US3446535A - Tunnel driving machine - Google Patents

Description

May 27, 1969 E. LAUBER 3,446,535

TUNNEL DRIVING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1967 8 y 7 i if? 2s 4/ f/f w 9% zo 36 I3 22 A INVEN'IOR. ms-|- una@ BYl 44W May 27 1969 E. LAUBER 3,446,535

TUNNEL DRIVING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1967 sheet Z ora Fla/3 INVENTOR. fm/ST LAM E l@ BY www May 27, 1959 E. LAUBER 3,446,535

TUNNEL DRIVING MACHINE Filed March 6. 1967 f4 PX'JVENTOR. 6m51- Lauwe ACW United States Patent O Int. Cl. E21d 9/00; E01f 3/04 U.S. Cl. 299-31 17 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A machine body is supported by a running gear and provided with propulsion means for feeding the body forwardly. A main column extends transversely to the axis of the tunnel and is firmly connected to the forward end portion of the machine body. The main column is adapted to be independently restrained in the tunnel. At least one segment member is pivoted to the main column on an axis which is transverse to the tunnel axis and has an arcuate peripheral face conforming to a part of the profile of the tunnel. A plurality of inserted-tooth cutter heads adapted to cut at their periphery are mounted on said arcuate peripheral face.

This invention relates to a tunnel driving machine. The previously known machines comprise a tool carrier which consists of a rotary drum or rotary spider. The tools consist in many cases of roller bits, which are used on the rotary drum in different forms and arrangements. In relatively large machines, two concentric drums are used, which rotate in opposite senses to obtain a better balance of the considerable torque which is effective. A plurality of roller bits may be combined in a unit, with which a separate drive is associated. These roller bits rotate faster than the slowly rotating drum and in a sense opposite thereto so that a torque compensation is also obtained. The penetration of the roller bits into the rock requires an almost complete destruction of the rock structure, and very strong forces must be applied by the :tools in the direction of the axis of the tunnel. As a result, a very strong and rigid structure is required for the drum, its mounting, the feeding means and the means for restraining the machine on the walls of the tunnel. For this reason, tunnel driving machines provided with roller bits are too heavy and uneconomical for tunnels large in diameter, particularly in hard rock.

To improve this situation, protruding chisel-type bits have been provided on the rotary drum and have been used to cu-t concentric grooves into the tunnel face, and the roller bits have been used as breaking rolls, which break off the lands between the grooves. Where two rotary drums having opposite senses of rotation are employed, a driving even of tunnels large in diameter is possible with this arrangement but only in very soft rock having no hard inclusions. The protruding chisel-type bits break in harder rock o-r where inclusions occur.

It is also known to use only cutting teeth as tools and to arrange a relatively large number of such teeth in a staggered arrangement on a plurality of arms. This design is suitable only for driving tunnels in very soft material, such as loam, clay or t-he like, because rock even if it has only a low hardness requires an excessively high torque for driving the tool carriers. A further improvement has been achieved in that the cutting teeth were used on Vinserted-tooth cutter heads, which perform a rotation of their own in addition to the rotation of the drum. Such machines have a strongmain shaft and a hollow shaft, which is rotatably mounted on the main shaft. These two shafts are driven at different speeds by a common motor. A hollow carrying body is secured to the hollow shaft and a set of gears, driven by the main shaft, is mounted in said body and serves for imparting rotation to insertedtooth cutter heads or circular series of tools, which are rotatably mounted on the carrying body, which rotates at low speed. All teeth are constantly in engagement and their cutting paths intersect so that a high wear of the tools results. As the circular series of tools or insertedtooth cutter heads rotate in the same sense of rotation, the torques exerted on the carrying body add to each other and exert excessively high stresses on the carrying body, the main shaft and the mounting. Because the face of the tunnel is being machined, strong feeding forces in the direction of the tunnel axis must be applied. Such machine cannot be economically built for use in hard rock and tunnels large in diameter because the machine would be too heavy and too clumsy.

A significant improvement can be obtained if the periphery of the tunnel rather than the tunnel face is machined. In this known process, a plurality of cermet-tipped tools are radially inserted in a cutter head disc, as in inserted-tooth milling cutter heads. A plurality of insertedtooth cutter heads provided with a transmission and a motor are secured in concentric circles on a rotary drum so that the cutting edges of the tools perform a rotation about the axis of the inserted-tooth cutter heads and an additional rotation about the tunnel axis in an epicycilc motion. The main machining work is performed at the periphery of the inserted-tooth cutter heads. As the machine is being fed, the teeth advance along a helical path and the cutting edges act in a direction which is approximately tangential to this path. This process enables a machining even of hard rock because the resultant of the cutting forces at the teeth requires only a low torque for driving the drum. If the feed increment is larger than the width of the cutting edge o'f the tools, it will be sufficient to disintegrate only part of the material whereas the remainder can be broken off beside the cutting edges. In this way the cermet consumption, which is economically significant, can be highly reduced. The application of this process for driving tunnels having a large inside diameter, however, involves serious disadvantages because the transmission of the cutting forces from the large drum through its mounting to the body of the machine is difficult and the machine becomes very heavy. All known tunnel driving machines have the further disadvantage that they can form only circular-section tunnels because a drum or spider rotating about the axis of the tunnel is used as a tool carrier and it is not possible to remove material unilaterally, e.g., for an enlargement of existing tunnels. Furthermore, the body of the machine is of considerable length so that the point where the tunnel supports are installed must lie a considerable distance behind the face.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate these disadvantages and provide a tunnel driving machine which is relatively simple in construction and enables the formation of tunnels, ducts or the like having a large inside diameter and different sections and even in hard rock and which permits of a removal of material also on one side and an installation of supports closely behind the tunnel face.

The invention is based on a tunnel driving machine which comprises a plurality of rotary, inserted-tooth cutter heads cutting at their periphery and resides essentially in that the inserted-tooth cutter heads are mounted at the periphery of at least one segment member, which conforms to a part of the tunnel profile, and which is pivotally mounted on an axis which is transverse to t-he tunnel axis to a main column, which extends transversely to the tunnel axis and which can be independently restrained in the tunnel and is firmly connected to a rearwardly extending machine body, which is provided with a running gear and feeding means, the propelling and steering movements being performed when the main column is released and the segment member has been swung back. There is no longer a rotary drum or the like but the tool carrier consists of the segment member, which can be selected to conform to any desired tunnel profile and is provided with the rotary, inserted-tooth cutter heads, which are spaced as closely as possible, and the segment performs a pivotal movement about the main column in operation. If there is only one segment member, the range of the pivotal movement will be about 180. With two segment members this range may be divided into two parts of about 90 each. The cutting forces are transmitted from` the segment member to the main column and from the latter directly to the tunnel so that the body of the machine need no longer be used for a transmission of force. As the feeding and steering movements are performed at a time when the inserted-tooth cutter heads are not in contact with the rock, the large forces which occur during cutting act only on the inserted-tooth cutter heads, the segment member and the main column and have no influence on the feeding and steering means. The supports for the tunnel may be installed around the body of the machine behind the main column. As the cutting forces are transmitted from the main column directly to the tunnel, the solution can take up also unilateral pressure so that the machine according to the invention is suitable for a unilateral enlargement of existing tunnels or for an enlargement of length portions of the tunnel being driven. Owing to its special design, the machine requires a lateral guidance only in a short length so that a tunnel can be driven with a very small curve radius, e.g., for forming cavern branches. As inserted-tooth cutter heads are used which cut on their periphery and are provided with cermet-tipped teeth, of course, the use of the machine is not restricted by the hardness of the rock. The main column is usually restrained to extend vertically at the center of the tunnel. At the beginning of the cutting operation, the segment member is in a lateral position and transverse to the feeding direction and is then swung forwardly so that the face of the tunnel is formed according to the same profile as the side walls. As the excavation takes place along a curved surface, the tunnel face has a very high stability. This is an advantage mainly in a tunnel driven in rock which is soft or of low inherent stability. When the segment member has entirely traversed its range of pivotal movement, the main column is released and the body of the machine is fed and takes the main column along. The latter is then again restrained in the tunnel and the machining of the tunnel face is repeated by a pivotal movement of the segment member. The feed increment in the direction of the axis of the tunnel may be so large that only part of the rock is cut and the remainder is broken olf. Alternatively, the main column may be horizontally disposed so that arches can be formed, e.g., as a roof of large caverns for power plants. The segment member can be replaced by another segment member, which may be differently shaped, whereas the other parts of the machine remain the same. ln this way, the machine can be used in an economical manner for driving tunnels having different proles and inside diameters. The tunnel driving speed of the machine may be increased if the segment member is replaced by two segment members moving in opposite directions. Owing to the provision of a main column, the machine according to the invention simplifies the power supply to the several tool units as only cables or flexible pressure oil tubes extend from the body of the machine through the column into the segment member and the cooling water conduit for dissipating heat from motors and transmissions for the inserted-tooth cutter heads can be insulated in a similar manner. Where a rotary drum or similar means are employed, all lines must be connected by slip rings.

`If the main column has a vertical orientation, the pivotal movement of the segment member during operation results necessarily in the formation of a at tunnel floor. This is desirable in most cases, The roof of the tunnel remains flat too. As the roofs of the tunnel should have the form of `an are of a circle or ellipse, depending on the tunnel profile, in order to increase the stability, the invention teaches to provide adjacent to the roof behind the main column at least one inserted-tooth cutter head, which is pivotally movable about the tunnel axis or an axis which is parallel thereto. This insertedtooth cutter head may be carried by a pivoted arm, which carries a driven pinion, which is in mesh with a toothed arcuate guide member so that the desired pivotal movement is obtained. The arcuate guide member may extend along a non-circular curve and the pivoted arm may be adjustable in length so that the roof is formed according to an elliptical or similar prole.

To facilitate the restraining and release of the main column in the tunnel, the main column consists of at least two parts, which are telescoped and extensible by hydraulic pressure, and t-he main column carries at its ends two engaging plates, for instance, `a oor plate and a roof plate.

For the pivotal movement of the segment member, the same is engaged by a reciprocable endlless chain or the like, which extends in an arcuate guide member, which is coaxial with the main column. Where two segment members `are used, it will be understood that two chains, which are movable independently of each other, must be provided in the arcaute guide member.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the body of the machine is provided at the rear with a running gear bearing on the tunnel oor and in its forward portion with feeding means consisting of two lateral pivoted legs, which can be set to the tunnel floor and are adjustable in length and have shoes, which are articulatedly connected to the machine body by an obliquely rearwardly extending linkage, which is also adjustable in length. When the pivoted legs have been adjusted in length to engage the tunnel floor, the main column may be released from the tunnel and the machine body will then carry the main column and the segment member. When the main column has been retracted from the tunnel roof and the segment member has been pivotally retracted, the center of gravity of the machine must lie behind the pivoted legs so that .a further increase of the length of said legs will lift the main column from the tunnel floor and cause it to tilt rearwardly to some extent. The feed movement proper can now begin. This movement is usually effected by a reduction of the length of the linkage which connects the leg shoes to the machine body so that the pivoted legs are inclined forwardly and push the machine .ahead until the column bears again on the tunnel floor and is restrained. Thereafter the pivoted legs can be retracted. The pivoted legs are connected to the machine body and the shoes by universal joints so that a movement in all directions is possible. As the pivoted legs are laterally arranged, they may be used also to correct a lateral inclination of the main column and of the body of the machine.

The running gear which supports the rear portion of the machine body is provided with a carrying frame, which is pivoted on `a horizontal axis extending transversely to the direction of travel and which is provided with a bearing, which is adjustable in height and receives a trunnion provided at the rear end of the body of the machine. By an adjustment of this bearing, the body of the machine is raised or lowered at its rear end so that the released main column is forwardly or rearwardly inclined. When the main column is subsequently restrained again, the tunnel will be driven on an upgrade or downgrade.

The body of the machine is also provided with later- A ally extending arms, which have skids connected to them, which are adjustable in a horizontal plane. These skids are guided by the side walls of the tunnel and can be adjusted to enable `a lateral steering of the machine being fed. The arms enable a lateral steering of the machine being fed. The arms may be pivotally retractable so that they will not obstruct a reverse movement of the machine. For a reverse movement, the machine body is provided with an additional running gear, which is selectively engageable with the tunnel oor and adapted to be driven.

'I'he body of the machine consists suitably of a plurality of box sections, which are ange-connected and accommodate the drivers station with the switchgear and controls, hydraulic units and the like, so that the driver is well protected from dust, moisture, heat, noise and the like. The sensitive equipment is also well accommodated. As the body is composed of a plurality of sections, it can easily be taken apart and assembled and the sections can be individually transported as separate units.

The invention will be explained more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the subject matter of the invention is partly diagrammatically shown by -way of example.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing a tunnel driving machine with the chain guide and t-he conveyor means shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing the machine, the roof cutter and its guide being omitted.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken through the machine on line III-III of FIG. 2 but with laterally swung segment members intended for a different, horseshoe-shaped tunnel profile.

FIG. 4 is also a transverse sectional view which is taken through the machine in the left-hand half of the drawing as in FIG. 3 and in the right-hand half of the drawing on line IV-IV of FIG. 2, the segment members being selected for a `circular tunnel profile.

FIGS. 5 to 9 show diagrammatically the cutting operation performed by a machine having two segment members.

FIGS. -12 show the cutting operation performed by a machine having only one segment member.

FIGS. 13 to 17 illustrate diagrammatically the feed movement of the machine.

FIGS. 18-20 show the steering means of the machine and FIG. 21 shows the machine during a reverse movement. 1

The machine comprises a main column, which extends vertically in the center of the tunnel. This column consists of two parts 1, 2, which can be telescopically extended under telescopic pressure, and carries at its ends a oor plate 3 and a roof plate 4. The main column 1, 2 is rmly restrained between the floor and roof of the tunnel in operation. A rearwardly extending machine body 6 is rigidly connected the main column and is composed of a plurality of box sections. An arcuate guide member 7, which is coaxial with the main column 1, 2, is provided above the machine body 6. Two endless chains 8 consisting of three strands each extend in said guide member. The two chains 8 extend around sprockets 9, 10 (FIG. 2), which are driven. The sprocket 10 is additionally adjustable for tensioning the chains. Each of the two chains has separate sprockets so that it can be driven independently of the other. The direction of the drive is reversible. Each of the two chains 8 is connected to one of segments 11, 12, each of which is pivoted to the main column 1, 2 and conforms to a part of the tunnel profile. Inserted-tooth cutter heads 13, which cut at their periphery, are provided in a closely spaced arrangement at the periphery of the segment members 11, 12. Each of said cutter heads is combined with a transmission and a motor in a tool unit. The segment members 11, '12 are pivotally reciprocated about the main column 1, 2 by means of the chains 8.

The form of the segment members 11, 12 depends on the profile of the respective tunnel, as is apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4. The number of inserted-tooth cutter heads 13 and of the tool units depends on the number of segments and the size of the tunnel prole. The driving operation is performed in such a manner that the floor and roof of the tunnel remain at. To form the roof of the tunnel with the curvature which is required for reasons of stability, a further inserted-tooth cutter head 14 with a suitable drive unit is provided adjacent to the roof behind the main column 1, 2. This drive unit is secured to a pivoted arm 15, which is coaxial with the tunnel and carries a driven pinion 16 in mesh with a toothed arcuate guide member 17 (FIGS. 1 and 4). Different arcuate guide members may be used for adaptation to the tunnel profile. The pivot of the arm 15 is also adjustable in height.

The main column 1, 2 is iirmly restrained in the tunnel during the cutting operation and must be released for the feed movement. The machine body 6 is provided with two lateral pivoted legs 18, which consist of a cylinder and piston for adjustment in length and are connected by universal joints to the machine body or side brackets '19 of the machine body and to their shoes 20. The shoes of the pivoted legs are articulatedly connected to the machine body 6 by a linkage 21, which extends obliquely and rearwardly and which is also adjustable in length. At its rear end, the machine rests on two supporting crawlers 22, which are not driven and form the running gear. The crawlers 22 support a carrying frame 24, which is pivoted about the axis 23 and is provided with a bearing. This bearing is adjustable in height by a powerdriven screw and receives a trunnion 25, which is provided at the rear end of the body 6 of the machine. The screw can be rotated to swing the bearing with the trunnion 25 and the body 6 of the machine upwardly and downwardly for a correction in height. For this purpose, the main column must be released so that it can assume the desired inclination. This will result in an inclination of the plane in which the segment members 11, 12 are pivotally movable and in a rise or fall of the tunnel roof (FIG. 19).

For a reverse movement of the machine (FIG. 21) an additional driving crawler 26 is provided, which has a drive of its own and which is raised during the operation of the machine and is hydraulically engaged with the tunnel floor only for a reverse travel.

Two laterally extending arms 27, which carry skids 28, serve for laterally guiding and steering the machine in the tunnel. The skids 28 can Ibe adjusted in a horizontal plane with the aid of hydraulic jacks 29. Long cylinderpiston units 30 are incorporated at the rear -in the arms 27 so that the rear spars of the arms can be shortened to swing the arms 27 rearwardly to a position in which they do not obstruct the reverse movement of the machine. It will be understood that the arms must be articulated in such a manner that this pivotal movement and an adjustment of the skids 28 is enabled. The rearward pivotal movement of the arms willswing back also the segment members 11, 12 beyond their transverse initial position so that the inserted-tooth'cutter heads 13 will not contact the side walls of the tunnel d-uring a reverse movement.

With tunnels large in cross-section, tunnel supports -must be installed soon as any settlement of the rock and large forces released thereby must be avoided. Where the machine according to the invention is employed, the walls of the excavation can be supported immediately behind the roof cutter 14 and the skids 28. FIGS. l and 2 show by way of example the use of vsteel rings 31 as supports.

For the removal of the excavated material, inclined guide plates 32, 33 are provided one under the other on the sides of the segment members, and a vibrating chute 34 is provided under the guide plates and feeds the excavated material to a rotary feeder 35?, which is mounted on the main column and transfers the material to a rearwardly moving belt conveyor 36. The debris which are removed from the oor of tunnel are received by a scraper ight conveyor 37 and transferred over a trough 38 (FIG. 1) to another belt conveyor 39 (FIG.

2). With tunnels small in cross-section, there is no need for a removal of material in the upper part of the tunnel so that the scraper flight conveyor 37, the trough 38 and the belt -conveyor 39 are sufficient in this case.

The machine operates as follows: In accordance with FIG. 5, the machine has excavated material along the semicircle indicated by a thick line during the last cycle of operation. The main column 1, 2 has then been advanced by the feed increment V and the segment members 11, 12 carrying the inserted-tooth cutter heads 13 are in the initial positions a, b. Both segment members are now swung forwardly toward the center of the tunnel by means of the chains 8, and the inserted-tooth cutter heads excavate in the area which -is hatched in FIG. 4. The width of cut increases as the pivotal `movement proceeds. To obtain a uniform load on the tools throughout the cutting path, the segment members 11, 12 may be moved initially faster and be gradually slowed down until they have reached the positions c, d (FIG. 6). For removing the rock also in the area c-d between the inserted-tooth cutter heads 13, the pivotal movement of the segment member 11 is continued when the return movement of the segment member 12 has already begun (FIG. 7). For a symmetrical tunel-driving operation, the segment member 12 is swung further to position d in the next cycle of operation while the segment member 11 is returning (FIG. 8). While the tunnel face is being machined, the roof cutter 14 is operated with its pivoted arm 15 moving along the arcuate guide member 17 so that the arcuate portion remaining on the roof of the tunnel is cut in the width of the feed increment V. FIG. 9 shows both segment members 11, 12 again in the initial position at a and b, where they remain during the following feed movement, in which the segment members 11, 12 follow the entire machine.

In FIGS. 10-12 there is only one segment member 11, which must -be swung through about 180 to move from the initial position a to the end position b, which corresponds to the initial position reached when the feed movement of the machine was completed. With a single segment member just as with a machine having two segment members, the feed increment V exceeds the width of the teeth so that the rock is undercut and the lands of rock are broken off. The feed increment -is equal to the sum of the tooth width and the breaking width.

The means for feeding and steering the machine do not change their position during the cutting operation and remain in the so-called operative position, in which the main column 1, 2 is firmly restrained and takes up the cutting forces. The machine body 6 rests at its rear end on the supporting crawlers 22 and the pivoted legs 18 are retracted (FIG. 13). When the cutting operation has been terminated, the pivoted legs 18 are extended so that their shoes 20 engage the tunnel floor. The piston drives 29 are operated to retract the skids 28 to some extent from the side walls of the tunnel. As the center of gravity S of the machine is disposed behind the pivoted legs 1-8, the machine body swings about the axis 23 of the carrying frame 24 and the floor plate 3 of the main column is lifted off the oor (FIG. 14) when the main column 1, 2 has been retracted and the lifting force of the pivoted legs increases. The linkage 21 is now shortened so that the pivoted legs 18 are forwardly inclined. As the shoes 20 are loaded by the weight of the machine and have a higher ground friction, they dene a fulcrum whereas the two supporting crawlers 22 roll forwardly by the feed increment V while the pivoted legs perform a pivotal movement (FIG. 15). The main column has then assumed its new position. The two parts 1, 2 are pushed apart to restrain the main column in the tunnel 'and a new cutting operation can begin (FIG. 16). The linkage 21 can be extended and the pivoted legs 18 be shortened at the same time to bring the feeding means into position for a new `feeding operation (FIG. 17).

Before the main column is restrained in the tunnel when the feed increment has been performed, the position of the machine in the t-unnel can be exactly measured so that any directional corrections can be effeced before the new cycle of operation begins. To correct lateral deviations 0f the axis of the machine body from the desired tunnel axis or for driving right-hand or left-hand curves, the skids 28 are adjusted with the aid of the cylinder-piston units 26 (FIG. 18). Deviations of the machine from the tunnel axis in a vertical plane can be compensated by an adjustment of the bearing for the trunnion 25 in the carrying frame 24, as is shown in FIG. 19. A lateral inclination of the main column 1, 2 can be corrected by an increase or decrease of the length of the pivoted legs 18, as is shown in FIG. 20.

A reverse movement is required for maneuvering and for moving the machine out of the tunnel. Whereas the feed movement is to be effected in small steps, the reverse movement should be faster and continuous. Before a reverse movement, all parts which contact the tunnel walls must be retracted. For a reverse movement, the crawler 26 is engaged with the tunnel floor when the pivoted legs 18 have been retracted. The main column 1, 2 can then be released and is subsequently lifted off the tunnel floor by a further extension movement of the crawler. The machine rests now only on the crawlers 22 and 26 and can be propelled by the drive means for the crawler 26.

What I claim is:

1. A tunnel driving machine, which comprises a machine body, a running gear supporting said Imachine body, feeding means for feeding said machine body forwardly, a vertical main column arranged to extend transversely to the axis of the tunnel being driven and firmly connected to the forward end portion of said machine body and adapted to be independently restrained in the tunnel being driven, at least one segment member which is pivoted to said main column about an axis which is arranged to extend transversely to the axis of the tunnel being driven and which has an arcuate peripheral face conforming to a part of the desired tunnel prole, a plurality of inserted-tooth cutter heads operable to cut at their periphery and rotatably mounted on said arcuate peripheral face, and additional inserted-tooth cutter head means disposed behind the main column adjacent to the roof of the tunnel being driven and pivotally movable about an axis which has the same direction as the axis of the tunnel being driven.

2. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 1, in which said main column is adapted to be released and said segment member is adapted to be pivotally retracted to enable feeding and steering movements of said machine.

3. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 1, which comprises an a-rcuate rack carried by said machine body, a pivoted arm carrying said additional insertedtooth cutter head means, and a pinion carried by said arm and in mesh with said arcuate rack.

4. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said main column comprises two telescoped parts, which are adapted to be moved apart by hydraulic force.

5. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 1, in which said main column has two engaging plates at opposite ends.

6. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 1, which comprises an arcuate guide member carried by said machine body and coaxially disposed with respect to said main column, and a flexible tension element in guided engagement with said guide member and connected to said segment member, and drive means for reciprocating said tension element.

7. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 1, which comprises laterally extending arms secured to said machine body, and skids which are carried by said arms and movable in a horizontal plane.

8. A tunnel `driving machine as set forth in claim 7, in which said arms are pivotally retractable.

9. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 1, in which said machine body comprises a plurality of box sections flange-connected in end to end alignment, and a drivers station, switching and control gear, and hydraulic units accommodated in said box sections.

10. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 1, rwhich comprises a scraper flight conveyor arranged to rest on the tunnel lloor and surrounding said main column, an inclined trough succeeding said scraper flight conveyor, and a rearwardly extending belt conveyor succeeding said trough.

11. A tunnel driving machine, which comprises fa machine Ibody, a running gear disposed at the rear end of the machine, arranged to rest on the iloor of the tunnel being driven and supporting said machine body, feeding means for feeding said machine body forwardly, the feeding means comprising two pivoted legs connected to the sides of the forward portion of said machine body and adjustable in length and selectively engageable with the tunnel floor, shoes carried by said pivoted legs at the outer ends thereof, and linkages adjustable in length, articulatedly connected to said shoes and exteding rearwardly obliquely from said shoes to said machine body, to which they are articulatedly connected, a main column arranged to extend transversely to the axis of the tunnel being driven and rmly connected to the forward end portion of said machine body and adapted to ybe independently restrained in the tunnel being driven, at least one segment member which is pivoted to said main column about an axis which is arranged to extend transversely to the axis of the tunnel being driven and which has an arcuate peripheral face conforming to a part of the desired tunnel profile, and a plurality of inserted-tooth cutter heads operable to cut fat their periphery and rotatably mounted on said arcuate peripheral face.

12. A tunnel driving machine as set fo-rth in claim 11, which comprises universal joints connecting said pivoted legs to said machine body and to said shoes.

13. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 11, in which said main column is arranged to be retractable from the roof of the tunnel being driven and said segment member is pivotally retractable to a position in which the center of gravity of the machine is disposed behind said pivoted legs.

14. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 11, which comprises a carrying frame pivoted to said running gear about a horizontal axis which is transverse to the direction of travel of said running gear, a bearing which is carried by said carrying frame and adjustable in height, and a trunnion which is connected to the rear end portion of said machine body and carried by said bearing.

15. A tunnel driving-machine as set forth in claim 11, which comprises an additional running gear, which is connected to said machine body and arranged to be selectively engageable with and disengageable f-rom the oor of the tunnel being driven, and drive means operable to drive said additional running gear in the longitudinal direction of said machine.

16. A tunnel driving machine, which comprises a machine body, a running gear supporting said machine body, feeding means for feeding said machine body forwardly, a main column arranged to extend transversely to the axis of the tunnel being driven and firmly connected to the forward end portion of said machine body and adapted to be independently restrained in the .tunnel being driven, at least one segment member which is pivoted to said main column about an axis which is arranged to extend transversely to the axis of the tunnel being driven and which has an arcuate peripheral face conforming to a part of the desired tunnel profile, oblique guide plates carried by said segment member on the sides thereof and disposed one under the other, a plurality of inserted-tooth cutter heads operable to cut at their periphery and rotatably mounted on said arcuate peripheral face, a rotary feeder mounted on said main column and arranged to receive detached material from said inserted-tooth cutter heads Via said guide plates, a rearwardly extending belt conveyor arranged to receive said material from said feeder, a scraper flight conveyor arranged to rest on the tunnel oor and surrounding said main column, an inclined trough succeeding said scraper ight conveyor, and a rearwardly extending belt conveyor succeeding said trough.

17. A tunnel driving machine as set forth in claim 16, which comprises a vibratory chute carried by said segment member and operable to receive detached material from said guide plates and to deliver it to said rotary feeder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 14,483 3/ 1856 Wilson 299-86 X 2,211,751 8/ 1940 McCarthy 299-31 X 2,752,143 6/1956 Joy 299-31 2,760,766 8/ 1956 Mayo 299-86 X 3,290,095 12/ 1966 Bredthauer 299-71 X 3,295,892 1/1967 Winberg et al. 299-31 3,355,215 1l/l967 Haspert et al 299-31 X ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl.. X.R.

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