A plasma tunnel boring machine including a plurality of plasma torches on the cutting head, and a plurality of nozzles on the cutting head to provide a stream to cool an area while the plasma torches are active, and a tractor providing propulsion to the cutting head, the tractor to move the cutting head to cut a tunnel.

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.

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 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.

The invention provides a microwave plasma adaptive rock breaking device for microwave-insensitive rocks and a using method thereof, and relates to the technical field of rock breaking. The microwave plasma adaptive rock breaking device comprises a microwave system, a microwave plasma conversion system and a cutter head system. The microwave system and the microwave plasma conversion system are mounted in the cutter head system, and the microwave system is connected with the microwave plasma conversion system. Under the premise that only a microwave source is used to supply energy, the combined action of ordinary microwave irradiation and plasma irradiation in the form of high-temperature flame is realized, and a full-section hard rock tunnel boring machine is in cooperation for breaking rocks, so that the problem of microwave-induced cracks of the microwave-insensitive rocks is solved, and the application scope of a microwave rock breaking technology is enlarged.

A plasma drilling machine comprising a cutting head, a plurality of plasma torches on the cutting head, a plurality of nozzles on the cutting head to provide a stream to cool an area of the earth while the plasma torches are active, a plurality of vacuum inlets, and a metal tube to combine vacuum streams from the vacuum inlets to create a stream of spoils.

Provided is a TBM tunneling test bench for microwave-assisted rotary rock breaking including a tunneling test bench body and a microwave-assisted rock breaking system, wherein the tunneling test bench body includes a base, a turnover bracket, a movable bracket, turnover oil cylinders, a pushing oil cylinder and a cutter head; the turnover bracket is hinged to the base; the turnover oil cylinders are connected between the base and the turnover bracket; the movable bracket coaxially sleeves the turnover bracket; the pushing oil cylinder is connected between the turnover bracket and the movable bracket; the cutter head is coaxially located in the movable bracket, and rotates freely; cutter head rotation driving motors are mounted in the movable bracket; the microwave-assisted rock breaking system is mounted between the movable bracket and the cutter head; and a rock sample bearing and placing box is arranged on the turnover bracket on an opposite side of the cutter head.

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 mining machine applicable to fluidized mining and a mining method therefor are provided herein. A microwave transmitting mechanism, a liquid jet drill rod and a cutter-head are arranged at the head of a first excavation device of the mining machine. The ore body in front is first processed by the microwave transmitting mechanism and the liquid jet drill rod to reduce the strength of the ore body, which facilitates subsequent mining of the ore body, lowers the hardness requirements of the cutter-head, and reduces the wearing of the cutter-head. With this mining machine mining the ore body, the mined ores can be directly converted, under the ground, into resources in the easily transportable form, without transporting the ore to the surface for conversion, which saves the cost of transporting the ore to the surface.