The present disclosure relates to underground mining machines, and in particular to a mining machine including multiple cutter heads.
Hard rock excavation typically requires imparting large energy on a portion of a rock face in order to induce fracturing of the rock. One conventional hard rock mining technique includes operating a cutter head having multiple mining picks. Due to the hardness of the rock, this method is often impractical because the picks must be replaced frequently, resulting in extensive down time of the machine. Another technique includes drilling multiple holes into a rock face and inserting an explosive device into the holes. The explosive forces fracture the rock, and the rock remains are then removed and the rock face is prepared for another drilling operation. This technique is time-consuming and exposes operators to significant risk of injury due to the use of explosives and the weakening of the surrounding rock structure. Yet another technique utilizes roller cutting element(s) that rolls or rotates about an axis that is parallel to the rock face, but this technique requires imparting large forces onto the rock to cause fracturing.
In one aspect, a mining machine includes a frame, a boom supported for pivoting movement relative to the frame, and a cutter head pivotably coupled to the boom. The cutter head includes a housing, a cutter shaft coupled to the housing, a cutting disc, and an excitation mechanism. The cutter shaft includes a first end, a second end, a first portion positioned adjacent the first end, and a second portion positioned adjacent the second end. The second portion extends parallel to a cutter axis. The cutting disc is coupled to the second portion of the cutter shaft and is supported for free rotation relative to the cutter shaft about the cutter axis. The cutting disc includes a plurality of cutting bits defining a cutting edge. The excitation mechanism includes an exciter shaft and a mass eccentrically coupled to the cutter shaft. The exciter shaft is driven for rotation relative to the cutter shaft about an exciter axis. The excitation mechanism is coupled to the first portion of the cutter shaft. Rotation of the exciter shaft induces oscillating movement of the second portion of the cutter shaft and the cutting disc.
In another aspect, a mining machine includes a frame, a first boom supported for pivoting movement relative to the frame, a second boom supported for pivoting movement relative to the frame, a first cutter head pivotably coupled to the first boom, and a second cutter head pivotably coupled to the second boom. The second boom is movable independent of the first boom. The first cutter head is movable through a first range of movement and includes a first cutter shaft, a first cutting disc, and a first excitation mechanism. The first cutting disc is supported for free rotation relative to the first cutter shaft about a first cutter axis. The first cutting disc includes a plurality of first cutting bits defining a first cutting edge. The first excitation mechanism includes a first exciter shaft and a first mass eccentrically coupled to the first cutter shaft. Rotation of the first exciter shaft induces oscillating movement of the first cutter shaft and the first cutting disc. The second cutter head is movable through a second range of movement intersecting the first range of movement at an overlap region. The second cutter head includes a second cutter shaft, a second cutting disc, and a second excitation mechanism. The second cutting disc is supported for free rotation relative to the second cutter shaft about a second cutter axis. The second cutting disc includes a plurality of second cutting bits defining a second cutting edge. The second excitation mechanism includes a second exciter shaft and a second mass eccentrically coupled to the second cutter shaft. Rotation of the second exciter shaft induces oscillating movement of the second cutter shaft and the second cutting disc.
Other aspects will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “mounted,” “connected” and “coupled” are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mounting, connecting and coupling. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and can include electrical or hydraulic connections or couplings, whether direct or indirect. Also, electronic communications and notifications may be performed using any known means including direct connections, wireless connections, etc.
As shown in
As shown in
Each wrist portion 74 is pivotable relative to the base portion 70 about the second pin joint due to operation of second fluid actuators (e.g., hydraulic cylinders) or luff actuators 162. In the illustrated embodiment, extension and retraction of the luff actuators 162 causes the wrist portion 74 to pivot about a transverse axis 166 that is perpendicular to the base axis 98. The wrist portion 74 may be pivoted between a first or lower position (
As shown in
As discussed in further detail below, each cutter head 22 oscillates about transverse axis 166 and pivot axis 170. In the illustrated embodiment, each luff cylinder 162 is operable to position the cutter head 22 about the transverse axis 166 and also acts as a spring or biasing member to permit rotary oscillations of the cutter head 22 at an excitation frequency caused by the operation of the excitation element 262 (described in more detail below). In a similar fashion, each slew cylinder 172 (
Referring now to
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The rotation of the eccentric mass 270 induces an eccentric oscillation in the shaft 242, thereby inducing oscillation of the cutting disc 202. In the illustrated embodiment, the excitation element 262 is offset from the second portion 250 (i.e., the portion supporting the cutting disc 202) in a direction parallel to the cutter axis 218. In other embodiments, the excitation element 262 and cutter head 22 may be similar to the exciter member and cutting bit described in U.S. Publication No. 2014/0077578, published Mar. 20, 2014, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
In the illustrated embodiment, the cutting disc 202 is supported for free rotation relative to the shaft 242; that is, the cutting disc 202 is neither prevented from rotating nor positively driven to rotate except by the induced oscillation caused by the excitation element 262 and/or by the reaction forces exerted on the cutting disc 202 by the rock face 30.
Although only one of the booms 18 and one of the cutter heads 22 is described in detail above, it is understood that the other boom 18 and cutter head 22 includes substantially similar features. In the illustrated embodiment, the machine 10 includes a pair of booms 18 and cutter heads 22 laterally spaced apart from one another and positioned at substantially the same height. Each of the booms 18 and cutter heads 22 are movable independent of the other boom 18 and cutter head 22. In other embodiments, the machine 10 may include fewer or more booms 18 and cutter heads 22, and/or the booms 18 and cutter heads may be positioned in a different manner.
Referring now to
As shown in
Referring again to
The sumping frame and associated components (i.e., the booms 18, cutter heads 22, material handling system 34, and yoke 54) may be advanced or sumped toward the rock face 30, permitting significant advancement of the cutting operation without requiring frequent relocation and readjustment of the machine 10. This reduces the time that typically must be spent aligning the machine each time the machine is re-positioned in order to maintain a cut face that is parallel to the previous cut. In addition, the sumping function permits the cutter heads 22 and the material handling system 34 to maintain their relationship to one another as the face is advanced. In addition, as shown in
Although the cutter head 22 has been described above with respect to a mining machine (e.g., an entry development machine), it is understood that one or more independent aspects of the boom 18, the cutter head 22, the material handling system 34, and/or other components may be incorporated into another type of machine and/or may be supported on a boom of another type of machine. Examples of other types of machines may include (but are not limited to) drills, road headers, tunneling or boring machines, continuous mining machines, longwall mining machines, and excavators.
Also, as shown in
The mining machine 410 includes a yoke 454 including a first portion 448 and a second portion 452. The first portion 448 extends between the booms 418, and each boom 418 is pivotably coupled to the first portion 448. The second portion 452 is an elongated member including one end secured to the first portion 448 and another end pivotably coupled to the sumping frame. The second portion 452 may be pivoted relative to the sumping frame by an actuator (e.g., a fluid cylinder not shown). As a result, the yoke 454 may be pivoted vertically (e.g., about a transverse axis 456) between a lower position (
Although various aspects have been described in detail with reference to certain embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects as described.
This application claims the benefit of prior-filed, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/287,682, filed Jan. 27, 2016, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/377,150, filed Aug. 19, 2016, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/398,834, filed Sep. 23, 2016, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/398,744, filed Sep. 23, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/398,717, filed Sep. 23, 2016. The entire contents of each of these documents are hereby incorporated by reference.
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