A control method for a tunnel excavation device is provided. While grippers of a rear body section protrude outward and the rear body section is secured to an inner wall of a tunnel, a plurality of thrust cylinders are controlled so that a front body section is made to move forward along a movement prediction line set based on a tunnel excavation plan line . While grippers of the front body section protrude outward and the front body section is secured to the inner wall of the tunnel, the plurality of thrust cylinders are controlled so that the rear body section is made to move forward along a movement prediction line set based on an actual result line .

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a cutter head arrangement comprising a cutter head portion including a (substantially cylindrical) cutter head side wall to define a chamber (or cavity) surrounded by the cutter head side wall. A substantially circular rim portion extends from (a distal end of) the cutter head side wall, the rim portion defining a working, contact face of the cutter head portion. A recessed wall portion extends away from the rim portion inwardly into the chamber so as to be surrounded by the cutter head side wall, with the rim portion and/or the recessed wall portion being fitted with a plurality of cutter elements, to enable the cutter head portion to blind bore a pilot hole in use. The recessed wall portion that extends away from the rim portion inwardly into the chamber is a substantially conical body so as to define a conical recess (proximate a central region of the cutter head portion, at a distal end of the cutter head portion). The conical body accordingly defines an inwardly extending apex that terminate substantially in line with a central axis of the cutter head portion.

A tunnel boring machine having a cutting wheel equipped with a number of excavation tools provided with sensor units and, in a corresponding tunnelling method, only substantially fully worn excavation tools are able to be replaced using a data processing device designed with an advancement planning unit by detecting the current state of the excavation tools and predicting the state of the excavation tools on tool replacement predication planes lying in the advancing direction.

The present invention discloses a hard rock roadway and tunnel boring machine with actively rotating hobs, including a rack provided with a crawler track unit. The rack is provided with a hydraulic power unit and a high-pressure abrasive jet generation system connected therewith. A transmission box is fixedly arranged at one of ends of the rack. The transmission box is provided with two input shafts and one output shaft. The input shafts are connected with planetary reduction mechanisms. Input ends of the planetary reduction mechanisms are connected with cantilever disc driving motors. A cantilever disc is fixed to the output shaft. Four cantilevers are hinged to the cantilever disc. Cantilever driving motors are further arranged on the cantilever disc. Actively rotating hob devices are arranged at ends of the cantilevers away from the cantilever disc. The transmission box is further provided with rotary sealing devices.

An apparatus for excavating a tunnel includes a cutting wheel equipped with measuring modules of sensor means on its cutting wheel face in order to directly sample the consistency of the material present between the cutting wheel face and a tunnel face by recording different types of measured values characteristic of this.

A cutting tool for a tunnel boring machine, including a tool head equipped with a wear sensor detachably connectable to a tool holder. A line arrangement having a wireless, connector-free coupling module between the tool head and the tool holder is provided for connecting the wear sensors to an evaluation module. In the event of wear, a tool head to be replaced may be removed from the tool holder and a new tool head may be connected to the tool holder.

A mobile tunnel boring unit is disclosed, comprising a support body driven by first drive means, the first drive means including a pair of spaced apart crawler tracks in contact with the tunnel floor and related track driving means to move the tracks. A cutter head drive means is located at an operatively front end of the boring unit, to which a rotatable cutter head can be fitted and rotatingly driven, in use, the cutter head comprising a full face cutter head fitted with cutters to bore a tunnel face. The cutter head is arranged to allow cuttings to pass through the cutter head for discharge into a muck hopper and onto a first conveyor arrangement, the cutter head drive means and a rear portion of the cutter head defining aligned central apertures to accommodate the muck hopper and a front part of the first conveyor arrangement. A telescopic shield arrangement is provided to shield the boring unit.

A mobile tunnel boring unit is disclosed, comprising a support body driven by first drive means, the first drive means including a pair of spaced apart crawler tracks in contact with the tunnel floor and related track driving means to move the tracks. A cutter head drive means is located at an operatively front end of the boring unit, to which a rotatable cutter head can be fitted and rotatingly driven, in use, the cutter head comprising a full face cutter head fitted with cutters to bore a tunnel face. The cutter head is arranged to allow cuttings to pass through the cutter head for discharge into a muck hopper and onto a first conveyor arrangement, the cutter head drive means and a rear portion of the cutter head defining aligned central apertures to accommodate the muck hopper and a front part of the first conveyor arrangement. A telescopic shield arrangement is provided to shield the boring unit.

A tunnel boring machine for boring a tunnel in rock including: locating means mounted to a frame for supporting and locating the frame in a disposition with respect to a tunnel axis and a boring face of the tunnel being bored; a first boring assembly operatively associated with said frame for boring into an annular face surrounding a core substantially coaxial with the tunnel axis, the annular face being a portion of the boring face; a core removal assembly operatively associated with said frame and disposed axially with respect to said first boring assembly away from the annular face, said core removal assembly being operable for removing at the core exposed by the first boring assembly transverse to the tunnel axis to expose the remainder of the boring face; and drive means operatively associated with said first boring assembly for driving said boring assembly into the annular face.

A tunnel boring machine includes: a disc cutter including a cutter ring; and a member for use in measurement of a wear amount of the cutter ring with a three-dimensional shape measurement device, in which the member is provided at a part constant in relative position to the cutter ring.