There are provided high power laser and laser mechanical earth removing equipment, and operations using laser cutting tools having stand off distances. These equipment provide high power laser beams, greater than 1 kW to cut and volumetrically remove targeted materials and to remove laser affected material with gravity assistance, mechanical cutters, fluid jets, scrapers and wheels. There is also provided a method of using this equipment in mining, road resurfacing and other earth removing or working activities.

There are provided high power laser and laser mechanical earth removing equipment, and operations using laser cutting tools having stand off distances. These equipment provide high power laser beams, greater than 1 kW to cut and volumetrically remove targeted materials and to remove laser affected material with gravity assistance, mechanical cutters, fluid jets, scrapers and wheels. There is also provided a method of using this equipment in mining, road resurfacing and other earth removing or working activities.

A method for sideways movement of an earth working machine (10), the earth working machine (10) comprising a machine frame (12) that stands via at least one front drive unit (18) and at least one rear drive unit (20) on a standing surface (A) of a substrate (U), which drive units (18, 20) are configured to roll on the substrate (U) in a running direction (D), the drive units (18, 20) being rotatable relative to the machine frame (12) around a steering axis (S) associated with the respective drive unit (18, 20), wherein the method-related sideways movement occurs in a sideways direction (V) that deviates from the travel direction of the earth working machine (10) determined by the respective steering angle, the method encompassing the following steps: tilting the drive units (18, 20) relative to the standing surface (A) around a tilt axis (N) enclosing an angle, preferably a right angle, both with the associated steering axis (S) and with the running direction (D) of the drive unit (18, 20), in such a way that a pivot point (C) around which the drive units (18, 20) pivot relative to the substrate (U) is shifted away from a virtual intersection point (P) at which the steering axis (S), notionally prolonged toward the substrate (U), intersects the standing surface (A); rotating the tilted drive units (18, 20) relative to the machine frame (12) around the steering axis (S) and thereby pivoting the drive units (18, 20) relative to the substrate (U) around the pivot point (C) shifted away from the intersection point (P).

A cutting head for hard rock mining applications is disclosed. The cutting head may have a base member. The base member may have a rotational axis and may include a center bore extending along the rotational axis. The cutting head may also have a drive bushing disposed within the center bore. The drive bushing may be configured to transmit torque from a driving device to the base member. The cutting may further have a plurality of annular tool supports. Each of the plurality of annular tool supports may be concentrically disposed about the rotational axis in a releasable manner. In addition, the cutting head may have a plurality of cutting bit carriers attached to each of the plurality of annular tool supports. Each of the plurality of cutting bit carriers may be configured to rotatably support a cutting bit.

A cutting head for hard rock mining applications is disclosed. The cutting head may have a base member. The base member may have a rotational axis and may include a center bore extending along the rotational axis. The cutting head may also have a drive bushing disposed within the center bore. The drive bushing may be configured to transmit torque from a driving device to the base member. The cutting may further have a plurality of annular tool supports. Each of the plurality of annular tool supports may be concentrically disposed about the rotational axis in a releasable manner. In addition, the cutting head may have a plurality of cutting bit carriers attached to each of the plurality of annular tool supports. Each of the plurality of cutting bit carriers may be configured to rotatably support a cutting bit.

In such fields as road milling, mining and trenching it is often desirable to engage and degrade tough materials such as asphalt, concrete and rock. To do so, degradation picks comprising hardened tips may be secured to an exterior of a rotatable drum so as to be repeatedly brought into contact with a surface of a material to be degraded. To secure such degradation picks to the rotatable drum, a toroidal body comprising an interior surface rigidly attachable to the rotatable body and an exterior surface comprising a plurality of bore holes disposed there around may receive a plurality of degradation picks secured within the bore holes.

In such fields as road milling, mining and trenching it is often desirable to engage and degrade tough materials such as asphalt, concrete and rock. To do so, degradation picks comprising hardened tips may be secured to an exterior of a rotatable drum so as to be repeatedly brought into contact with a surface of a material to be degraded. To secure such degradation picks to the rotatable drum, a toroidal body comprising an interior surface rigidly attachable to the rotatable body and an exterior surface comprising a plurality of bore holes disposed there around may receive a plurality of degradation picks secured within the bore holes.

A system for determining the position and orientation of a cutter module relative to a frame of a highwall miner is provided. The cutter module is attached to the highwall miner by a string of push beams and moveable relative to the highwall miner. A reel is rotatably mounted to the highwall miner frame and configured to feed out a hose chain that supplies fluid to the cutter module. A fiber optic shape sensing system is associated with the cutter module is configured to receive strain information from the fiber bundle and compute the location of at least one position of the fiber bundle that is associated with the cutter module relative to the reference frame.

A system for determining the position and orientation of a cutter module relative to a frame of a highwall miner is provided. The cutter module is attached to the highwall miner by a string of push beams and moveable relative to the highwall miner. A reel is rotatably mounted to the highwall miner frame and configured to feed out a hose chain that supplies fluid to the cutter module. A fiber optic shape sensing system is associated with the cutter module is configured to receive strain information from the fiber bundle and compute the location of at least one position of the fiber bundle that is associated with the cutter module relative to the reference frame.

A device for the installation of rock bolts includes a supporting structure and first and second bolting units mounted to the supporting structure. Each bolting unit is configured for drilling an installation hole and/or for installing a rock bolt into a rock face, wherein the supporting structure is configured for rotatably moving the first and second bolting units about a common axis of rotation. At least one actuator is mounted to the supporting structure and configured for additionally moving at least one of the first and second bolting units.