A quick-change TBM integrated cutter holder system

Abstract

This invention provides a TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system with quick tool change capability, including a hobbing cutter ring (1), a cutter box (2), a C-block (8), a hobbing cutter shaft (9), and a clamping device. The hobbing cutter ring (1) is connected to the hobbing cutter shaft (9); the C-block (8) is fixed on the cutter box (2) to support the hobbing cutter shaft (9); the clamping device includes a first arc-shaped connecting rod (4), a first transmission slider (5), a lifting slider (6), a set screw (7), a wedge-shaped clamping slider (10), a second arc-shaped connecting rod (11), a second transmission slider (12), and a third arc-shaped connecting rod (22); the wedge-shaped end of the wedge-shaped clamping slider (10) and the C-block (8) are located on opposite sides of the hobbing cutter shaft (9), and the other end of the wedge-shaped clamping slider (10) and the second arc-shaped connecting rod (11) form a rotating pair through a rotating shaft; the cutter box (2) is provided with a threaded hole for installing the set screw (7).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine), and in particular to a cutter head system for TBM cutter replacement. Background Technology

[0002] As a type of tunnel construction machinery, the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) experiences severe damage to key components during construction due to complex working conditions. The cutterhead cutters are particularly vulnerable and require timely replacement to maintain tunnel excavation efficiency. Currently, cutter inspection and replacement rely primarily on manual labor. This manual labor is hampered by factors such as limited space, large cutter weight, numerous discrete parts in the cutterhead, and complex replacement procedures. Consequently, the time and cost spent on cutter replacement account for approximately one-third of the total project cost. Furthermore, the cutter replacement environment at TBM construction sites is extremely harsh, and the prolonged, high-intensity operation poses significant risks to workers.

[0003] Traditional hob cutter holder systems use bolts for connection, resulting in numerous and discrete fasteners. This makes disassembly and assembly cumbersome, and tool changes require significant time and effort. Therefore, changing the structure of the traditional hob cutter holder and reducing the number of parts is a prerequisite and an urgent problem to be solved for improving the efficiency of manual tool changing and realizing automated tool changing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to provide a TBM hobbing cutter holder system for rapid tool changing. It achieves locking and unlocking of the hobbing cutter shaft by rotating a set screw to drive a wedge-shaped clamping slider, thereby facilitating hobbing cutter replacement. The tool changing process does not require disassembly of fasteners, reducing disassembly and assembly actions and improving tool changing efficiency. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0005] A TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system with quick-change capability includes a hobbing cutter ring 1, a cutter box 2, a C-block 8, a hobbing cutter shaft 9, and a clamping device. The hobbing cutter ring 1 is connected to the hobbing cutter shaft 9; the C-block 8 is fixed to the cutter box 2 to support the hobbing cutter shaft 9; wherein...

[0006] The clamping device includes a first arc-shaped connecting rod 4, a first transmission slider 5, a lifting slider 6, a set screw 7, a wedge-shaped clamping slider 10, a second arc-shaped connecting rod 11, a second transmission slider 12, and a third arc-shaped connecting rod 22; the first transmission slider 5, the first arc-shaped connecting rod 4, the lifting slider 6, the third arc-shaped connecting rod 22, and the second transmission slider 12 are located on the same side of the tool box 2; the second arc-shaped connecting rod 11 is located at the corner of the tool box 2, and the wedge-shaped clamping slider 10 and the C-shaped block 8 are located on the other side of the tool box 2;

[0007] The wedge-shaped end of the wedge-shaped clamping slider 10 and the C-shaped block 8 are located on both sides of the hob shaft 9, respectively. The other end of the wedge-shaped clamping slider 10 and the second arc-shaped connecting rod 11 form a rotating pair through a rotating shaft. The second arc-shaped connecting rod 11 and the second transmission slider 12 form a rotating pair through a rotating shaft.

[0008] The first transmission slider 5 and the first arc-shaped connecting rod 4 form a rotating pair via a rotating shaft;

[0009] A stepped hole is provided on the lifting slider 6, and a disc block is connected to the set screw 7. The disc block is located in the stepped hole and can rotate freely around the stepped hole. The lifting slider 6 and the first arc-shaped connecting rod 4 form a rotating pair through a rotating shaft. The second transmission slider 12 and the third arc-shaped connecting rod 22 form a rotating pair through a rotating shaft. The tool box 2 is provided with a threaded hole for installing the set screw 7.

[0010] Furthermore, the lifting slider 6 includes a lifting slider base 6A and a lifting slider cover plate 6B. The lifting slider 6B is fixedly connected to the lifting slider base 6A, and a stepped hole 6C is provided at the position where the lifting slider base 6A and the lifting slider 6B are connected.

[0011] Furthermore, the first transmission slider 5 and the lifting slider 6 slide along the vertical slide groove respectively, and the second transmission slider 12 slides along the horizontal slide groove; the wedge-shaped pressing slider 10 slides along the horizontal slide groove on one side of the C-shaped block 8.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes a baffle 3, which is fixed on the tool box and is used to limit the movement of the clamping device and prevent foreign objects from entering the tool box groove during the operation of the hob.

[0013] Furthermore, both rotating pairs at the two ends of the second arc-shaped connecting rod 11 are rotated around bolts.

[0014] Furthermore, the rotating joints connected to the lifting slider 6 all use a pin as the axis of rotation.

[0015] Furthermore, there are two third arc-shaped connecting rods 22, located on either side of the third arc-shaped connecting rod 22, with a retaining ring 23 between the two third arc-shaped connecting rods 22 for positioning.

[0016] Furthermore, the tool box 2 is provided with a first slot 2A for installing C-shaped blocks, a second slot 2B for the hobbing cutter shaft 9 to pass through during loading and unloading, a third slot 2C for installing wedge-shaped clamping slider 10, a fourth slot 2D for installing the first transmission slider 5 and the second transmission slider 12, and a fifth slot 2E for installing the lifting slider 6.

[0017] The advantages of the TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system with quick tool change of the present invention compared with existing hobbing cutter holder systems are as follows:

[0018] (1) Structural Integration. Existing hob holder systems require the disassembly and reassembly of fasteners such as clamping blocks, wedge blocks, and bolts during hob replacement. These discrete fasteners make the tool changing process cumbersome and severely reduce the efficiency of hob replacement. This invention integrates the hob clamping device into a single mechanism, eliminating the need to disassemble fasteners during hob replacement. This significantly improves tool changing efficiency and also facilitates the design of the end effector for the tool changing robot, contributing to the realization of automatic tool changing.

[0019] (2) Easy to operate. Existing hob holder systems require disassembling and assembling two clamping devices on both sides of the hob shaft when changing the hob. However, the present invention only requires tightening and loosening a set of set screws and nuts to tighten and loosen the hob shaft, which simplifies the hob replacement process and reduces the tool replacement time.

[0020] (3) Compact structure. In the design of the spatial linkage slider mechanism, the clamping device of the present invention uses an arc-shaped linkage instead of a straight linkage, which can effectively reduce the movement space of the linkage, save the installation space of the clamping device, reduce the volume of the mounting slot on the tool box, and make the structure of the integrated hobbing cutter holder system more compact. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is the assembly drawing of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal clamping device when the hob of the present invention is clamped.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal clamping device during the disassembly of the hobbing cutter according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a sectional view of the toolbox.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the C-shaped block installation.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the wedge-shaped clamping slider and the arc-shaped connecting rod.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the transmission slider and the arc-shaped connecting rod.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the set screw and the lifting slider.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting slider assembly.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of baffle 3.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0032] 1-Hoop cutter ring, 2-Cutter box, 3-Baffle, 4-First arc-shaped connecting rod, 5-First transmission slider, 6-Lifting slider, 7-Setting stud, 8-C-block, 9-Hoop cutter shaft, 10-Wedge-shaped clamping slider, 11-Second arc-shaped connecting rod, 12-Second transmission slider, 13-Anti-loosening nut, 14-Setting bolt, 15-Bolt, 16-First bushing, 17-Washer, 18-Flat nut, 19-Pin, 20-Second bushing, 21-Screw, 22-Third arc-shaped connecting rod, 23-Retaining ring, 24-Third bushing, 25-Pin. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific examples.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, this invention provides a TBM hobbing cutter holder system with quick tool change capability, including a hobbing cutter ring 1, a cutter box 2, a C-block 8, a hobbing cutter shaft 9, and a clamping device. The hobbing cutter ring 1 is mounted on the hobbing cutter shaft 9. The clamping device mainly consists of a first arc-shaped connecting rod 4, a first transmission slider 5, a lifting slider 6, a set screw 7, a wedge-shaped clamping slider 10, a second arc-shaped connecting rod 11, a second transmission slider 12, and a third arc-shaped connecting rod 22. Figure 1 To more clearly illustrate the structure of the tool holder system, the grooves of the other sliders are not shown except for the groove of the lifting slider 6.

[0035] like Figure 4 As shown, the tool box 2 is provided with a threaded hole for installing the set screw 7, a first slot 2A for installing the C-shaped block, a second slot 2B for the hobbing cutter shaft 9 to pass through during loading and unloading, a third slot 2C for installing the wedge-shaped clamping slider 10, a fourth slot 2D for installing the first transmission slider 5 and the second transmission slider 12, and a fifth slot 2E for installing the lifting slider.

[0036] like Figure 5 As shown, the C-block 8 is fixed to the tool box 2 by the set bolt 14. When installing the hob, the C-block 8 carries the hob shaft 9.

[0037] like Figure 6 As shown, the rotating pair consisting of the wedge-shaped clamping slider 10 and the second arc-shaped connecting rod 11 is connected by bolts 15, washers 17, and flat nuts 18. The hob is subjected to strong impact loads during operation, and the bolt connection between the wedge-shaped clamping slider 10 and the second arc-shaped connecting rod 11 improves the reliability of the connection. A first bushing 16 is also provided between the second arc-shaped connecting rod 11 and the bolt 15 to reduce wear. The rotating pairs consisting of the first transmission slider 5 and the second arc-shaped connecting rod 11, as well as the rotating pairs consisting of the second transmission slider 12 and the second arc-shaped connecting rod 11, use the same connection method.

[0038] like Figure 7 As shown, the rotating pair consisting of the first transmission slider 5 and the first arc-shaped connecting rod 4 uses a pin 19 as its rotation axis. The pin 19 is fixed to the first transmission slider 5 by screws 21. A second bushing 20 is provided between the first arc-shaped connecting rod 4 and the pin 19 to reduce wear. The rotating pair consisting of the lifting slider 6 and the first arc-shaped connecting rod 4 adopts the same connection method. The rotating pair consisting of the second transmission slider 12 and the third arc-shaped connecting rod 22 also uses a pin as its rotation axis. A retaining ring 23 is used for positioning between the two third arc-shaped connecting rods 22, and a third bushing 24 is also provided between the third arc-shaped connecting rod 22, the retaining ring 23, and the pin 19 to reduce wear. The rotating pair consisting of the lifting slider 6 and the third arc-shaped connecting rod 22 adopts the same connection method. The installation space for the rotating shafts on the first transmission slider 5, the second transmission slider 12, and the lifting slider 6 is small, and using pins for connection can effectively save space.

[0039] like Figure 8 , Figure 9 As shown, the lifting slider 6 is composed of a lifting slider base 6A and a lifting slider cover plate 6B. The lifting slider 6B is fixed to the lifting slider base 6A by screws 6D. A disc-shaped block is connected to the set stud 7, which can be installed in the stepped hole 6C of the lifting slider 6 and can rotate freely around the stepped hole.

[0040] like Figure 10 As shown, the baffle is installed on the tool box by screws, which can limit the movement of the clamping device and prevent foreign objects from entering the tool box slide groove during the operation of the hob, thus hindering the movement of the clamping device.

[0041] When using this invention, when installing the hob consisting of the hob cutter ring 1 and the hob cutter shaft 9, first place the hob on the C-shaped block 8 along the second slot 2B on the cutter box 2, then rotate the set screw 7. The set screw 7 pushes the lifting slider 6 upward. The first arc-shaped connecting rod 4 and the third arc-shaped connecting rod 22 connected to the lifting slider 6 push the first transmission slider 5 and the second transmission slider 12 to move in opposite directions. This pushes the two wedge-shaped clamping sliders 10 in the third slot 2C on both sides of the cutter box to press the two ends of the hob cutter shaft 9, thereby locking the hob cutter shaft 9. Finally, tighten the anti-loosening nut 13 to form a structure similar to a counter nut with the threaded hole on the cutter box to prevent loosening. Conversely, when disassembling the hob, first loosen the anti-loosening nut 13, then rotate the set screw 7. The set screw 7 drives the lifting slider 6 to move downward. The first arc-shaped connecting rod 4 and the third arc-shaped connecting rod 22 connected to the lifting slider 6 pull the first transmission slider 5 and the second transmission slider 12 to move in opposite directions. They respectively pull the wedge-shaped clamping sliders 10 on both sides of the tool box to loosen the hob shaft 9 and retract into the third slot 2C of the tool box 2. Thus, the hob can be removed from the C-shaped block and taken out through the second slot 2B to replace the hob.

[0042] Although the present invention has been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many modifications under the inspiration of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these modifications are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system with quick tool change capability, comprising a hobbing cutter ring (1), a cutter box (2), a C-block (8), a hobbing cutter shaft (9), and a clamping device, wherein the hobbing cutter ring (1) is connected to the hobbing cutter shaft (9); the C-block (8) is fixed on the cutter box (2) for supporting the hobbing cutter shaft (9); characterized in that, The clamping device includes a first arc-shaped connecting rod (4), a first transmission slider (5), a lifting slider (6), a set screw (7), a wedge-shaped clamping slider (10), a second arc-shaped connecting rod (11), a second transmission slider (12), and a third arc-shaped connecting rod (22); the first transmission slider (5), the first arc-shaped connecting rod (4), the lifting slider (6), the third arc-shaped connecting rod (22), and the second transmission slider (12) are located on the same side of the tool box (2); the second arc-shaped connecting rod (11) is located at the corner of the tool box (2), and the wedge-shaped clamping slider (10) and the C-shaped block (8) are located on the other side of the tool box (2); The wedge-shaped end of the wedge-shaped clamping slider (10) and the C-shaped block (8) are located on both sides of the hob shaft (9), and the other end of the wedge-shaped clamping slider (10) and the second arc-shaped connecting rod (11) form a rotating pair through the rotating shaft. The second arc-shaped connecting rod (11) and the second transmission slider (12) form a rotating pair through the rotating shaft. The first transmission slider (5) and the first arc-shaped connecting rod (4) form a rotating pair via a rotating shaft; A stepped hole is provided on the lifting slider (6), and a disc block is connected to the set screw (7). The disc block is located in the stepped hole and can rotate freely around the stepped hole. The lifting slider (6) and the first arc-shaped connecting rod (4) form a rotating pair through a rotating shaft. The second transmission slider (12) and the third arc-shaped connecting rod (22) form a rotating pair through a rotating shaft. The tool box (2) is provided with a threaded hole for installing the set screw (7). The lifting slider (6) includes a lifting slider base (6A) and a lifting slider cover plate (6B). The lifting slider (6B) is fixedly connected to the lifting slider base (6A). A stepped hole (6C) is provided at the position where the lifting slider base (6A) and the lifting slider (6B) are connected. The first transmission slider (5) and the lifting slider (6) slide along the vertical slide groove respectively, and the second transmission slider (12) slides along the horizontal slide groove. The wedge-shaped pressing slider (10) slides along the horizontal slide groove on one side of the C-shaped block (8).

2. The TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a baffle (3), which is fixed on the tool box and is used to limit the movement of the clamping device and prevent foreign objects from entering the tool box groove during the operation of the hob.

3. The TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two rotating pairs at both ends of the second arc-shaped connecting rod (11) are both rotated around bolts.

4. The TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system according to claim 1, characterized in that, All rotating pairs connected to the lifting slider (6) have a pivot pin as their axis of rotation.

5. The TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are two third arc-shaped connecting rods (22), which are located on both sides of the third arc-shaped connecting rod (22), and there is a retaining ring (23) between the two third arc-shaped connecting rods (22) for positioning.

6. The TBM integrated hobbing cutter holder system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tool box (2) is provided with a first slot (2A) for installing C-shaped blocks, a second slot (2B) for the hobbing cutter shaft (9) to pass through during loading and unloading, a third slot (2C) for installing wedge-shaped clamping slider (10), a fourth slot (2D) for installing the first transmission slider (5) and the second transmission slider (12), and a fifth slot (2E) for installing the lifting slider (6).

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