Tunnel-excavating machine

Claim 1

A tunneling machine comprising: a chassis displaceable along a stretch of tunnel to be excavated in a subterranean structure toward a face thereof to be cut away; at least one beam mounted on said chassis and extending in the direction of said face; cutting means on said beam engageable with said face for excavating same; a roof support unit disposed rearwardly of said chassis and adapted to brace against the roof and floor of the tunnel behind said chassis; a fluid-pressure cylinder arrangement interconnecting said roof support unit and said chassis as the sole means interconnecting same for relatively displacing said chassis and said roof support unit along said tunnel, said beam being displaceable relative to said chassis toward and away from said face; and means for swingably mounting said beam on said chassis about a horizontal axis, said chassis being provided in the region of said cutting means with forwardly displaceable support skids riding on the floor of said tunnel, said cutting means including at least one cutting drum journaled on said beam for rotation about an axis substantially parallel to said face, said roof support unit comprising a roof-engaging cantilevered cap overhanging said chassis, said drum comprising a plurality of drum sections interconnected by respective universal joints and inclinable relative to one another.