A drilling device for surveying front rock-mass intactness of a tunnel face for a tunnel constructed by a TBM and a method using the same are provided. The drilling device includes a drilling assembly, a drill-attitude control assembly, a data monitoring assembly and a TBM-platform fixing seat. The drilling assembly is connected to a TBM hydraulic system to obtain power, to drill the rock mass by an alloy bit through rotation and translation thereof. The drill-attitude control assembly controls an angle, a direction and a position of a drill rod and maintains drilling accuracy and stability. The data monitoring assembly acquires and stores a drilling dynamic-response signal by a high-accuracy sensor and a data recorder, to analyze an intactness characteristic of the rock mass. The TBM-platform fixing seat mounts the drilling device on the TBM.

A cutting device for cutting rock includes a disc and a plurality of cutting elements secured to the disc. The disc is supported for rotation about an axis of rotation, and the disc includes a peripheral edge extending around the axis of rotation. The plurality of cutting elements are spaced apart along the peripheral edge of the disc and positioned in a cutting plane. Each of the cutting elements includes a base portion and a cutting portion including a cutting edge, and the cutting portion has a width that is larger than a width of the base portion.

An unmanned vehicle capable of tunneling into soft materials, such as sand, comprises a hollow, bullet-shaped forward outer body with a first drive screw thread integrated into its exterior, a hollow cylindrical rear outer body with a second drive screw thread integrated into its exterior but threaded in the opposed direction of the first drive screw thread, and an inner body that is rotatably coupled to the inside of the forward and rear outer bodies via mechanical gears, and including directional control fins mounted on a housing at the rear end of the inner body.

An unmanned vehicle capable of tunneling into soft materials, such as sand, comprises a hollow, bullet-shaped forward outer body with a first drive screw thread integrated into its exterior, a hollow cylindrical rear outer body with a second drive screw thread integrated into its exterior but threaded in the opposed direction of the first drive screw thread, and an inner body that is rotatably coupled to the inside of the forward and rear outer bodies via mechanical gears, and including directional control fins mounted on a housing at the rear end of the inner body.

Disclosed are systems and methods to bore or tunnel through various geologies in an autonomous or substantially autonomous manner including one or more non-contact boring elements that direct energy at the bore face to remove material from the bore face through fracture, spallation, and removal of the material. Systems can automatically execute methods to control a set of boring parameters that affect the flux of energy directed at the bore face. Systems can further automatically execute the methods to: monitor, direct, maintain, and/or adjust a set of boring controls, including for example a standoff distance between the system and the bore face, a temperature of exhaust gases directed at the bore face, a removal rate of material from the bore face, and/or a thermal or topological characterization of the bore face during boring operations.

A cutting assembly for a rock excavation machine having a frame includes a boom and a cutting device supported on the boom. The boom includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion supported for pivotable movement relative to the frame. In some embodiments, the first portion includes a first structure extending along a longitudinal base axis and a second structure moveable relative to the first portion in a direction parallel to the longitudinal base axis, and at least one bearing supports the second portion for movement relative to the first portion. In some embodiments, the second portion is pivotably coupled to the first portion by a universal joint, and a suspension system including a plurality of biasing members may be coupled between the first portion and the second portion.

Disclosed a combined rock-breaking TBM tunneling method in complex strata for realizing three-way force detection, comprising the steps of preparing a combined mechanical-hydraulic rock-breaking cutter head for TBM construction; starting construction; advancing the combined mechanical-hydraulic rock-breaking cutter head; pushing and pressing against a tunnel face by a mechanical cutter tool; subjecting a three-way force detection cutter to squeezing forces; feeding back three-way force data by a three-way force sensor; processing information by a TBM back-end control processor; obtaining a value of rock-cutter contact angle φ; feeding back parameter information to a TBM cutter head control center by a lithology index center; responding by the TBM cutter head control center, obtaining and adjusting parameters by the mechanical cutter tool equipped with the three-way force sensor; and breaking rock by the combined mechanical-hydraulic rock-breaking cutter head. The method disclosed is energy-saving and efficient, and has high rock-breaking efficiency.

A mining machine (102) for rock excavation, comprising: a rotatable cutting head (104) having cutting elements (108); a holder (110) for holding the cutting head (104); a movable thrust unit (112) attached to the holder (110); a machine body (114) attached to the thrust unit (112); a thrust apparatus (118) for moving the thrust unit (112) between retracted and extended positions and for pushing the thrust unit (112) forward, thereby pushing the cutting elements (108) into a rock formation; a hydraulic pump (122); a hydraulic consumer (125); and a hydraulic line system (126) for connecting the hydraulic pump (122) to the hydraulic consumer (125). The hydraulic line system (126) comprises first hydraulic lines (126a) attached to the machine body (114), second hydraulic lines (126b) attached to the thrust unit (112), and two telescopic hydraulic line units (128). Each telescopic hydraulic line unit (128) connects one (126a) of the first hydraulic lines (126a) to one (126b) of the second hydraulic lines (126b). The telescopic hydraulic line unit (128) is retracted and extended with the movement of the thrust unit (112).

A hard rock tunnel boring machine combining microwave heating with high pressure water cutting for assisting in rock breaking includes a tunnel boring machine body, a microwave heating assisted rock breaking system and a high pressure water cutting assisted rock breaking system, wherein the microwave heating assisted rock breaking system is arranged on the tunnel boring machine body, and is used for heating and cracking a rock; and the high pressure water cutting assisted rock breaking system is arranged on the tunnel boring machine body, and is used for performing hydraulic cutting on the rock. A rock breaking sequence lies in that the microwave heating assisted rock breaking system is used for heating and cracking the rock, then the high pressure water cutting assisted rock breaking system is used for performing hydraulic cutting on the rock, and finally, the tunnel boring machine body is used for squeezing and breaking the rock.

Systems to bore or tunnel through various geologies in an autonomous or substantially autonomous manner can include one or more non-contact boring elements that direct energy at the bore face to remove material from the bore face through fracture, spallation, and removal of the material. The systems can automatically execute methods to control a set of boring parameters that affect the flux of energy directed at the bore face. Systems can further automatically execute the methods to trigger an optical sensor to capture images at the bore face, generate temperature profiles, identify spall fragments and hot zones and/or adjust a set of boring controls. For example, the system can execute methods to adjust a standoff distance between the system and the bore face, and adjust power and/or gas supply to the non-contact boring element.