A housing mount assembly for supporting a roller cutter is described. The housing mount assembly comprises a housing mount defining an outer surface for attaching to a housing and a profiled inner surface extending away from the outer surface, the profiled inner surface defining a channel extending in a longitudinal direction, and a seat support block extending away from the outer surface and defining a first seat support surface transverse to the channel, and a second seat support surface transverse to the first seat support surface. The housing mount assembly further comprises a removable seat mounted on the seat support surfaces and defining two transverse roller cutter shaft support surfaces whereby the removable seat and the seat support block together provide support for a roller cutter shaft.

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 retractable auger boring cutter head. The cutter head has fixed cutters and at least one pivoting cutter. The pivoting cutter is biased to a position that extends beyond a diameter of a casing being installed. When pulled back through the casing, a surface of the pivoting cutter contacts the casing, reducing the effective diameter of the cutter head and allowing it to be removed.

A cutting apparatus includes a support structure and first and second cutting assemblies. Each cutting assembly includes a rotatable cutting head and a mounting assembly for movably attaching the cutting head to the support structure. The cutting head is movable about a first pivot axis of the mounting assembly in a sideways direction relative to the support structure, and about a second pivot axis in an upwards-downwards direction. Each cutting head includes a plurality of cutting units, which each have a rotatable shaft and a cutter mounted thereon. The cutter includes a disc body and a plurality of buttons mounted in a radially peripheral portion of the disc body. At least some of the buttons have a central longitudinal axis that subtends an angle α to a reference axis, which extends perpendicularly outwards from an axis of the shaft, the angle α being ≥to 20° and ≤to 34°.

In a cutting tool (106) for a tunnel boring machine, a tool head (115) equipped with at least one wear sensor (315) is present that is detachably connectable to a tool holder (206, 321). A line arrangement having a wireless, connector-free coupling module (312) between the tool head (115) and the tool holder (206, 321) is provided for connecting the or each wear sensor (315) to an evaluation module (330). In this way, in the event of wear, a tool head (115) to be replaced may very easily be removed from the tool holder (206, 321) and a new tool head (115) may be connected to the tool holder (206, 321) very easily and in an electrically safe manner. A tunnel boring machine equipped with at least one cutting tool (106) of this type is thus operable in a very efficient manner.

A disc cutter for a cutting unit used in a tunnel boring machine and a method of producing the same. The disc cutter includes an annular disc body made of a metal alloy or metal matrix composite having a first side, a second side arranged substantially opposite to the first side and a radially peripheral part. At least one metal alloy, metal matrix composite or cemented carbide cutting part is mounted in and substantially encircling the radially peripheral part of the disc body, which protrudes outwardly therefrom to engage with the rock during the mining operation. The at least one cutting part is made from a material having a higher wear resistance than the material used for the disc body. A metallic interlayer is disposed between at the least one disc body and the at least one cutting part, the elements of which form the diffusion bonds.

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 cutter head for excavating hard rock materials in rock face includes a carrier attachable to a cutter arm of a cutter machine and a drive shaft rotatably supported by the carrier. The drive shaft is rotatable about a drive axis and has at one end a support portion for mounting disc cutters. A plurality of disc cutters are mounted on the support portion and configured to perform undercutting against the rock face. Each disc cutter is rotatable about a respective support axis, the respective rotational axis of each disc cutter being configured to be substantially transverse to the rotational axis of the cutter head. A mining machine including the cutter head is also disclosed.

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.

The present invention relates to methods for treating or preventing pulmonary hypertension, reducing mortality in a subject experiencing pulmonary hypertension, or inhibiting ADP-mediated vasoconstriction of pulmonary arteries in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a reversible P2Y.sub.12 receptor antagonist. Also provided are related medicaments, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods for preparing the medicaments.