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AssigneeZ C Mines Pty. Ltd.
InventorsDavid B. Sugden, John Turner, Robert J. Boyd, Thomas M. Hartman, Gerald L. Dollinger, John G. Moore
Estimating the term…
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.
A method of controlling a mobile mining machine of the type having a cutting wheel rotatable about a horizontal axis by wheel drive means and traversable across a mining face in order to maximize its mined output including selectively controlling the kerf depth and kerf spacing such that the kerf ratio of kerf depth to kerf spacing approaches the optimum value for the rock being cut by continuously monitoring a sensing mining machine parameter and altering one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate, cutting wheel speed, and cutter slew rate based on one or more of a predetermined optimum cutter penetration depth value, a predetermined optimum cutter penetration rate value, a predetermined optimum cutting wheel speed value and a predetermined optimum cutter slew rate value derived from said sensed mining machine parameter.
Apparatus for automatically controlling one or more of cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate, and the cutter slew rate of a mining machine which includes a rotatable cutterhead having cutters and a boom assembly causing slewing of the cutterhead and a plunge assembly causing plunging of the cutterhead relative to the mining machine, said apparatus comprising:
A method for automatically controlling one or more cutter penetration depth, cutter penetration rate, and the cutter slew rate of a mining machine which includes a rotatable cutterhead having cutters, a boom assembly causing slewing of the cutterhead relative to the mining machine, a plunge assembly causing plunging of the cutterhead relative to the mining machine, sensing means, processing means, and controlling means, said method comprising the steps of:
A method of controlling a mobile mining machine of the type having a cutting wheel rotatable about a horizontal axis by wheel drive means and traversable across a mining face by slewing means in order to maximize its mined output consistent with maintaining cutting power near a desired limit, including selectively controlling the kerf depth and kerf spacing such that the kerf ratio of kerf depth to kerf spacing approaches a predetermined value for the rock being cut by continuously monitoring a measure of cutting power or force and altering the speed of the slewing means to vary the traversing speed and thus the kerf spacing wherein said measure of cutting power or force is the wheel drive means power input, and a feedback control system is utilized to maintain said wheel drive means power near a predetermined maximum level.
A method of controlling a mobile mining machine of the type having a cutting wheel rotatable about a horizontal axis by wheel drive means and traversable across a mining face by slewing means in order to maximize its mined output consistent with maintaining cutter wheel power near a desired limit, including selectively controlling the kerf depth and kerf spacing such that the kerf ratio of kerf depth to kerf spacing approaches a predetermined value for the rock being cut by continuously monitoring a measure of cutting power or force and altering the speed of the slewing means to vary the traversing speed and thus the kerf spacing and further including the monitoring of changes in rock properties transversely across a rock face by storing kerf-spacing information for a traverse of said cutting wheel and utilizing said kerf-spacing information to control the kerf spacing during successive traverses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.