TUNNELING MACHINE

• Main Authors: BANDO EIGO, MITANI NORIO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.04.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; EARTH DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; GALLERIES; GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; LARGE UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS; MEASURING; MINING; PHYSICS; SHAFTS; TESTING; TUNNELS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cutter for sensing an obstruction which can be easily mounted without changing the shape of a conventional tunneling machine and can precisely grasp the presence and the shape of an obstruction and can also prevent beforehand damage to an earth-sand cutting cutter. SOLUTION: Cutter bits 6 and a plurality of obstruction sensing cutters 8 extending forward of preceding cutters 7 are provided on the front side of a cutter head and a strain gauge is provided in the cutter head. When the cutters 8 contact an obstruction, the gauge captures the force generated at the contact as a variation in external loads and a signal of the variation is inputted into a control device. The control device judges whether the variation in external loads is caused by a gravel or by an obstruction such as a pile and grasps the shape and location of the obstruction.