A tunnel boring apparatus includes a shield body and a cutting disc provided at a front portion of the shield body. The tunnel boring apparatus includes a high pressure liquid device, which includes a liquid storage tank for storing a predetermined amount of liquid, a pressure raising device for increasing a pressure of the liquid, and a plurality of nozzles. The pressing raising device is connected to the liquid storage tank, and to a central rotating head through a first guiding pipeline. The nozzles are provided on the cutting disc, and are connected to the central rotating head through a second guiding pipeline.

A tunnel boring machine includes: a cutter head; a cutter support; a cutter driving unit; a rotational position sensing unit; a strain sensor; and a data processing unit configured to calculate a force acting on the cutter head in association with the position of the cutter head in the rotational direction, based on sensing results of the strain sensor and the rotational position sensing unit.

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to tunnel boring machine cutter assemblies, such as ripping and scraping cutter or tool assemblies, (collectively cutter assemblies), and related methods of use and manufacturing. The various embodiments of the cutter assemblies described herein may be used in tunnel boring machines (TBMs), earth pressure balance machines (EPBs), raise drilling systems, large diameter blind drilling systems, and other types of mechanical drilling and excavation systems.

A boring machine comprises a forward section, a rear section, a parallel link mechanism, stroke sensors, pressure sensors, and a controller. The parallel link mechanism includes eight thrust jacks that change the position and attitude of the forward section with respect to the rear section. The controller computes a target allocation force to be allocated to eight thrust jacks on the basis of the sensing result from the stroke sensors and the pressure sensors, and controls the thrust jacks to perform stroke control on six of the thrust jacks and perform force control on two of the thrust jacks.

A boring machine comprises a forward section, a rear section, an articulation point, a parallel link mechanism, an input component, an articulation point position computer, and a jack controller. The parallel link mechanism includes a plurality of thrust jacks that change the position of the forward section with respect to the rear section. The articulation point position computer computes the position of the articulation point on the basis of the control inputs received by the input component, and the positions of the center line and center point of the rear section and the center point of the forward section. The jack controller controls the stroke amounts of the thrust jacks to produce movement corresponding to a curve generated from the positions of the center point of the rear section, the articulation point, and the center point of the forward section.

A device for detecting a content of critical gas in a mining chamber of a tunnel boring machine includes a separation module by which a fluid fed in via an extraction line connection is cleaned of solid and liquid components. A gas line arrangement arranged downstream of the separation module in the flow direction of the fluid carries the fluid, including substantially only gaseous components, through a pressure reducer and through a flow control valve of a metering module by which the gas to be analyzed can be delivered in a controlled manner assisted by a double diaphragm pump and a pressure stabilizer to a gas analysis unit even at high pressures in the cavity.

A tunnel excavation device includes a first body portion and an erector device. The first body portion includes a cutter head and a support portion rotatably supporting the cutter head. The erector device is configured to transport a supporting member toward an excavated wall surface. The erector device is provided on the support portion. The erector device includes a ring portion holding the supporting member, and a posture changing device configured to change an angle formed by a center axis of the ring portion and a rotation axis of the cutter head in a plan view.

A roller cutter arrangement for a cutting wheel of a tunnel boring machine, including an interchangeable cup, a bearing block which is supported in the interchangeable cup in such a way that it is displaceable along a displacement axis, and a cutting roller unit having at least one cutting roller, which is rotatably supported in the bearing block and which acts along a working axis. The working axis is angled with respect to the displacement axis, so that cutting rollers of the cutting roller units may be situated in close proximity to one another, in particular in the central area of the cutting wheel.

A mining tool (100) for a drill head (150) of a tunnel boring machine (180) for mining in rock (102), wherein the mining tool (100) has a roller cutter fastening device (104), mountable on the drill head (150), for accommodating and mounting a rotatable roller cutter (106), the roller cutter (106) for mining in rock (102) is accommodated or in particular can be interchangeably accommodated rotatably in the roller cutter fastening device (104), and a sensor arrangement (112) for detecting a mechanical load of the mining tool (100), in particular of the roller cutter (106), wherein the sensor arrangement (112) is formed at least partially in the roller cutter fastening device (104) and/or on the sleeve (177) mounted on the roller cutter (106) with at least one load-sensitive element (108) mounted thereon.

A roller cutter arrangement for a cutting wheel of a tunnel boring machine, including an interchangeable cup, a bearing block which is supported in the interchangeable cup in such a way that it is displaceable along a displacement axis, and a cutting roller unit having at least one cutting roller, which is rotatably supported in the bearing block and which acts along a working axis. The working axis is angled with respect to the displacement axis, so that cutting rollers of the cutting roller units may be situated in close proximity to one another, in particular in the central area of the cutting wheel.