Other

The Robbins Company

Tyman H Fikse

James A Fikse

Two endless wire rope loops spaced lengthwise of elongated grouser-mounting base plates of a tractor endless tread are secured to the grouser-mounting base plates by spaced U-shaped bows of clamping strips bolted to the grouser-mounting base plates, and the adjacent edges of adjacent clamping strips have interfitting projections and sockets for transmitting shear forces between such adjacent clamping strips.

Tractor endless tread

Endless loops spaced lengthwise of elongated grouser-mounting plates of a tractor endless tread in which each loop includes two side-by-side stretches of wire rope having the interstices between the strands of both wire rope stretches filled with elastomer material, and both stretches of wire rope being embedded in elastomer material integrating the two stretches into a single embedment, the two wire rope loops being secured to the grouser-mounting plates by spaced U-shaped bends of clamping strips bolted to the grouser-mounting plates, and spacer plates bridge between adjacent grouser-mounting plates and make loose tongue-and-groove joints therewith for enabling the grouser-mounting plates and the spacer plates to tilt relatively as the endless tread travels around a tractor wheel, but the straight tread portion of the tread extending between tractor wheels spaced lengthwise of the tractor is substantially inflexible inward.

The anchor shoes of a tunnel-boring machine arranged in a circular configuration are individually truncated by being tapered rearwardly so that the girth of the circular anchor shoe configuration can decrease progressively in order to accommodate convergence of superincumbent ground pressure. Preferably the anchor shoes are mounted for tilting of their aft portions to enable the degree of convergence or constriction to be altered. Chordal jacks connecting adjacent anchor shoes exert pressure on them resisting inward swinging of the aft portions of the anchor shoes resulting from superincumbent ground pressure.

Tunnel boring machine anchor shoe structure and process of operating a

A tunneling machine body carrying a rotary cutterhead can be advanced continuously by exerting advancing thrust force on it, first by top and bottom jack bipods reacting from top and bottom anchor shoes, respectively, in anchored condition against the tunnel wall and alternately by side jack bipods exerting advancing force on the tunneling machine body and reacting from side anchor shoes set in anchored condition against the tunnel wall. The anchor shoes are floating relative to the tunneling machine body and connected to it only by the bipods producing the thrust for advancing the tunneling machine body. The top and bottom anchor shoes are directly connected by two pairs of upright fluid-pressure shoe-setting jacks extending chordwise between such shoes. The side anchor shoes are directly connected by two pairs of transverse fluid-pressure shoe-setting jacks extending chordwise between such shoes. The two pairs of upright anchor-setting jacks are located close together longitudinally of the tunnel boring machine and between the two pairs of transverse jacks. Alternatively, the anchor shoes of one pair are pivotally connected to the body instead of being floating relative to the body while the anchor shoes of the other pair are floating relative to the body. The tunneling machine body and rotary cutter head are advanced only by jacks exerting advancing force on the tunneling machine body and reacting from the floating anchor shoes. Mechanism for placing tunnel liner sections can move quadrant tunnel lining sections lengthwise and circumferentially of the tunnel and place them in edge-abutting relationship forming successive lining rings.

Quadrishoe tunnel boring machine

A tunneling machine body carrying a rotary cutterhead can be advanced continuously by exerting advancing thrust forces on it, first by top and bottom bipods reacting from top and bottom anchor shoes, respectively, in anchored condition against the tunnel wall and alternately by side bipods exerting advancing force on the tunneling machine body and reacting from side anchor shoes set in anchored condition against the tunnel wall. The anchor shoes are floating relative to the tunneling machine body and connected to it only by the bipods producing the thrust for advancing the tunneling machine body. The top and bottom anchor shoes are directly connected by two pairs of upright fluid-pressure shoe-setting jacks extending chordwise between such shoes. The side anchor shoes are directly connected by two pairs of transverse fluid-pressure shoe-setting jacks extending chordwise between such shoes. The two pairs of upright anchor-setting jacks are located close together longitudinally of the tunnel boring machine and between the two pairs of transverse jacks. A conveyor for removing muck from a location adjacent to the tunnel face extends rearwardly through the tunneling machine body and between the pairs of the upright and transverse anchor shoe-setting jack pairs.

Floating shoe tunnel boring machine and boring process

Twin combined radial-and-thrust antifriction bearings in a mounting for a rotatable member, such as a tunneling cutterhead or a tunneling cutter, can be tightened or preloaded by pressing spaced bearing races against a spacer ring therebetween to contract the spacer ring. Alternatively the rotatable member may be a cutter composed of a rim mounted on a hub having an external circumferential groove extending partially under the base of such rim by a retaining ring received in such groove and having portions thereof staked beneath the rim to anchor the retaining ring in place. The cutting rim may be of generally equilateral triangle cross section having opposite base angles clipped to provide narrow parallel walls and the apex being truncated to provide a crest included angle of 80 degrees to 100 degrees. The slant slides of the cutting rim are concave to enable the apex of the rim to be sharpened more effectively.

Tunneling machine rotatable member

The front end portion of an endless belt type conveyor is detachably connected to the floor of a self-propelled tunneling shield, and the rear end of the conveyor is supported inclined upwardly by a trailing, mobile power unit which rides on spaced apart rails disposed along the tunnel floor. A pair of double acting hydraulic cylinders advance and retract a boom supporting carriage along support rails mounted along the length of the conveyor. An elongate boom is mounted on the carriage for movement with the carriage toward and away from the tunnel face. A combination digging and hoeing excavator tool is carried by the front end portion of the boom to loosen material at the tunnel face and then hoe the loosened material rearwardly onto the conveyor.

Conveyor mounted excavator

Sheaves mount a carriage on a skyline for yarding logs. A load line having a hooked end hanging from the carriage extends through another sheave on the carriage to a winch on a yarder at one end of the skyline. Brakes actuated by hydraulic cylinders are operable to lock the carriage to the skyline and the load line to the carriage. The skyline brake normally is released and the load line brake normally is set so that hauling in or paying out of the load line by the yarder winch effects movement of the carriage along the skyline. A hooker on the ground actuates setting of the skyline brake and releasing of the load line brake by pressing a button on a radio transmitter which signals mechanism on the carriage to supply hydraulic liquid under pressure from an accumulator to the brake cylinders, and also to a hydraulic motor which drives the load line sheave to lower the load line from the carriage. The hooker receives the load line, hooks a load of logs and signals the yarder operator to haul in the load line to hoist the log load, whereupon the brakes are returned to their normal conditions so that further hauling in of the load line moves the carriage and its log load to the yarder. The accumulator is regenerated to replenish its hydraulic liquid under pressure by a hydraulic pump driven by rotation of the load line sheave as the log load is hoisted and/or by rotation of a skyline sheave as the carriage is moved to the yarder.

Log yarding skyline carriage

An earth digging tool is mounted on the head of a tripod, the legs of which are double-acting hydraulic cylinders. The rear ends of the cylinders are connected to a rotor which is supported in a tunneling shield for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally of the tunnel. The cylinders are selectively extended and retracted for the purpose of moving the cutting tool forwardly and rearwardly and also up and down and sideways. The entire excavator is rotated for changing the sideways attitude of the digging tool. Universal joints are provided at both ends of each hydraulic cylinder, for substantially isolating them from bending moments and torque. A telescopic torque tube assembly is interconnected between the cutting tool mounting head and a gimbal carried by the rotor. The torque tube carries the bending moments and torque loads and transmits them back to the rotor.

Excavator for use in a tunneling shield

The frame of the chassis includes pairs of beams projectable forwardly and rearwardly, respectively from a center frame section on which a load-carrying body is mounted. The forward beam pair and the rear beam pair are projected from the center section corresponding distances by hydraulic jacks connected respectively between such beam pairs and the central section. The jacks are connected to transfer fluid between them, and fluid under pressure is supplied to the jacks to extend one jack and to contract the other jack simultaneously.

Adjustable-length semitrailer chassis and method of semitrailer

A cutting tool is mounted on the head of a support tripod, the legs of which are double-acting hydraulic cylinders. The rear ends of said cylinders are either pivotally connected to a frame portion of a tunneling machine or to movable barrel portions of three base cylinders having fixed rod portions. The cylinders are selectively extended and retracted for the purpose of moving the cutting tool forwardly and rearwardly and also up and down and sideways.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Tyman H Fikse