Adjustable gage cutter scraper for tunneling machines

In an earth boring machine for producing a bore in earth formations wherein portions of the formations are broken away causing the portions of the formations to fall to the bottom of the bore, said machine including a body portion and a rotary head that rotates about a central axis of rotation, the improvement comprising:

• a gage cutter, said gage cutter including a rolling body portion rotatably mounted on said rotary head;
• a scraper blade located on said rotary head that rotates with said rotary head and precedes said gage cutter, said scraper blade having a scraper blade adjustment surface;
• holder means on said rotary head for restraining said scraper blade from movement in substantially all directions other than a radial direction from said central axis of rotation;
• and
• a driver means on said rotary head for forcing said scraper blade to move radially within said holder means, said driver means having an inclined adjustment surface that mates with said scraper blade adjustment surface.

In an earth boring machine for producing a bore in earth formation wherein portions of the formations are broken away causing the portions of the formations to fall to the bottom of the bore, said machine including a body portion and a rotary head that rotates about a central axis of rotation, the improvement comprising:

• a gage cutter, said gage cutter including a rolling body portion rotatably mounted on said rotary head;
• a scraper blade located on said rotary head that rotates with said rotary head and precedes said gage cutter, said scraper blade having a scraper blade adjustment surface;
• holder means on said rotary head for restraining said scraper blade from movement in substantially all directions other than a radial direction from said central axis of rotation;
• a drive member on said rotary head for forcing said scraper blade to move radially within said holder means, said drive member having an inclined drive member adjustment surface that mates with said scraper blade adjustment surface;
• and
• means contacting said drive member for allowing said drive member to be moved.

In an earth boring machine for producing a hole in the earth wherein portions of the formations fall to the invert of the tunnel, said machine including a body portion and a rotary head that rotates about a central axis, the improvement comprising:

• at least one gage cutter member located proximate the periphery of said rotary head, said gage cutter member including a rolling body portion rotatably mounted on said rotary head;
• a scraper blade located proximate the periphery of said rotary head adjacent said at least one gage cutter member, said scraper blade having an adjustment surface and an axis of translation;
• retaining means on said rotary head for restraining said scraper blade from movement in substantially all directions other than radially from said central axis along said scraper blade axis of translation;
• and
• a locking and adjustment member on said rotary head, said locking and adjustment member having an axis of translation and a surface in contact with said adjustment surface of said scraper blade wherein the plane of contact of said surface and said adjustment surface is at an angle to both said scraper blade axis of translation and said locking and adjustment member axis of translation.

In an earth boring machine for producing a tunnel in the earth wherein portions of the formations fall to the invert of the tunnel, said machine including a body portion, a cutterhead that rotates about a central axis, and at least one gage cutter member located proximate the periphery of said cutterhead, the improvement comprising:

• a scraper blade located proximate the periphery of said cutterhead adjacent said at least one gage cutter member, said scraper blade having an adjustment surface and an axis of translation;
• retaining means on said cutterhead for restraining said scraper blade from movement in substantially all directions other than radially from said central axis along said scraper blade axis of translation;
• a fixed support member on said cutterhead;
• a locking and adjustment member positioned to move along said fixed support member, said locking and adjustment member having an axis of translation and a wedge surface in contact with said adjustment surface of said scraper blade wherein the plane of contact of said wedge surface and said adjustment surface is at an angle to both said scraper blade axis of translation and said locking and adjustment member axis of translation;
• and
• means in contact with said locking and adjustment member for allowing said locking and adjustment member to be moved.