The Robbins Company

Odyssey Technology Pty Ltd

Z C Mines Pty. Ltd.

Gondwana Musical Instrument Company Pty Ltd.

Other

David B Sugden

John Turner

Robert J Boyd

Thomas M Hartman

Alwyn Arthur Jones

Geoffrey Peter Johnstone

Wayne Anthony Cusick

Anthony John Peach

John G Moore

Gerald L Dollinger

Anton Josep Jurasovic

David T Cass

Robert B Moffat

James P Kindsvater

Bruce A Waddell

Peter B Dowden

Ian G Bezette

Nicholas A Hynd

Shivakumar Karekal

Paul Camavas

A rock boring device includes a rotary disc cutter. The disc cutter is driven in an oscillating manner and may be driven or free to nutate, and the device includes a mounting section for the rotary disc cutter and a driven section. The mounting section may be angularly offset from the axis of the driven section whereby the rotary disc cutter can oscillate and/or nutate.

Rock boring device

An oscillating disc cutter including a cutting disc and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism includes a drive shaft to effect eccentric oscillation of the cutting disc and a radial bearing disposed to permit relative rotation between the drive shaft and the cutting disc. The cutter further including a hydrostatic axial bearing disposed to react axial forces while accommodating induced rotation of the cutting disc when operatively engaged and to induce a rotational drag thereby limiting rotational peed of the cutting disc when free running. A water pressurized fluid bearing induces a predetermined axial load in the hydrostatic bearing such that a predetermined maximum running clearance in the hydrostatic bearing is maintained.

Oscillating disc cutter with speed controlling bearings

A rock cutting machine including a boom rotatably mounted at a proximal end to a chassis adapted to be placed adjacent a rock face to be cut. The boom extends from the chassis to a distal end adjacent the rock face. A longitudinal boom axis extends between the proximal and the distal ends of the boom and a cutting device is pivotally mounted about a pivot axis adjacent the distal end of the boom. The pivot axis enables wrist movement about the pivot axis by a drive mechanism and is offset from the longitudinal axis of the cutting device.

Rock cutting machine

A rock boring device () including a rotary disc cutter (). The disc cutter () is driven in an oscillating manner and also driven or free to nutate, and the device includes a mounting section () for the rotary disc cutter and a driven section (), and wherein the mounting section () is angularly offset from the axis of the driven section whereby the rotary disc cutter will both oscillate and nutate.

Rock boring device with an oscillating and nutating rotary disc cutter

An assembly ( ) for a stringed musical instrument, the assembly ( ) including an elongate neck ( ) to which one end of a string arrangement ( ) of the instrument can be anchored and a structural member ( ) depending from the neck ( ). The structural member ( ) being substantially aligned with the lengthwise extent of the neck ( ) and extending in the opposite direction thereto so as to overlie a sound box to which in use, the assembly ( ) is connected. The structural member ( ) is arranged to cooperate with and to bear string tension load of the string arrangement ( ) applied to the assembly ( ). A bridge ( ) for a stringed musical instrument, which bridge ( ) includes first and second parts ( ) which are pivotable relative to one another.

Stringed musical instrument

A rock excavating or cutting device including a disc cutter that is driven by drive means to rotate in an oscillating and nutating manner by driving the disc cutter about separate oscillating and nutating axes aa, bb which are angularly offset from one another and which intersect at a point ahead of the disc cutter.

Cutting device with rotating disc

Mining apparatus is disclosed in which a cutting wheel supporting a plurality of roller-cutters rotates about a horizontal axis and is supported on a slewing boom for cutting a tunnel with a flat floor and roof and elliptical walls as it slews across a mining face. The slewing boom is supported on a main beam assembly, the front end of which rests on powered crawler tracks and the rear end of which passes through a gripper assembly which may be clamped between the floor and roof of the tunnel, and against which the main beam assembly may be urged forward for engaging the roller-cutters with the mining face. A preload crawler is urged against the roof of the tunnel above the powered crawler tracks to locate the main beam assembly rigidly relative to the tunnel such that the roller-cutters may cut the rock in the mining face with minimal loss of cutting force due to vibration. Apparatus for automatically controlling one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate and cutter slew rate, which includes a sensor for sensing a given mining machine parameter, a processor for processing the given mining machine parameter to provide one or more of an optimum cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate or cutter slew rate value, and a controller for controlling one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate and cutter slew rate based on the derived optimum value.

Method and apparatus for automatically controlling a mining machine

Mining apparatus is disclosed in which a cutting wheel supporting a plurality of roller-cutters rotates about a horizontal axis and is supported on a slewing boom for cutting a tunnel with a flat floor and roof and elliptical walls as it slews across a mining face. The slewing boom is supported on a main beam assembly, the front end of which rests on powered crawler tracks and the rear end of which passes through a gripper assembly which may be clamped between the floor and roof of the tunnel, and against which the main beam assembly may be urged forward for engaging the roller-cutters with the mining face. A preload crawler is urged against the roof of the tunnel above the powered crawler tracks to locate the main beam assembly rigidly relative to the tunnel such that the roller-cutters may cut the rock in the mining face with minimal loss of cutting force due to vibration.

Cutter wheel assembly for mining machine

A mobile mining machine for cutting a tunnel in rock has a wheel-like cutterhead assembly supported by a pitch boom assembly that causes movement of the cutterhead assembly in the vertical plane. A swing boom assembly supports the pitch boom assembly and is supported by the main frame of the mobile mining machine. In one embodiment the swing boom assembly has a pivot axis that is tilted from vertical and swings the cutterhead and the pitch boom during mining to cut a tunnel having a wide, flat floor. During mining, a gripper assembly having a floor gripper shoe and a roof gripper shoe brace the mobile mining machine in the tunnel. Thrust is provided by thrust cylinders located between the gripper shoes and the main beam. Extension of the thrust cylinders moves the cutterhead assembly, main beam, and rear portion of the mobile mining machine forward relative to the gripper assembly due to slidable engagement of the main beam and gripper assembly. During re-gripping, the gripper cylinders and thrust cylinders are retracted, causing forward movement of the gripper assembly with respect to the main beam and rear portion of the machine.

Mobile mining machine having tilted swing axis and method

Mining apparatus in which a cutting wheel supporting a plurality of roller-cutters rotates about a horizontal axis and is supported on a slewing boom for cutting a tunnel with a flat floor and roof and elliptical walls as it slews across a mining face. The slewing boom is supported on a main beam assembly, the front end of which rests on powered crawler tracks and the rear end of which passes through a gripper assembly which may be clamped between the floor and roof of the tunnel, and against which the main beam assembly may be urged forward for engaging the roller-cutters with the mining face. A preload crawler is urged against the roof of the tunnel above the powered crawler tracks to locate the main beam assembly rigidly relative to the tunnel such that the roller-cutters may cut the rock in the mining face with minimal loss of cutting force due to vibration.

Transport apparatus and method of forming same

A mobile mining machine for cutting a tunnel in rock has a wheel-like cutterhead assembly supported by a pitch boom assembly that causes movement of the cutterhead assembly in the vertical plane. A swing boom assembly supports the pitch boom assembly and is supported by the base frame of the mobile mining machine. The swing boom assembly causes movement of the cutterhead assembly and the pitch boom assembly in the horizontal plane. During mining, a fixed front support and a fixed rear support anchor the mobile mining machine in the tunnel with front and rear crawlers raised from the tunnel floor. During re-gripping, the front and rear crawlers are lowered to support the mobile mining machine and the fixed front support and fixed rear support remain in contact with the tunnel floor. During tramming, the front and rear supports are raised for transportation of the mobile mining machine on the crawler. A movable muck apron assembly having pivoting apron wings and an integral muck hopper is located on the front portion of the mobile mining machine.

Tramming mobile mining machine

A shaft boring machine including a rotatable cutterwheel assembly with a horizontal axis mounted on a carriage having vertical travel. The carriage is mounted on a slewing base frame and rotates about the vertical axis of the machine. An excavating unit for muck removal is mounted opposite the cutterwheel on the slewing base frame and loads directly from the shaft bottom into a muck hopper. When the hopper is full, it is discharged into a hoist bucket which is hoisted to the surface. The machine is positioned in the shaft by upper and lower gripper systems. Walking cylinders between the two gripper rings advance the machine up or down the shaft. A method of boring vertical shafts in medium and hard rock which includes the steps of: (a) providing, radially of the shaft, a cutterwheel assembly for cutting the rock; (b) while rotating the cutterwheel assembly about its horizontal axis, plunging the rotating cutterwheel downwardly into the rock; (c) slewing the rotating cutterwheel assembly around the rock work face and about the central vertical axis of the shaft; and, (d) removing the rock cuttings from the work face.

Shaft boring machine and method

Rock breaking apparatus

A first mobile mining machine for cutting mining tunnels in hard rock, which includes a horizontally swinging wheel-like cutterhead assembly mounted on a crawler and base frame assembly. The cutterhead assembly consists of a transverse horizontal axis wheel-like drum on which are multiple peripherally mounted rolling cutter units. A second mobile mining machine for cutting mining tunnels in hard rock, which includes a horizontally swinging and vertically ranging wheel-like cutterhead assembly mounted on a crawler and base frame assembly. The cutterhead assembly consists of a transverse horizontal axis wheel-like drum on which are multiple peripherally mounted rolling cutter units. A method of cutting mining tunnels in hard rock which includes the steps of providing a wheel-like cutterhead assembly for cutting the hard rock, rotating the cutterhead assembly about its horizontal axis, plunging the rotating cutterhead forward into the hard rock, sweeping the rotating cutterhead assembly sideward in a first horizontal direction through the hard rock, plunging the rotating cutterhead forward into the hard rock, then sweeping the rotating cutterhead sideward in the other horizontal direction, and then repeating the last four steps.

Growing community of inventors

Tasmania, Australia

David B Sugden