The present disclosure generally relates to a cutting bit carrier for supporting cutting bits used in underground mining applications. The present disclosure further relates to a tool support for accommodating a plurality of cutting bit carriers, a cutting head provided with a plurality tool supports, and a method for mounting a cutting bit to a cutting bit carrier. The present disclosure further relates to cutting bits used in underground mining applications for extracting hard rock material.
In hard rock mining applications, it is common to use, for example, rock shearers for winning hard rock materials in a longwall, or to use, for instance, rock headers for generating a roadway in an underground mine. Both the rock shearer and the rock header may comprise at least one rotatable drum, which may be equipped with at least one cutting head being rotatable. The cutting head may be configured to be provided with a plurality of cutting bits which are in turn configured to engage the hard rock for extracting hard rock materials. The rotatable drum may be adjustable in height relative to a machine frame by a swivel arm.
The rotatable cutting head may include a cone-like shaped body having cutting bit carriers integrally formed with the body. Thus, known cutting heads may be manufactured as an integral unit, wherein worn cutting bits may be replaced by newly manufactured cutting bits. The cutting bits are rotatably and removably supported by cutting bit carriers attached to the cutting head.
A mineral cutter system is known from US 2009/0091177 A1 and comprises a pick box adapted to be secured, by welding, to a powered drum or disc and having a bore to receive a replaceable sleeve having a collar and also a circular section bore to receive a circular section shank of a replaceable mineral cutter pick. The bore of the pick box incorporates at least one flat, and the sleeve is provided with at least one external flat to engage the flat of the pick box, whereby the sleeve is non-rotatable with respect to the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,136 B2 discloses a compressible sleeve for fitting around the shank of a rotatable tool. The compressible sleeve has a cut out portion at the forward end thereof and is compressed to a diameter less than the inner diameter of the bore of a tool holder by an annular wear ring having a generally cylindrical central opening with a diameter larger than the diameter of the bore of the tool holder. When the shank of the tool is driven into the bore of the tool holder, the wear ring is forced forwardly along the sleeve until the projection of the wear ring falls between the cut out portions of the sleeve thereby allowing the sleeve to expand to the diameter of the bore of the tool holder.
Further, WO 2014/194978 A2 discloses a cutting head for hard rock mining applications. The cutting head comprises a base member having a rotational axis and a center bore extending along the rotational axis, a drive bushing disposed within the center bore and configured to transmit torque from a driving device to the base member, a plurality of tool supports concentrically disposed about the rotational axis at the base member in a releasable manner, and a plurality of cutting bit carriers attached to each of the plurality of tool supports. When at least one of the plurality of cutting bits is worn, the tool support including the worn cutting bits is replaced by a new tool support including new cutting bits.
Further, WO 2014/194979 A2 discloses a replaceable tool support configured to be mounted to a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications. The disclosed tool support comprises an annular body, a plurality of cutting bit carriers disposed spaced apart from each other on a first end face side of the annular body, and a plurality of cutting bits. Each of the plurality of cutting bits is rotatably supported by one of the plurality of cutting bit carriers. When at least one of the plurality of cutting bits is worn, the tool support including the worn cutting bits may be replaced by another tool support including new cutting bits.
The present disclosure is directed, at least in part, to improving or overcoming one or more aspects of prior systems.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a cutting bit carrier for hard rock mining applications may comprise a first carrier member including a first supporting portion configured to contact a cutting bit shank of a cutting bit for supporting the cutting bit, and a second carrier member including a second supporting portion configured to contact the cutting bit shank of the cutting bit for supporting the cutting bit. The second carrier member may be detachably mountable to the first carrier member.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a tool support configured to be mounted to a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications may comprise an annular body, and a plurality of cutting bit carriers according to the present disclosure. At least one of the first carrier member and the second carrier member may be integrally formed with the annular body. The tool support according to the present disclosure may further comprise a plurality of cutting bits rotatably supported by an associated one of the plurality of cutting bit carriers.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications may comprise a base member having a rotational axis and including a plurality of tool support receiving portions extending around the rotational axis, and a plurality of tool supports according to the present disclosure. Each of the plurality of tool supports may be concentrically disposed about the rotational axis at an associated tool support receiving portion in a releasable manner The first carrier member may be integrally formed with one of the plurality of tool supports, and the second carrier member may be integrally formed with an adjacent tool support.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for mounting a cutting bit to a cutting bit carrier provided at a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications is disclosed. The cutting bit may include a cutting bit axis extending from a cutting bit head to a cutting bit end flange via a cutting bit shank. The method according to the present disclosure may comprise the step of disposing the cutting bit shank at a first supporting portion provided at a first carrier member along a direction extending substantially perpendicular with respect to the cutting bit axis. The first supporting portion may be configured to at least partially contact the cutting bit shank for at least partially supporting the same. The method according to the present disclosure may further comprise the step of detachably mounting a second carrier member to the first carrier member. The second carrier member may include a second supporting portion configured to at least partially contact the cutting bit shank for at least partially supporting the same.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cutting bit configured to be replaceable mounted to a cutting bit carrier provided at a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications is disclosed. The cutting bit according to the present disclosure may comprise a cone-like cutting bit head having a tip portion and a head base portion opposite to the tip portion. The cutting bit head may be configured to extract hard rock mining material. The cutting bit may further comprise a substantially cylindrical cutting bit shank having a first end portion connected to the head base portion and a second end portion. The cutting bit shank may have a first diameter. The cutting bit may further comprise a substantially cylindrical cutting bit end flange connected to the second end portion of the cutting bit shank and having a second diameter substantially greater than the first diameter. The second diameter may be in a range from about 120% to about 200% of the first diameter. Additionally or alternatively, the head base portion may have a third diameter greater than the first diameter. The third diameter may be preferably in a range from about 120% to about 200% of the first diameter.
Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings:
The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary embodiments described therein and illustrated in the drawings are intended to teach the principles of the present disclosure, enabling those of ordinary skill in the art to implement and use the present disclosure in many different environments and for many different applications. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments are not intended to be, and should not be considered as, a limiting description of the scope of patent protection. Rather, the scope of patent protection shall be defined by the appended claims.
The present disclosure may be based at least in part on the realization that providing a two-piece cutting bit carrier may support in facilitating replacement of worn cutting bits. Particularly, a worn cutting bit may be replaced by a new cutting bit by disassembling the associated two-piece cutting bit carriers without the need of a specific tool.
The present disclosure may be further based in part on the realization that, during operation of a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications, the carrier members of the exemplary disclosed cutting bit carriers may maintain its attachment to one another due to at least partially self-retention. Specifically, operational forces may be used to at least partially clamp the carrier members to one another for ensuring proper assembly of the cutting bit carrier and proper support of the associated cutting bit.
In the following, detailed features of exemplary disclosed cutting bit carriers, tool supports, and cutting bits are described with respect to the appended drawings. Referring to
In
The base member 20 may further include a center bore 30 extending through the base member 20 along the rotational axis 12 (see also
For instance, the cutting head 10 may be substantially configured as set out in WO 2014/194978 A2 and WO 2014/194979 A2, which are herein incorporated by reference with respect to the configurations of the base members, the associated annular tool supports, and its specific assembly to the base members.
Each of the plurality of cutting bit carriers 100 is, as illustrated in
Referring to
The first supporting portion 114 includes a shape at least partially corresponding to and matching with an outer shape of the cutting bit shank 204 and extends along a first carrier axis 101. The first supporting portion 114 is provided as a recess for accommodating the cutting bit shank 204. The first carrier member 110 further includes a reception portion 116 formed as a further recess for at least partially receiving the second carrier member 120 and for engaging the second carrier member 120. Particularly, the first supporting portion 114 is provided in said recess forming the reception portion 116.
The reception portion 116 according to the embodiment shown in
The second carrier member 120 includes a second supporting portion 124 including a shape at least partially corresponding to and matching with the outer shape of the cutting bit shank 204. The second supporting portion 124 is provided as a recess for accommodating the cutting bit shank 204. The second supporting portion 124 substantially extends along a second carrier axis 103.
In the exemplary disclosed embodiment of
In an assembled state of the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120, the first carrier axis 101 and the second carrier axis 103 are configured to coincide, i.e. to be coaxial to one another. Thus, the first supporting portion 114 and the second supporting portion 124 together form a cutting bit supporting portion for safely supporting an associated cutting bit 200, particularly, the cutting bit shank 204 of the associated cutting bit 200.
The first supporting portion 114 is configured to contact at least a portion of a circumference of the cutting bit shank 204, and the second supporting portion 124 is configured to contact at least partly a remaining portion of the circumference of the cutting bit shank 204. That is at least one interface between the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120 is parallel to the first carrier axis 101 and the second carrier axis 103 as well as parallel to the cutting bit axis 201. That is a partitioning plane between the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120 is parallel to the first carrier axis 101 and the second carrier axis 103 as well as parallel to the cutting bit axis 201
In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the first supporting portion 114 and the second supporting portion 124 are configured to contact the entire cutting bit shank 204 in circumferential direction. However, in further embodiments, the first supporting portion 114 and the second supporting portion 124 are configured to contact only partially the cutting bit shank 204 in circumferential direction.
In
As illustrated, the second carrier member 120 includes a mounting portion 126 configured to be received by and engage the reception portion 116. In particular, the mounting portion 126 is formed as a projection to be received by and at least partially inserted into the reception portion 116. The mounting portion 126 includes a plurality of second protrusions 128 configured to protrude in a radially outward direction with respect to the second carrier axis 103. Each of the second protrusions 128 includes a second inclined lateral surface 129, for example, a second inclined upper lateral surface 129 (see
When mounting the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120 to one another, the second carrier member 120 is moved along the dashed arrows 102 (see
During movement of the second carrier member 120 along the first carrier axis 101 and the second carrier axis 103, the first protrusions 118 and the second protrusions 128 are shifted one below the other, such that the second carrier member 120 is locked in a direction perpendicular to the first carrier axis 101 and the second carrier axis 103. Further, during movement of the second carrier member 120 along the first carrier axis 101 and the second carrier axis 103, the first inclined lateral surface 119 and the second inclined lateral surface 129 get in contact with one another, thereby restricting further axial movement of the first carrier member 110 relative to the second carrier member 120. In such state, the second carrier member 120 is mounted to the first carrier member 110.
As shown, the first protrusions 118 substantially protrude in a radially inward direction with respect to the first carrier axis 101, and the second protrusions 128 substantially protrude in a radially outward direction with respect to the second carrier axis 103. Thus, the first protrusions 118 and the second protrusions 128 at least partially engaging each other form at least partially a kind of a dovetail guide.
It is explicitly stated that the directions of projection of the first protrusions 118 and the second protrusions 128 may be vice versa, respectively, i.e. the first protrusions 118 may protrude in a radially outward direction with respect to the first carrier axis 101, and the second protrusions 128 may protrude in a radially inward direction with respect to the second carrier axis 103. In such embodiments, the mounting portion 126 may be configured as the reception portion 116, and the reception portion 116 may be configured as the mounting portion 126.
Further, in the embodiment shown in
Referring to
The cutting bit head 202 includes a tip portion 203 made of, for example, hardened material, and a head base portion 205. The cutting bit shank 204 is substantially cylindrical and has a first end portion 207 connected to the head base portion 205 and a second end portion 209 opposite the first end portion 207. The cutting bit flange 206 is connected to the second end portion 209 of the cutting bit shank 204.
The cylindrical cutting bit shank 204 has a first diameter D1, the cutting bit flange 206 has a second diameter D2, and the head base portion 205 of the cone-like cutting bit head 202 has a third diameter D3. As shown, the second diameter D2 is substantially greater than the first diameter D1. In particular, the second diameter D2 may be in a range from about 120% to about 200% of the first diameter D1.
As further illustrated, the third diameter D3 is substantially greater than the first diameter D1. In particular, the third diameter D3 may be in a range from about 120% to about 250% of the first diameter D1, and/or in a range from about 80% to about 150% of the second diameter D2. For example, the first diameter D1 may be in a range from about 15 mm to about 30 mm, the second diameter D2 may be in a range from about 30 mm to about 50 mm, and the third diameter D3 may be in a range from about 30 mm to about 40 mm.
Referring to
During operation of the cutting bit 200, axial forces indicated by an arrow 210 in
The length of the cutting bit shank 204 is configured to allow proper assembly of the cutting bit carrier 100. Thus, an excessive length 220 (see
Referring now to
Instead of the first and second protrusions 118, 128, the mounting portion 126 of the second carrier member 120 is a projection received by the reception portion 116 formed as a corresponding recess. The first supporting portion 114 is provided in said recess forming the reception portion 116, and the second supporting portion 124 is provided in said projection forming the mounting portion 126.
In order to prevent the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120 from detaching from one another, a locking element 130 is provided. Specifically, the locking element 130 as shown in
The first through hole 117 and the second through hole 127 substantially extend perpendicular with respect to the first carrier axis 101, the second carrier axis 102, and the cutting bit axis 201, respectively, wherein all three axes substantially coincident in an assembled state of the carrier member 100 with a mounted cutting bit 200. In order to prevent the locking element 130 from detaching from the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120, the first elongated portion 132 projecting out of the first through hole 117 and the second elongated portion 134 projecting out of the second through hole may each be locked in said protruding state by, for example, plastically deformation, such as bending by 90°.
In some further embodiments, the locking element 130 may be locked relative to the first and second carrier members 110, 120 by, for example, frictional locking or by providing a bushing at the projecting ends of the first and second elongated portions 132, 134, respectively.
As illustrated in
During assembly of the cutting bit carrier 100 of
In the embodiment shown in
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown in
With respect to
During assembly, at first the tool support 42 is placed about the base member 20 (not shown in
As shown in
With respect to
Referring to
Each annular body 90 has a first axial end face 95 and a second axial end face 97 opposite the first axial end face 95. Each annular body 90 further includes a plurality of supporting holes 92 each extending along a supporting hole axis through the annular body 90 from the first axial end face 95 to the second axial end face 97. The supporting holes 92 are configured to support cutting bits 200, respectively, in particular the cutting bit shanks 204 of the cutting bits 200. The supporting holes 92 are disposed spaced apart from one another about the rotational axis 12.
The cutting bits 200 of
The annular body 90 of the tool support 42, namely the tool support below the tool support 41, includes a plurality of supporting projections 94 configured to substantially protrude from the first axial end face 95 towards the overlying tool support 41. The supporting projections 94 are configured to support associated cutting bit flanges 206 of the cutting bits 200 supported by the supporting holes 92. Each of the supporting protrusions 94 has a supporting surface 96 configured to contact and support an end face of an associated cutting bit flange 206. Each of the plurality of supporting surfaces 96 are planar for contacting and abutting an associated planar end face of an associated cutting bit flange 206. Preferably, the supporting surfaces 96 are perpendicular with respect to the cutting bit axis 201 along which the cutting bits 200 substantially extend.
As further illustrated in
The supporting hole 92 includes a shape substantially corresponding to the outer shape of the associated cutting bit shank 204. As shown in
The supporting protrusions 94 are disposed spaced apart one another about the rotational axis 12. Particularly, the supporting protrusions are disposed on a first circle about the rotational axis 12 with a first radius. The supporting holes 92 are disposed on a second circle about the rotational axis with a second radius. As indicated in
During assembly, at first the tool support 42 is placed about the base member 20 (not shown in
Due to the second diameter D3 of the cutting bit flange 206 that is greater than the first diameter D1 of the cutting bit shank 204 and, hence, greater than the diameter of the supporting hole 94, the cutting bits 200 are prevented from falling out of its supported position. As indicated, the supporting holes 92 and the supporting recesses 98 are configured to have dimensions to allow a rotatably support of the cutting bits 200.
In the embodiment of
Referring now to
A diameter of the mounting holes 93 is adapted to allow the entire cutting bit 200 to be mountable to the respective tool support 41 even when the tool supports 41, 42 are assembled to one another. The supporting bushings 91 are detachably mounted to the mounting holes 93 via, for instance, bolting, screwing, glueing, pressing, pinning etc.
In the embodiment shown in
In
With respect to
As shown in
A substantially cylindrical cutting bit tip mounting recess 309 is formed in an end face of the tip end portion 306 and extends along the cutting bit axis 301 at least partially into the main body 302. Both the supporting recess 308 and the mounting recess 309 may be, for example, drilled or milled bores.
The cutting bit tip mounting recess 309 is configured to accommodate a hardened cutting bit tip element 303 via, for instance, pressure fit. In some embodiments, the cutting bit tip element 303 may be mounted to the mounting recess 309 via screwing, gluing, welding, soldering, or any other fixing means known in the art for mounting a hardened cutting bit tip element 303 to the mounting recess 309.
The cutting bit 300 is mountable to, for example, one of the tool supports 40 as shown in
The main body 302 can be put onto or at least partially slipped over the associated supporting protrusion 48 and locked in an assembled state via, for example, a snap ring 310 provided between an inner wall of the supporting recess 309 and a lateral outer surface of the supporting protrusion 48. The snap ring 310 is configured to allow rotational movement of the main body 302 relative to the supporting protrusion 48 and to disallow axial movement of the main body 302 relative to the supporting protrusion 48.
In the assembled state shown in
In further embodiments, the supporting recess 309 may have a substantially conical shape. In such cases, the supporting protrusion 48 may also have a substantially conical shape corresponding to and matching with the conical supporting recess 308.
In the following, mounting of a cutting bit 200 to an associated cutting bit carrier 100 is described with reference to
First, the cutting bit 200 is positioned at the first carrier member 110, such that the cutting bit shank 204 is in contact with the first supporting portion 114. Then, the second carrier member 120 is moved along the arrows 102, namely at first in a direction perpendicular to the cutting bit axis 201 and then, after the second protrusions 128 have passed the first protrusions 118, the second carrier member 120 is moved along the cutting bit axis 201 until the second inclined lateral surfaces 129 get in contact with the first inclined lateral surfaces 119. In this state, the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120 are mounted to one another, but the second carrier member 120 is still at least partially movable relative to the first carrier member 110, namely in an axial direction towards the cutting bit head 202.
During operation of the cutting head 10, the cutting bits 200 engage and extract hard rock material wherein axial forces 210 are applied on the cutting bits 200. Said axial forces 210 affect a self-retention of the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120 to one another. Particularly, said axial forces 210 push the second inclined lateral surfaces 129 against the first inclined lateral surfaces 119 thereby strengthening the self-retention and, thus, the assembly of the first carrier member 110 and the second carrier member 120.
When replacing worn cutting bits 200, the second carrier member 120 is detached from the first carrier member 110 in a reversed direction along the arrows 102 as described above (see
With respect to
In the following, mounting of a cutting bit 200 to an associated tool support 41, 42 is described with reference to
At first, the tool support 41 is disassembled from the base member 20. Then, cutting bits 200 are positioned at each of the supporting protrusions 94 provided at an subjacent tool support 42, such that the end faces of the cutting bit flanges 206 are in contact with the supporting surfaces 96, respectively.
Subsequently, the overlying tool support 41 is re-mounted to the base member 20, such that the cutting bit shanks 204 are supported by the supporting holes 92 and that the cutting bit heads 202 protrude out of the supporting holes 92, respectively.
In the following, mounting of a cutting bit 200 to an associated tool support 40, 41, 42 is described with reference to
When any one of the cutting bits 200 is worn, only the associated supporting bushing 91 is disassembled from the respective mounting hole 93, i.e. the overlying tool support 41 does not need to be disassembled. Then, the worn cutting bit 200 is removed and replaced by a new cutting bit 200, such that the end face of the cutting bit flange 206 is in contact with the associated supporting surface 96. In a final step, the supporting bushing 91 is slipped over the cutting bit shank 204 and re-mounted to the mounting hole 93.
In an alternative assembly method, the cutting bit 200 is mounted to the supporting bushing 91 first and, subsequently, said assembly is mounted to the mounting hole 93.
In the following, mounting of a cutting bit 300 to an associated cutting head 10 is described with reference to
At first, the snap ring 310 is positioned in the second groove 314 circumferentially extending about the supporting protrusion 48 provided at, for example, one of the tool supports 40. Then, the supporting recess 308 of the main body 302 of the cutting bit 300 is put onto or slipped over the associated supporting protrusion 48, and the snap ring 310 is elastically deformed, such that its diameter temporarily reduces. In such state, the snap ring 310 is mainly position within the second groove 314 and has an outer diameter allowing the cutting bit to be axially moved beyond the snap ring 310.
Subsequently, the main body 302 of the cutting bit 300 is moved along the cutting bit axis 301 until the snap ring 310 can radially deform to its initial state and at least partially engages the first groove 312 provided in the supporting recess 308. Therefore, the radial thickness of the snap ring 310 is equal to or at least partially smaller than the depth of the second groove 314. In this assembling stage, the cutting bit 300 is mounted to the supporting protrusion 48 in a rotatable manner, but the cutting bit 300 is prevented from axially moving relatively to the supporting protrusion 48.
In order to ensure proper assembly of the cutting bit 300 and the supporting protrusion 48, the first groove 312 may be provided with inclinations that urge the snap ring 310 into the second groove 314 while slipping the cutting bit 300 onto the supporting protrusion 48.
In some embodiments, assembling of the cutting bit 300 and the supporting protrusion 48 may be done by first mounting the snap ring 310 into the first groove 312 and, then, mounting the cutting bit 300 with the engaged snap ring 310 onto the supporting protrusion 48.
The supporting protrusion 48 shown in
In the following, further aspects of the present disclosure are described. Those aspects include features already described herein in connection with the above description and
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a tool support configured to be mounted to a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications may comprise an annular body extending about a rotational axis and having a first axial end face and a second axial end face opposite the first axial end face. The tool support according to the second aspect may further comprise a plurality of supporting holes disposed spaced apart one another about the rotational axis and extending along a supporting hole axis from the first axial end face to the second axial end face. Each of the plurality of supporting holes may be configured to support a cutting bit shank of a cutting bit.
The second aspect of the present disclosure may be based at least in part on the realization that providing annular tool supports mountable to a modular cutting head and provided with through holes for supporting cutting bits may render separate cutting bit carriers unnecessary. In particular, the annular tool supports according to the second aspect may incorporate the functions of the cutting bit carriers in the form of through holes and support sections directly formed at and integrally with the annular tool support.
The second aspect of the present disclosure may be further based at least in part on the realization that replacing of worn cutting bits and cleaning of the cutting bits may be facilitated. Further, manufacturing of the cutting bits may be facilitated and, hence, the manufacturing costs of the cutting bits may be reduced.
In some embodiments, the tool support may further comprise a plurality of supporting recesses provided at the second axial end face and extending substantially along the supporting hole axis. Each of the plurality of supporting recesses may be configured to at least partially support and accommodate an associated cutting bit end flange of the cutting bit.
In some embodiments, the tool support may further comprise a plurality of supporting protrusions protruding from the first axial end face. The plurality of supporting protrusions may be configured to at least partially support an end face of an associated cutting bit end flange of a cutting bit supported by an overlying annular tool support. Preferably, the supporting protrusions may each be configured to extend along the cutting bit axis.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of supporting protrusions may include a supporting surface configured to contact the end face of the cutting bit end flange of the cutting bit supported by the overlying annular tool support.
In preferred embodiments, the supporting surface is substantially planar.
In further preferred embodiments, the planar supporting surface may be substantially perpendicular with respect to the cutting bit axis of the cutting bit supported by the overlying annular tool support.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of supporting protrusions may be disposed on a first circle about the rotational axis. The first circle may have a first radius.
In some embodiments, the plurality of supporting holes may be disposed on a second circle about the rotational axis. The second circle may have a second radius.
In a preferred embodiment, the first radius may be smaller than the second radius.
According to a further second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for mounting a cutting bit to a modular cutting head used in hard rock mining applications is disclosed. The cutting bit may include a cutting bit head, a cutting bit shank connected to the cutting bit head, and a cutting bit end flange connected to the cutting bit shank. The method according to the further second aspect may comprise positioning the cutting bit at a cutting bit supporting protrusion provided at a first annular tool support, and placing a second annular tool support above the first annular tool support, such that, during placing the second annular tool support above the first annular tool support, the cutting bit head completely passes through a supporting hole formed in the second annular tool support and that the supporting hole supports the cutting bit shank.
In some embodiments, the method may comprise mounting a supporting bushing to the annular tool support, wherein the supporting bushing provided with the supporting hole is configured to at least partially support the associated cutting bit.
In the following, yet further aspects of the present disclosure are described. Those aspects include features already described herein in connection with the above description and
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a cutting bit replaceable mountable to a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications may comprise a main body having a cutting bit axis and including a base portion and a tip end portion opposite to the base portion. The cutting bit may further comprise a supporting recess formed in an end face of the base portion and extending at least partially along the cutting bit axis. The supporting recess may be configured to be slipped at least partially over a supporting protrusion formed at the cutting head.
The present disclosure may be further based on the realization that providing a cutting bit having a mounting recess and mountable to a cutting head by at least partially inserting a mounting protrusion formed at the cutting head into the mounting recess may facilitate replacement of worn cutting bits.
The third aspect of the present disclosure may be further based at least in part on the realization that manufacturing of the cylindrical supporting protrusions may be facilitated and cleaning of the cutting bit may be simplified. Further, the volume of the cutting bit may be reduced which may lead to less manufacturing costs.
In some embodiments, the supporting recess may be a substantially cylindrical recess configured to be at least partially accommodate the corresponding cylindrical supporting protrusion provided at the cutting head.
Alternatively, the supporting recess may be a substantially conical recess configured to at least partially accommodate the corresponding conical supporting protrusion proved at the cutting head.
In some embodiments, the cutting bit may further comprise a supporting recess groove formed in an inner wall of the supporting recess and circumferentially extending about the cutting bit axis. The supporting recess groove may be configured to at least partially receive a snap ring for mounting the cutting bit to the cutting head.
In some embodiments, the main body includes a cone-like intermediate portion interconnected between the base portion and the tip end portion.
In some embodiments, the cutting bit may further comprise a cutting tip mounting recess formed in an end face of the tip end portion and extending at least partially along the cutting bit axis. The cutting tip mounting recess may be configured to at least partially accommodate a cutting bit tip made of hardened material.
In preferred embodiments, the cutting tip mounting recess may be configured to accommodate the cutting bit tip in a pressure fit manner
According to a further third aspect of the present disclosure, a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications may comprise a base member, and a plurality of supporting protrusions each configured to rotatably support a cutting bit by at least partially slipping the cutting bit over an associated support protrusion.
In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of supporting protrusions may have a cylindrical shape with a substantially circular cross-section.
Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the plurality of supporting protrusions may have a conical shape with substantially circular cross-sections with diameters gradually varying in an axial direction.
In some embodiments, each of the plurality of supporting protrusions may comprise a supporting protrusion groove circumferentially extending about a lateral surface thereof. The supporting protrusion groove being configured to at least partially receive a snap ring for mounting the cutting bit to the supporting protrusion.
In some embodiments, the cutting head may be a modular cutting head comprising a plurality of superimposed annular tool supports. Each of the annular tool supports include the plurality of supporting protrusions for rotatably supporting a cutting bit according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.
According to yet another third aspect of the present disclosure, a method for mounting a cutting bit to a cutting bit carrier provided at a cutting head used in hard rock mining applications is disclosed. The cutting bit may include a main body having a cutting bit axis and including a base portion and a tip end portion opposite to the base portion. The cutting bit may further comprise a supporting recess formed in an end face of the base portion and extending at least partially along the cutting bit axis. The method may comprise slipping the main body at least partially over an associated supporting protrusion provided at the cutting head and axially securing the main body to the cutting head.
In some embodiments, the step of axially securing the main body to the cutting head may include positioning a snap ring between the main body and the supporting protrusion. The snap ring may be configured to allow rotational movement of the main body relative to the supporting protrusion and to disallow axial movement of the main body relative to the supporting protrusion.
It should be noted that each recited aspect of the present disclosure and embodiments thereof may be combined with other aspects and embodiments thereof. As one skilled in the art will further appreciate, each individual aspect and embodiment recited herein may also be combined with any feature described in connection with
Although the preferred embodiments of this invention have been described herein, improvements and modifications may be incorporated without departing from the scope of the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2015 009 472.6 | Jul 2015 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2016/001109 | 6/29/2016 | WO | 00 |