Tunnel boring machine roll correction

Claim 2

A tunnel boring machine for progressively drilling a tunnel while passing therethrough and comprising: a cutterhead support; a cutterhead rotatably mounted on a forward end of said cutterhead support for rotation about an axis generally coincident with a longitudinal centerline of said tunnel; a frame assembly rigidly connected to said cutterhead support and extending generally rearwardly therefrom; a gripper assembly mounted on said frame assembly rearwardly of said cutterhead support for longitudinal movement with respect to said cutterhead support, said gripper assembly comprising a pair of oppositely directed grippers selectively radially extensible and retractable for engagement and non-engagement with the wall of said tunnel; drive means interconnecting said cutterhead support and said gripper assembly and operative to cause relative longitudinal movement of said cutterhead support and said gripper assembly; a bottom support assembly mounted on a lower portion of said cutterhead support, extending from said cutterhead support to the invert of said tunnel, and operative to support the weight of said cutterhead support and said cutterhead on the invert of said tunnel during each operational mode of said tunnel boring machine including a drilling mode in which said grippers are engaged with the wall of said tunnel and said cutterhead support is driven longitudinally with respect to said gripper assembly by said drive means; and roll correction means carried by said cutterhead support and operative to rotate said cutterhead support generally about the axis of said cutterhead.

Claim 3

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 1 wherein said roll correction means includes bracing means fixable against the wall of said tunnel, and rolling means interconnecting said bracing means with said cutterhead support and operative to rotate said cutterhead support with respect to said bracing means about the axis of said cutterhead when said bracing means is fixed against the wall of said tunnel.

Claim 4

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 2 wherein said bracing means comprises a pair of oppositely directed control shoes each selectively extensible and retractable in a generally radial direction with respect to said cutterhead support for engagement and non-engagement with the wall of said tunnel, said rolling means interconnecting each of said control shoes with said cutterhead support.

Claim 5

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 3 wherein said control shoes are located on opposite sides of said tunnel boring machine whereby said control shoes are operative to horizontally steer said tunnel boring machine.

Claim 6

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 3 wherein said roll correction means further includes a pair of piston and cylinder assemblies, each of said control shoes being mounted on a respective one of said piston and cylinder assemblies and each of said piston and cylinder assemblies having a radially innnermost end pivotally connected to said cutterhead support assembly for pivoting in a plane transverse to the axis of said cutterhead, and wherein said rolling means is a pair of ram assemblies each lying generally in a plane transverse to the axis of said cutterhead and being disposed in a direction having a non-radial component, and each of said ram assemblies having a first element connected to a respective one of said anchor shoes and a second element, telescopic with said first element, connected to said cutterhead support.

Claim 7

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 4 wherein said roll correction means further comprises sAid bottom support assembly.

Claim 8

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 6 wherein said bottom support assembly is movable with respect to said cutterhead support in a plane transverse to the axis of said cutterhead in a path which partially circumscribes the axis of said cutterhead, and said bottom support assembly is connected to each of said control shoes.

Claim 9

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 7 wherein said control shoes are located on opposite sides of said tunnel boring machine and each of said control shoes has an integral projection extending downwardly therefrom and pivotally connected to said bottom support assembly wherein said cutterhead support includes a pair of arm structures extending laterally outwardly on opposite sides of said cutterhead support, and wherein said second element of each of said ram assemblies is directly connected to a respective one of said arm structures on the same side of said tunnel boring machine as the respective one of said control shoes.

Claim 10

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 7 wherein said bottom support assembly is operative to vertically steer said tunnel boring machine.

Claim 11

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 9 wherein said control shoes are located on opposite sides of said tunnel boring machine whereby said control shoes are operative to horizontally steer said tunnel boring machine.

Claim 12

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 2 wherein said bracing means comprises said bottom support assembly.

Claim 13

A tunnel boring machine for progressively drilling a tunnel while passing therethrough and comprising: a cutterhead support; a cutterhead rotatably mounted on a forward end of said cutterhead support for rotation about an axis generally coincident with a longitudinal centerline of said tunnel; a frame assembly rigidly connected to said cutterhead support and extending generally rearwardly therefrom; a gripper assembly mounted on said frame assembly rearwardly of said cutterhead support for longitudinal movement with respect to said cutterhead support, said gripper assembly comprising a pair of oppositely directed grippers selectively radially extensible and retractable for engagement and non- engagement with the wall of said tunnel; drive means interconnecting said cutterhead support and said gripper assembly and operative to cause relative longitudinal movement of said cutterhead support and said gripper assembly; and roll correction means carried by said cutterhead support and operative to rotate said cutterhead support generally about the axis of said cutterhead including bracing means fixable against the wall of said tunnel and rolling means interconnecting said bracing means with said cutterhead support and operative to rotate said cutterhead support with respect to said bracing means about the axis of said cutterhead when said bracing means is fixed against the wall of said tunnel, wherein said bracing means comprises a bottom support assembly mounted on a lower portion of said cutterhead support and extending from said cutterhead support to the invert of said tunnel and movable with respect to said cutterhead support in a plane transverse to the axis of said cutterhead in a path which partially circumscribes the axis of said cutterhead, and wherein said rolling means is a pair of ram assemblies each lying generally in a plane transverse to the axis of said cutterhead and being disposed in a direction having a non-radial component, and each of said ram assemblies having a first element connected to said bottom support assembly and a second element, telescopic with said first element, connected to said cutterhead support, said ram assemblies being operative to move said bottom support assembly in said path.

Claim 14

A tunnel boring machine for progressively drilling a tunnel while passing therethrough and comprising: a cutterhead support; a cutterhead rotatably mounted on a forward end of said cutterhead support for rotation about an axis generally coincident with a longitudinal centerline of said tunnel; a frame assembly rigidly connected to said cutterhead support and extending generally rearwardly therefrom; a gripper assembly mounted on said frame assembly rearwardly of said cutterhead support for longitudinal movement with respect to said cutterhead support, said gripper assembly comprising a pair of oppositely directed grippers selectively radially extensible and retractable for engagement and non- engagement with the wall of said tunnel; drive means interconnecting said cutterhead support and said gripper assembly and operative to cause relative longitudinal movement of said cutterhead support and said gripper assembly; and roll correction means carried by said cutterhead support and operative to rotate said cutterhead support generally about the axis of said cutterhead including bracing means fixable against the wall of said tunnel and rolling means interconnecting said bracing means with said cutterhead support and operative to rotate said cutterhead support with respect to said bracing means about the axis of said cutterhead when said bracing means is fixed against the wall of said tunnel, wherein said bracing means comprises a bottom support assembly mounted on a lower portion of said cutterhead support and extending from said cutterhead support to the invert of said tunnel and movable with respect to said cutterhead support in a plane transverse to the axis of said cutterhead in a path which partially circumscribes the axis of said cutterhead, and wherein said rolling means is a pair of ram assemblies each lying generally in a plane transverse to the axis of said cutterhead and being disposed in a direction having a non-radial component, and each of said ram assemblies having a first element connected to said bottom support assembly and a second element, telescopic with said first element, connected to said cutterhead support, said ram assemblies being operative to move said bottom support assembly in said path.

Claim 15

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 12 wherein said bottom support assembly is slidably mounted on guiding means rigidly connected to said cutterhead support for movement in said path.

Claim 16

A tunnel boring machine accordIng to claim 13 wherein said bottom support assembly comprises a pair of support legs each depending generally downwardly from said cutterhead support and independently movable in said path.

Claim 17

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 14 wherein said guiding means is arcuate in configuration and has a center vertically displaced from the axis of said cutterhead whereby said tunnel boring machine can be vertically steered by moving said support legs toward and away from each other in said path.

Claim 18

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 14 wherein said guiding means is generally eliptical in configuration and is symmetrical about a vertical line through the axis of said cutterhead whereby said tunnel boring machine can be vertically steered by moving said support legs toward and away from each other in said path.

Claim 19

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 14 wherein said bottom support assembly further includes a pair of support shoes each mounted at a lowermost end of a respective one of said support legs and means on each of said support legs for moving at least a portion of the respective support shoe vertically upwardly and downwardly with respect to said support leg to thereby vertically steer said tunnel boring machine.

Claim 20

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 12 wherein said bottom support assembly is a unitary support member.

Claim 21

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 18 wherein said bottom support assembly has an opening therein forming a throughway under said cutterhead support.

Claim 22

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 12 wherein said bottom support assembly is vertically movable with respect to said cutterhead support and wherein said ram assemblies are operative to cause respective vertical movement between said cutterhead support and said bottom support assembly and thus to vertically steer said tunnel boring machine.

Claim 23

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 20 wherein said bottom support assembly includes an upwardly open guide having a front inner surface, a rear inner surface, and opposed side inner surfaces, and said cutterhead support includes a downward projection disposed in said guide.

Claim 24

A tunnel boring machine according to claim 21 wherein said projection fits tightly between said front inner surface and said rear inner surface and fits loosely between said side inner surfaces.