Abstract: A heading machine includes first and second rotating cutting heads each having an axis of rotation extending substantially in a longitudinal direction of the machine, a first cutting roller having an axis of rotation extending substantially horizontal and transverse to the longitudinal direction of the machine, and a further cutting device supported on the cutting frame and arranged to cut off the cusps of unmined material left on side wall. The machine further includes a side stabilizer, and can cut a rectangular profile without leaving cusps left on the side wall.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling mining machines. One system includes an image sensor for capturing an image of a cutting face of a mine and interface sensing and control system for obtaining the image, identifying an anomaly in the image, calculating a distance between the anomaly and a reference, and using the distance to automatically instruct a mining machine control system to keep a cutter head of the mining machine within a seam.

Abstract: A shield machine including an excavator capable of excavating tunnels of various cross-sectional shapes, the excavator including: a rotary drum supported at a front end side portion of a shield machine main body to be rotatable around a first center axis; a cutter supporting frame supported by the rotary drum to be rotatable around a second center axis; a rotary cutter head supported by the cutter supporting frame to be rotatable around a third center axis and including a plurality of cutter bits on a surface thereof; a rotary auxiliary cutter head supported by the rotary drum to be rotatable around a fourth center axis; and first, third, and fourth rotating mechanisms, and a swinging drive mechanism configured to respectively cause the rotary drum, the rotary cutter head, the rotary auxiliary cutter head, and the cutter supporting frame to independently rotate.

Abstract: The invention provides apparatus for drilling trenches in the ground, the apparatus comprising a frame and a drilling assembly having a horizontal support plate connected to the bottom end of the frame, said plate supporting drilling tools disposed beneath said plate, said trench being filled with a drilling mud. The periphery of said plate has resilient sealing means for co-operating with the walls of the trench so as to provide at least partial sealing between said plate and the walls of the trench, and means for adjusting drilling mud flow rates from the portion of the trench situated above said plate to the portion of the trench situated beneath said plate, and also in the opposite direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for drilling trenches in the ground comprising a main frame having two vertical main faces, a drilling assembly comprising a support disposed at the bottom of said frame, means for causing said drilling assembly to move in vertical translation relative to said main frame by applying a predetermined force to said drilling assembly relative to said main frame, and anchoring means mounted on said main faces for anchoring the main frame to the walls of said trench. The anchoring means comprise a plurality of deformable elements secured to said main faces of the top frame, means for injecting a fluid under pressure into said inflatable elements thereby applying a force between said main frame and the walls of the trench, and means enabling said fluid under pressure to escape from said inflatable elements whereby no force is transmitted between said main frame and the walls of the trench.

Abstract: Cutter spokes are disposed on a cutterhead of a tunnel-excavating machine. Movable blocks, each having a roller cutter, are movably supported by each of the cutter spokes while being connected one another by means of a connection link. A gate mechanism is attached to an end portion of each of the cutter spokes. A machine body is equipped with a roller cutter accommodation box such that through rotation of the cutterhead to a predetermined angular position, the roller cutter accommodation box can be selectively and removably engaged with the end portion of any one of the cutter spokes via the gate mechanism.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a tunneling method starting from the working face in the driving direction, a bearing layer being laid as the working face progresses and then carried away together with the debris. The inventive system includes at the front an excavating tool capable of removing broken rock up to a certain width and a certain height, and an advancing device for moving forward and steering the system, and a control and setting device for controlling and regulating the operation of the excavating tool and the advancing device.

Abstract: A tunnel excavator includes a pair of cutters arranged side by side at a front portion of a tunnel excavator main body. These cutters rotate in opposite directions for excavating the earth to form excavation and for causing the excavated earth to move toward a center area between the pair of cutters. The tunnel excavator further includes a screw cutter extending horizontally in a width direction of the tunnel excavator behind the pair of cutters at a lower level. The screw cutter has a pair of flights spiraling in opposite directions toward the center from opposite ends of the screw cutter for gathering the excavated earth to the center of the screw cutter. A soil plate generally extends along and behind the screw cutter and pushes the excavated earth as the tunnel excavator advances, but the soil plate has an outlet at a lower center area thereof for allowing the excavated earth to pass therethrough. A conveyor is provided behind the soil plate outlet.

Abstract: The tunnel excavator (1) includes a cutter supporting body (3) provided with cutters (2) for excavating the earth. The tunnel excavator also includes crawlers (13) for moving backwards and forwards, and upper and side bearing frames (15, 16) which move radiantly until they contact an inner surface of the excavation (12). Forwards movement is accomplished by propelling the cutter supporting body (3) with the crawlers (13) while the bearing frames (15, 16) are in contact with the inner surface of the excavation (12). Forwards movement without lateral slippage can be achieved because the cutter supporting body (3) is guided through the excavation (12) by the bearing frames (15, 16). Backwards movement is achieved by radially withdrawing the bearing frames (15, 16) from the inner surface of the excavation (12) and reversing the crawlers (13). Tunneling can therefore be accomplished regardless of the state of the floor.

Abstract: A cutter head comprising a plurality of coaxially disposed transmission shafts including a central transmission shaft and at least two tubular transmission shafts with each shaft having a cutting member, the shafts being driven independently with one another and any two radially adjacent shafts being driven to rotate in opposite directions, wherein diameters of the shafts are determined in such a manner that a sum of cutting areas covered by the cutting members of the shafts rotating in one direction is substantially equal to a sum of the cutting areas covered by cutting members of the shafts rotating in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A self-propelled boring type mining machine includes a mobile frame and a pair of spaced apart rotor drive shafts extending forwardly from the mobile frame. Rotary cutter arms are nonrotatably connected to the rotor drive shafts for cutting a pair of overlapping bores in a mine face to dislodge solid material. Cusps formed at the mine roof and floor are dislodged by upper and lower cutter drum assemblies pivotally mounted transversely on the frame front end portion. The lower cutter drum assembly includes an intermediate drum section separated by gaps from a pair of end drum sections. Gear cases extend into the gaps to rotatably support a transverse drive shaft that is drivingly connected to the intermediate and end drum sections. The centerlines of the gear cases are spaced inboard of the centerlines of the rotor drive shafts.

Abstract: A continuous mining machine having a cutter frame with two rotary boring heads mounted on this frame for rotation about axes extending longitudinally of the machine. Each boring head has a plurality of radially extending rotor arms which carry and support cutter bits on the front thereof. A pair of reciprocating pole devices are mounted in each of the rotor arms for movement in the radial direction of the arm. A number of link members are each pivotally connected at opposite ends thereof to respective pair of the pole devices and additional cutter bits are mounted on the link members. There is also a cam mechanism for reciprocating each pair of pole devices as the boring heads are rotated. The cam mechanism causes each pair of pole devices to be pushed radially outwardly at each of the four corners distributed about a circular hole cut by the respective boring head in such a manner that the resulting hole bored by the machine is generally rectangular.

Abstract: In order to drift underground roads, tunnelling machines are used that have a rotatively driven boring head base body, a rigid first bit and rail heads that can radially sweep around axes of rotation between the working point in a conductor shaft and gallery faces by means of thrusting piston gears that carry at least one roller boring tool. In order to improve the coordination between an opening of the conductor shaft and under cutting, which are carried out simultaneously, a first bit. (2) is designed as a ring borer (2) that breaks out a drilling core (3) through slits of an annular cavity (4). The ring borer (2) has two parallel arms (6) spaced apart from a central axis (5) that carry boring tools (7) articulated on a cross-beam (10) of a carrying frame (9) that has an advancing device (11).

Abstract: The present invention is applicable to a shield tunneling method and a tunneling machine therefor which excavate a deformed section by rotating a plurality of circular cutters. There is provided a deformed shield tunneling method and a tunneling machine therefor which excavate a tunnel surface by rotating a plurality of circular cutters (4), (5) and (6) arranged in the front of a front casing (2) of a tunneling machine (1) and which cut soil in tangent portions (15a), (15b) and (15c) of circles formed between said circular cutters by rocking rocking cutters (17) attached opposite to the tangent portions in order to continue excavation while completely forming a predetermined deformed section in excavation of any combination of circular cutters regardless of the diameter of the circular cutters.

Abstract: A shield tunneling method of excavating a tunnel with an optional cross section by rotating a center cutter about an axis extending in the direction of propulsion and revolving a planetary cutter around the axis so as to excavate the region between the profile of excavation by the center cutter and the desired profile of excavation. A machine for practicing the method includes a center cutter supported by the body of the machine so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the direction of propulsion of the body, a rotary body rotatable about the same axis as the center cutter, a planetary cutter supported by the rotary body so as to be movable radially of the rotary body, and operating device for moving the planetary cutter in the radial direction to permit the planetary cutter to revolve along a locus during the rotation of the rotary body so that the planetary cutter excavates the above-mentioned region.

Abstract: A milling engine for cutting trenches in ground or soil provided with at least one vertical support plate on both sides of which milling drums are supported for rotation about an axis perpendicular to said plate. One or more movable fingers are mounted on the lower edge of the plate for oscillating movement aobut the central axis of the plate during the rotation of the drums to remove a web of soil beneath the plate. Oscillation of the fingers is effected through camming surfaces formed on opposing inner ends of the drums which camming surfaces cooperate with a cam disposed at the inner ends of said movable fingers.

Abstract: Earth moving equipment for cutting into the earth employs a container having a forward opening. A holder is mounted in front of the container opening about in the middle thereof. A milling device is mounted on the holder for cutting into the earth. This milling device is positioned in front of the container for throwing cuttings into the container. The milling device includes right and left milling drums having respective axes subtending an obtuse angle with respect to each other. These milling drums each have a plurality of picks for cutting into the earth. The drums have a combined width exceeding that of the container so that the container can follow the milling device into locations cut out by said milling device. The milling drums are closely spaced to allow their picks to cut completely across their combined width without leaving an uncut region between the milling drums.

Abstract: A pebble-stone crushing device for use in an excavator for laying pipelines underground has a plurality of rotor teeth formed integrally with the rear face of a cutter head which is mounted in the most front part of an excavator body to excavate a working face in front thereof, and a plurality of stator teeth formed radially on and integrally with an annular front face plate of said excavator body so as to cooperate with said rotor teeth. The stator teeth comprises plural groups of radially spaced apart tooth members having different length. Further, the tooth members comprises groups of comparatively long main tooth members and groups of comparatively short auxiliary tooth members each being disposed, respectively, between every adjacent two main tooth members.

Abstract: A boring type continuous mining machine having a plurality of boring heads each of which is adapted to cut a substantially rectangular profile bore in the mine face. Each boring head includes a primary cutter head and at least one contour cutter rotatable with the primary cutter and also about an axis spaced from and parallel to the rotational axis of the primary cutter. Each contour cutter carries eccentric cutter teeth which cut selective profile areas radially outwardly and intersecting the bore cut by the associated primary cutter head. The boring heads are supported on the mining machine frame in a manner allowing independent drive of the boring heads and isolating thrust loads from the boring head drive trains.

Abstract: A mining assembly includes a primary rotary cutter mounted on one end of a support shaft and four secondary rotary cutters carried on the same support shaft and positioned behind the primary cutters for cutting corners in the hole cut by the latter.

Abstract: A self-propelled boring type mining machine includes a mobile frame and a pair of spaced apart drive shafts that extend forwardly from a gear box mounted on the frame. A pair of rotary boring heads are nonrotatably connected to the pair of drive shafts and are operable to cut a pair of bores in a mine face to dislodge the mine material. Cusps formed at the mine roof and floor are dislodged by upper and lower cutter chains that are carried by upper and lower cutter bars movably positioned on the front end of the frame. Cutter bar extensions are movably positioned on both sides of the upper and lower cutter bars by control links pivotally connected to the extensions and the mobile frame. The upper and lower cutter bars are vertically extended and retracted by piston cylinder assemblies. Movement of the cutter bars is transmitted to the cutter bar extensions which are guided on the respective cutter bars along combined horizontal and vertical paths.

Abstract: A mining machine comprises two cutting units each including a rotatable cutting head having cutting faces directed forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the direction of movement of the machine, and an elongated housing incorporating a drive mechanism for the cutting head extending along the axis of rotation of the cutting head, the cutting units being mounted side-by-side with the cutting heads adjacent each other, each housing being movable about a vertical axis towards the end of the housing remote from the cutting head and about a transverse horizontal axis between the vertical axis and the cutting head, means for moving the cutting units about the said axes, the housings of the two cutting units being mounted on a common horizontal slideway, and the slideway defining the transfer horizontal axis about which the cutting units may be pivoted.

Abstract: A mining machine adapted to be driven forwardly towards a working face comprises one or more cutting booms projecting forwardly from the machine, a cutting tool mounted on the forward end of the or each boom, and a drive mechanism for rotating the cutting tool relative to the boom, the said mechanism including a multi-speed gearbox whereby the cutting tool may be selectively driven at two or more different cutting speeds.