Rock excavating arched tunnel forming machine

Claim 2

A rock excavating machine for forming an arch type underground roadway, comprising a body for arrangement in the underground roadway, a first forwardly extended forked support member on the body, a forwardly extending large cutter carrying arm pivotally mounted with respect to the body for movement about a generally vertical axis, the arm having a second rearward extending forked support member for interfitting with the first forked support member, a short pin interconnecting the forked members and means for moving the second forked member vertically with respect to said body for vertically steering the machine, and upwardly extending large cutter carrying arm pivotally mounted with respect to the body for movement about a generally horizontal axis.

Claim 3

A machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the body has curved roof shield engaging means for engaging the rock boundary of the roadway.

Claim 4

A machine as claimed in claim 2, comprising a stay unit anchorable in the roadway and ram means for interconnecting the stay unit to the body.

Claim 5

A machine as claimed in claim 3, comprising guide pads mounted on the body for engagement with the rock boundary of the roadway to steer the machine in a generally horizontal plane.

Claim 6

A rock excavating machine for forming arch type underground roadways, comprising a body for arrangement in the underground roadway, a first forwardly extended forked support member on the body, a stay unit anchorable in the roadway, advancing ram means for interconnecting the body to the stay unit, a roof support assembly carried by the body, a forwardly extending large cutter carrying arm pivotally mounted on said forked support members for movement about a generally vertical axis and an upwardly extending large cutter carrying arm pivotally mounted on the body for movement about generally horizontal axis.

Claim 7

A rock excavating machine for forming arch type underground roadways, comprising a body for arrangement in the underground roadway, a first forwardly extended forked support member on the body, a stay unit anchorable in the roadway, advancing ram means for interconnecting the body to the stay unit, a roof support assembly carried by the body, a forwardly extending large cutter carrying arm pivotally mounted on said forked support members for movement about a generally vertical axis and an upwardly extending large cutter carrying arm pivotally mounted on the body for movement about generally horizontal axis.

Claim 8

A machine as claimed in claim 5 in which both said arms carry rotary cutter heads rotatable about generally horizontal axes.

Claim 9

A machine as claimed in claim 6 in which the stay unit carries a roof support assembly.

Claim 10

A rock excavating machine for forming an arch type underground roadway, comprising a body unit for arrangement in the roadway, a stay unit anchorable in the roadway, advancing means for interconnecting the body unit to the stay unit for advancing one unit along the roadway relative to the other unit, a curved roof support shield carried by the body unit, a forwardly extending cutter carrying arm pivotally mounted on the body unit for movement about a generally vertical axis, arching mechanism for moving the forwardly extending cutter carrying arm about said generally vertical axis, a shaft rotatably mounted on the body unit for movement about a generally horizontal axis, an upwardly extending cutter carrying arm drivably mounted on the shaft for movement about said generally horizontal axis, drive gear mechanism for rotating the shaft to arc the upwardly extending cutter carrying arm to and fro about said generally horizontal axis, and control means for controlling said mechanisms such that in use at any one time the cutter carrying arms traverse in opposite directions, the control means ensuring that two cutter carrying arms do not foul one another.

Claim 11

A rock excavating machine for forming an arch type underground roadway, comprising a body unit for arrangement in the roadway, a stay unit anchorable in the roadway, advancing means for interconnecting the body unit to the stay unit for advancing one unit along the roadway relative to the other unit, a curved roof support shield carried by the body unit, a forwardly extending cutter carrying arm pivotally mounted on the body unit for movement about a generally vertical axis, arching mechanism for moving the forwardly extending cutter carrying arm about said generally vertical axis, a shaft rotatably mounted on the body unit for movement about a generally horizontal axis, an upwardly extending cutter carrying arm drivably mounted on the shaft for movement about said generally horizontal axis, drive gear mechanism for rotating the shaft to arc the upwardly extending cutter carrying arm to and fro about said generally horizontal axis, and control means for controlling said mechanisms such that in use at any one time the cutter carrying arms traverse in opposite directions, the control means ensuring that two cutter carrying arms do not foul one another.

Claim 12

A machine as claimed in claim 8, in which both the cutter carrying arms are provided with a single rotary cutter head, a gearbox drivably connected to the cutter head, and a drive motor drivably connected to the gearbox.

Claim 13

A machine as claimed in claim 9, comprising a support member for the forwardly extending cutter carrying arm which can raise or lower the said arm to steer the machine.

Claim 14

A machine as claimed in claim 9, comprising cut rock loading means extending in advance of the upwardly extending cutter carrying arm.