding pans 225 on a plurality of sliding rails 228,
- a central rail holder 295 positioned at axial center of said machine 5 which said sliding rails 228 are rotatably mounted,
- wherein tunnel face is only excavated at location of said ring cutter head 210 circumferentially and at location of said sliding pans 225 longitudinally while said machine 5 moves forward and concurrently unexcavated and untouched part of tunnel enters into spaces between said ring cutter head 210 and said sliding pans 225,
- whereby said drum cutters 225 will be rotated around central axis of said machine 5 for transversal excavation at their location when needed,
- wherein unexcavated parts of tunnel are extracted without necessity of digging them.
16. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 15, further comprising a center plasma torch pan 230 or waterjet nozzles or microwave antennas and a center plasma ring driver 231 that is mounted within said central drum cutter holder 295 to excavate at central axis of said machine 5.
17. A tunnel extraction machine 5 to extract and excavate material from ground, the machine 5 comprising:
- a hollow ring cutter head 10 with a plurality of openings 20 and a plurality of cutting tools 15 on its external face that is rotated around central axis of said machine 5 for excavation,
- a cylindrical forward shield 35 which said ring cutter head 10 is rotatably mounted,
- a plurality of drum cutters 325 with a plurality of cutting tools on their external faces that are rotated axially for excavation,
- a cylindrical middle shield 36 at extension of said cylindrical forward shield 35,
- a muck frame 21 comprising a central frame 92 located at central axis of said machine 5, a cylindrical muck external frame 90 and a plurality of muck internal frame 91 that is connecting said central frame 92 and said external frame 90,
- a plurality of axial drum drives 350 that are rotatably mounted within said internal muck frame 91, wherein said drum cutters 325 are rotated axially by axial shaft 351 connected between said drum cutters 325 and said axial drum drive 350,
- wherein said muck internal frame 91 are located behind said drum cutters 325 during moving forward of said machine 5,
- wherein tunnel face is only excavated at location of said ring cutter head 10 circumferentially and at location of said drum cutters 325 longitudinally while said machine 5 moves forward and concurrently unexcavated and untouched parts of tunnel 81 enter into spaces between said ring cutter head 10 and said drum cutters 325,
- whereby said axial drum drive 350 will be rotated axially within said internal muck frame 91 to rotate said drum cutters 325 during transversal excavation of the rock,
- wherein unexcavated parts of tunnel 81 are extracted without necessity of digging them.
18. The tunnel extraction machine 5 according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a plurality of hollow offset ring cutter head 410 with a plurality of openings 420 and a plurality of cutting tools 415 on its external face that is rotated around central axis of said machine 5 for excavation,
- a plurality of drum cutters 425 with a plurality of cutting tools on their external faces that are rotated axially for excavation,
- wherein tunnel face is only excavated at location of said ring cutter head 10 and 410 circumferentially and at location of said drum cutters 25 and 425 longitudinally while said machine 5 moves forward and concurrently unexcavated and untouched parts of tunnel 281 and 81 enter into spaces between said ring cutter head 10 and 410 and said drum cutters 425 and 25,
- whereby said drum cutters 425 and 25 will be rotated around central axis of said machine 5 for transversal excavation at their location as needed,
- wherein unexcavated parts of tunnel 281 and 81 are extracted without necessity of digging them.
19. A horseshoe shape tunnel extraction machine 550 to extract and excavate material from ground, the machine 550 comprising:
- a plurality of sliding or rotating rails 328 with a horseshoe shape in perimeter matching with shape of said machine 550 and a plurality of internal vertical and horizontal members,
- a plurality of plasma torches 216 on perimeter of said rails 328 to cut circumferential of the horseshoe shape section,
- a plurality of internal plasma torches 226 on internal members of said rails 328,
- wherein tunnel face is only cut at perimeter of said machine 550 circumferentially and at location of said internal members of rails 328 longitudinally while said machine 550 moves forward and concurrently unexcavated and untouched parts of ground 481 and 482 enter into spaces within perimeter and internal members of said rails 328,
- whereby horizontal or vertical members of said rails 328 are rotatable axially and radially and slidable for transversal cutting of the ground,
- wherein unexcavated parts of ground 481 and 482 are extracted without necessity of digging them.
20. A horseshoe shape tunnel extraction machine 550 according to claim 19, further comprising side plasma torches 227 on side faces of internal horizontal and vertical members of said rails 328 to avoid necessity of axial rotatability of members of said rails 328.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 3, 2023
Publication Date: Mar 7, 2024
Applicant: TopEng Inc. (Oakville)
Inventor: Behzad Khorshidi (Oakville)
Application Number: 18/386,989