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 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.

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.

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 rapid construction method of pipe jacking for underground rescue tunnel with large section is disclosed. The present invention realizes rock breaking through the cutting head of a roadheader cutting unit, and pushes pipe jacking forward through a pushing thruster. During the process, a protecting bush fixedly connected with a stretchable part is adopted for circumferential support; and since the cutting head and the protecting bush occupy the rock breaking space, and the pushing thruster pushes pipe jacking forward to push the coal rock in the annular space to the circumferential direction, the effect of moving forward without slag discharge can be achieved. The present invention can establish a rescue tunnel quickly and effectively, which saves rescue time and greatly reduces the threat to the life safety of trapped people. The present invention can establish a fast and safe underground rescue tunnel with large section for the rescue of people.

A rapid construction method of pipe jacking for underground rescue tunnel with large section is disclosed. The present invention realizes rock breaking through the cutting head of a roadheader cutting unit, and pushes pipe jacking forward through a pushing thruster. During the process, a protecting bush fixedly connected with a stretchable part is adopted for circumferential support; and since the cutting head and the protecting bush occupy the rock breaking space, and the pushing thruster pushes pipe jacking forward to push the coal rock in the annular space to the circumferential direction, the effect of moving forward without slag discharge can be achieved. The present invention can establish a rescue tunnel quickly and effectively, which saves rescue time and greatly reduces the threat to the life safety of trapped people. The present invention can establish a fast and safe underground rescue tunnel with large section for the rescue of people.

In a device and a method for continuously driving a tunnel along a desired setpoint trajectory there is provision to influence pressing forces which are applied to installed tubbing segments by compactors using a control circuit, wherein, during the driving and during the installation of tubbing rings, an actual trajectory of the device remains in a region which is permissible for maintaining the desired set point trajectory.

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 ; 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.