Variable-diameter cutterhead
By combining the main cutterhead and the extended cutterhead, and using the extended cutter head to avoid collisions on the cutterhead surface, the problem that traditional cutterheads cannot adapt to excavation of different sizes is solved. This enables flexible adjustment of the cutterhead and efficient cutting, improving construction efficiency and equipment stability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-14
AI Technical Summary
Traditional cutterheads are designed with a fixed diameter, which cannot adapt to excavation needs of different sizes. This leads to increased costs and time when replacing the cutterhead, and the collision between the cutterhead and the rock wall causes wear and instability of the equipment.
It adopts a combination design of main cutter head and extended cutter head. The diameter can be adjusted by installing and removing the extended cutter head. The cutter heads of the first and second side roller cutter assemblies extend beyond the disc surface to avoid direct collision between the disc surface and the rock wall, and work together to cut the medium.
It enables flexible adjustment of the cutterhead diameter, improves the versatility and adaptability of the equipment, reduces replacement costs and time, extends the life of the cutterhead, and enhances equipment stability and construction efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN121854075A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of tool turret technology, specifically a variable diameter tool turret. Background Technology
[0002] In tunnel excavation and other engineering operations, the cutterhead is a key component of the excavation equipment, and its performance directly affects excavation efficiency and project quality. Traditional cutterheads are usually designed with a fixed diameter, which has significant limitations when facing excavation needs of different sizes. When it is necessary to excavate tunnels of different diameters, different specifications of cutterheads need to be replaced, which not only increases equipment costs but also wastes a lot of time and manpower, reducing construction efficiency.
[0003] Furthermore, collisions between the cutterhead face and the rock wall are a common and challenging problem during tunneling. These collisions not only accelerate cutterhead wear, shorten its service life, and increase maintenance costs, but can also negatively impact the overall stability of the tunneling equipment, thereby affecting tunneling accuracy and project quality. Therefore, developing a cutterhead that can effectively prevent collisions between the cutterhead face and the rock wall and adapt to different excavation size requirements is of significant practical importance. Summary of the Invention
[0004] In order to overcome the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a variable diameter cutter head.
[0005] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: a variable diameter cutter head, comprising: Main cutter head and extended cutter head; The extended cutter head is sleeved around the main cutter head; The edge of the main cutter disc is provided with a first side hobbing cutter assembly, and the cutter head of the first side hobbing cutter assembly extends beyond the edge of the main cutter disc; The extended cutter head is provided with a second side hobbing cutter assembly at its edge, and the cutter head of the second side hobbing cutter assembly extends beyond the edge of the extended cutter head. Main working principle: This variable-diameter cutterhead includes a main cutterhead and an extended cutterhead, which is initially installed on the periphery of the main cutterhead. This combined structure provides a basis for the cutterhead to adapt to excavation operations of different diameters. By flexibly adjusting the installation state of the extended cutterhead, the overall diameter of the cutterhead can be changed. The first side cutter assembly, located at the edge of the main cutterhead, has its cutter head extending beyond the edge of the main cutterhead. When the cutterhead starts working, the main cutterhead rotates with the drive of the tunneling equipment. The cutter head of the first side cutter assembly first contacts the rock wall or soil to be excavated. During rotation, the cutter head applies pressure and cutting force to the medium, breaking hard rock into smaller pieces or cutting and turning loose soil, creating conditions for subsequent excavation and transportation. The second side cutter assembly, located at the edge of the extended cutterhead, also has its cutter head extending beyond the edge of the extended cutterhead. When the extended cutterhead is installed on the main cutterhead, as the entire cutterhead rotates, the cutter head of the second side cutter assembly also participates in the cutting operation of the medium. It works in conjunction with the first-side roller cutter assembly to expand the cutting range and improve excavation efficiency, making it particularly suitable for excavation tasks with larger diameters.
[0006] The outward-extending cutter heads of both the first and second side cutter assemblies effectively prevent collisions between the cutterhead and the rock face. During the cutterhead's rotation and cutting process, without these outward-extending cutter heads, the cutterhead surface would directly contact the rock face. Due to the hardness of the rock, this direct impact would cause rapid wear on the cutterhead surface, shortening its lifespan and potentially affecting its stability and the normal operation of the tunneling equipment. The outward-extending cutter heads, however, contact and cut against the rock face first, maintaining a safe distance between the cutterhead surface and the rock face, avoiding direct collisions, reducing surface wear, extending cutterhead lifespan, lowering maintenance costs, and ensuring tunneling stability and continuity.
[0007] Furthermore, when the construction requirement changes to smaller diameter excavation, the operator removes the extended cutterhead from the main cutterhead. At this point, the cutterhead consists only of the main cutterhead, and its diameter is restored to the size of the main cutterhead itself. The first-side roller cutter assembly continues to operate, cutting the smaller area of the medium to meet the requirements of small-diameter excavation. This method of switching diameters by installing and removing the extended cutterhead allows the same variable-diameter cutterhead to adapt to various excavation tasks of different sizes, improving the versatility and flexibility of the cutterhead and reducing the time and cost associated with replacing different sizes of cutterheads.
[0008] Preferably, the first side hobbing cutter assembly includes a first cutter box and a first hobbing cutter head. The first cutter box is disposed at the edge of the main cutter disc, and the opening direction of the first cutter box is set at an angle to the disc surface of the main cutter disc. The first hobbing cutter head is installed in the first cutter box, and the end of the first hobbing cutter head extends to the outside of the edge of the main cutter disc. The second side hobbing cutter assembly includes a second cutter box and a second hobbing cutter head. The second cutter box is disposed at the edge of the extended cutter disc, and the opening direction of the second cutter box is set at an angle to the disc surface of the extended cutter disc. The second hobbing cutter head is installed in the second cutter box, and the end of the second hobbing cutter head extends to the outside of the edge of the extended cutter disc.
[0009] Preferably, the opening direction of the first blade box forms an angle of 45° with the surface of the main blade disc; the opening direction of the second blade box forms an angle of 45° with the surface of the extension blade disc.
[0010] Preferably, multiple sets of the first side hobbing cutter assembly are provided, and the multiple sets of the first side hobbing cutter assembly are distributed along the edge circumference of the main cutter disc; Multiple sets of the second side hobbing cutter assembly are provided, and the multiple sets of the second side hobbing cutter assembly are distributed along the edge circumference of the extended cutter disc.
[0011] Preferably, a first scraper is provided at the edge of the main blade disk. The first scraper is arc-shaped and the blade surface of the first scraper extends beyond the edge of the main blade disk. A second scraper is provided at the edge of the expanding cutter disc. The second scraper is arc-shaped and its blade extends beyond the edge of the expanding cutter disc.
[0012] Preferably, the first scraper is provided in multiple sets, and the multiple sets of the first scraper are distributed along the circumference of the edge of the main blade disk; The second scraper is provided in multiple sets, and the multiple sets of the second scraper are distributed along the circumference of the edge of the expanding blade disc.
[0013] Preferably, the inner side of the extended cutter head is provided with a retaining step, and the extended cutter head is engaged with the outer edge of the main cutter head through the retaining step.
[0014] Preferably, the card step is welded to the outer edge of the main cutter head.
[0015] Preferably, the extended cutter head has multiple reinforcing ribs at its bottom edge, and the multiple reinforcing ribs are distributed circumferentially along the edge of the extended cutter head.
[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: This invention achieves diameter adjustment through a detachable combination design of the extended cutterhead and the main cutterhead. When facing construction tasks such as tunnel excavation and pipeline laying with different diameters, there is no need to replace the entire cutterhead; simply disassembling the extended cutterhead according to actual needs allows for quick switching of the cutterhead diameter, greatly improving the equipment's versatility and adaptability, and reducing construction delays and cost increases caused by equipment incompatibility. The cutter heads of the first and second side cutter assemblies extend beyond the edge of the cutterhead surface, allowing them to contact the rock wall first during cutting, maintaining a safe distance between the cutterhead surface and the rock wall, effectively avoiding direct collision between the cutterhead surface and the rock wall. This design reduces wear on the cutterhead surface, minimizes damage to the cutterhead structure from impact forces, enhances the stability and reliability of the cutterhead, and reduces the probability of equipment failure. Attached Figure Description
[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0018] Figure 1 This is the main view of the variable diameter cutterhead; Figure 2 This is a front view of the variable diameter cutter head; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial schematic diagram of part A is shown below; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the back of the variable diameter cutter head; Figure 5 for Figure 4 A partial schematic diagram of part B is shown below; 1. Main cutter head; 11. First side hobbing cutter assembly; 111. First cutter box; 112. First hobbing cutter head; 12. First scraper; 2. Extended cutter head; 21. Second side hobbing cutter assembly; 211. Second cutter box; 212. Second hobbing cutter head; 22. Second scraper; 23. Step; 24. Reinforcing rib. Detailed Implementation
[0019] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention; the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0020] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.
[0021] Example 1 This embodiment discloses a variable diameter cutter head, such as Figures 1-5 The system comprises a main cutterhead 1 and an extended cutterhead 2, with the extended cutterhead 2 initially installed on the periphery of the main cutterhead 1. This modular structure provides a basis for the cutterhead to adapt to excavation operations of different diameters. By flexibly adjusting the installation state of the extended cutterhead 2, the overall diameter of the cutterhead can be changed. The first side cutter assembly 11, located at the edge of the main cutterhead 1, has its cutter head extending beyond the edge of the main cutterhead 1. When the cutterhead begins operation, the main cutterhead 1 rotates with the drive of the tunneling equipment. The cutter head of the first side cutter assembly 11 first contacts the rock wall or soil to be excavated. During rotation, the cutter head applies pressure and cutting force to the medium, breaking hard rock into smaller pieces or cutting and turning loose soil, creating conditions for subsequent excavation and transportation. The second side cutter assembly 21, located at the edge of the extended cutterhead 2, also has its cutter head extending beyond the edge of the extended cutterhead 2. When the extended cutterhead 2 is installed on the main cutterhead 1, as the entire cutterhead rotates, the cutter head of the second side cutter assembly 21 also participates in the cutting operation of the medium. It works in conjunction with the first side cutter assembly 11 to expand the cutting range and improve excavation efficiency, making it particularly suitable for excavation tasks with larger diameters.
[0022] The outward-extending cutter heads of the first and second cutter assembly 11 and 21 effectively prevent collisions between the cutterhead and the rock wall. During the cutterhead's rotation and cutting process, without outward-extending cutter heads, the cutterhead surface would directly contact the rock wall. Due to the hardness of the rock wall, this direct collision would cause rapid wear of the cutterhead surface, shortening its service life and potentially affecting its stability and the normal operation of the tunneling equipment due to the impact. The outward-extending cutter heads, however, contact and cut against the rock wall first, maintaining a safe distance between the cutterhead surface and the rock wall, avoiding direct collisions, reducing surface wear, extending cutterhead life, lowering maintenance costs, and ensuring tunneling stability and continuity.
[0023] Furthermore, when the construction requirement changes to smaller diameter excavation, the operator removes the extended cutterhead 2 from the main cutterhead 1. At this time, the cutterhead consists only of the main cutterhead 1, and its diameter is restored to the size of the main cutterhead 1 itself. The first-side roller cutter assembly 11 continues to operate, cutting the media in a smaller area to meet the requirements of small-diameter excavation. This method of switching diameters by installing and removing the extended cutterhead 2 allows the same variable-diameter cutterhead to adapt to various excavation tasks of different sizes, improving the versatility and flexibility of the cutterhead and reducing the time and cost associated with replacing different sizes of cutterheads.
[0024] In some optional embodiments, the first cutter box 111 is disposed at the edge of the main cutter disc 1, with its opening direction at a certain angle to the surface of the main cutter disc 1. The first roller cutter head 112 is installed inside the first cutter box 111. This angled setting allows the first roller cutter head 112 to cut into the medium at a suitable angle when the cutter disc rotates. The end of the first roller cutter head 112 extends beyond the edge of the main cutter disc 1. During rotation, it first contacts the medium, using its own rolling and cutting action to break and cut the medium, while also preventing the first cutter box 111 from colliding with the rock wall. The second cutter box 211 is disposed at the edge of the extended cutter disc 2, with its opening direction at a certain angle to the surface of the extended cutter disc 2. The second roller cutter head 212 is installed inside the second cutter box 211. Similarly, this angled design allows the second roller cutter head 212 to cut into the medium at a suitable angle when the cutter disc rotates, while also preventing the second cutter box 211 from colliding with the rock wall. The end of the second cutter head 212 extends beyond the edge of the extended cutter head 2 and works in conjunction with the first cutter head 112 to expand the cutting range and improve excavation efficiency during large-diameter excavation.
[0025] In some optional embodiments, the opening direction of the first cutter box 111 forms a 45° angle with the surface of the main cutter disc 1. This specific angle is optimized so that the first roller cutter head 112 can apply force at the optimal mechanical angle when cutting into the medium, effectively breaking rocks or cutting soil while reducing wear on the cutter head itself, thus improving the service life and cutting efficiency of the cutter head. The opening direction of the second cutter box 211 forms a 45° angle with the surface of the extended cutter disc 2, with the same angle setting principle as the first cutter box 111. This ensures that the second roller cutter head 212 can also cut into the medium at the optimal angle during large-diameter excavation, achieving efficient cutting while reducing cutter head wear and ensuring that the entire variable-diameter cutter disc can work stably and efficiently in different diameter modes.
[0026] In some optional embodiments, multiple sets of first-side roller cutter assemblies 11 are distributed along the circumference of the edge of the main cutterhead 1. This distribution allows the main cutterhead 1 to cut the medium simultaneously from multiple positions when rotating. The first-side roller cutter assemblies 11 at different positions cooperate with each other to more evenly break rocks or cut soil, improving the comprehensiveness and efficiency of cutting, especially suitable for large-area excavation operations. Multiple sets of second-side roller cutter assemblies 21 are distributed along the circumference of the edge of the extended cutterhead 2, working in conjunction with the multiple sets of first-side roller cutter assemblies 11 in large-diameter excavation mode. The multiple sets of second-side roller cutter assemblies 21 cut into the medium from different positions on the edge of the extended cutterhead 2, further expanding the cutting range, enhancing cutting capability, enabling faster completion of large-diameter excavation tasks, and improving overall construction efficiency.
[0027] In some optional embodiments, the first scraper 12 at the edge of the main cutterhead 1 is arc-shaped, and its blade extends beyond the edge of the main cutterhead 1. During the rotation of the cutterhead, the first scraper 12 can scrape the medium of the rock wall crushed by the first side roller cutter assembly 11. The second scraper 22 at the edge of the extended cutterhead 2 is also arc-shaped, and its blade extends beyond the edge of the extended cutterhead 2. During large-diameter excavation, the second scraper 22 rotates with the extended cutterhead 2, and the second scraper 22 can scrape the medium of the rock wall crushed by the second side roller cutter assembly 21.
[0028] In some optional embodiments, multiple sets of first scrapers 12 are distributed circumferentially along the edge of the main cutterhead 1, enabling more comprehensive scraping of the medium near the edge of the main cutterhead 1. The first scrapers 12 at different positions can cover various areas of the edge of the main cutterhead 1, avoiding scraping dead zones, ensuring the edge of the main cutterhead 1 remains clean, and improving the cutting performance and service life of the main cutterhead 1. Multiple sets of second scrapers 22 are distributed circumferentially along the edge of the expansion cutterhead 2, enabling all-round cleaning of the medium near the edge of the expansion cutterhead 2 during large-diameter excavation. The multiple sets of second scrapers 22 cooperate with each other to ensure that all parts of the rock wall at the edge of the expansion cutterhead 2 are effectively scraped.
[0029] In some optional embodiments, the inner side of the extended cutter head 2 is provided with a retaining step 23, which engages with the outer edge of the main cutter head 1. This engagement method allows the extended cutter head 2 to be quickly and easily installed onto the main cutter head 1, thereby increasing the diameter of the cutter head. During installation, the retaining step 23 can accurately engage with the outer edge of the main cutter head 1, ensuring the accurate relative position of the extended cutter head 2 and the main cutter head 1. This allows the two sets of side hobbing cutter assemblies and scrapers to be correctly aligned, ensuring that all components work together when the cutter head rotates, thus improving the assembly efficiency and stability of the variable diameter cutter head.
[0030] In some optional embodiments, the retaining ring 23 is welded to the outer edge of the main cutter head 1, further enhancing the connection strength between the extended cutter head 2 and the main cutter head 1. Welding allows the two to form a single unit, withstanding greater cutting forces and torques during cutter head rotation, preventing loosening or separation between the extended cutter head 2 and the main cutter head 1, ensuring the stability and reliability of the variable diameter cutter head in complex construction environments, and improving construction safety. Furthermore, when the extended cutter head 2 needs to be unloaded, only the weld at the connection point needs to be broken.
[0031] In some optional embodiments, the extended cutterhead 2 has multiple reinforcing ribs 24 at its bottom edge, and these ribs are distributed circumferentially along the edge of the extended cutterhead 2. The reinforcing ribs 24 enhance the structural strength and rigidity of the extended cutterhead 2, bearing the forces of cutting and centrifugal forces during rotation and cutting, preventing deformation or damage to the extended cutterhead 2. Especially during large-diameter excavation, the reinforcing ribs 24 ensure that the extended cutterhead 2 can stably withstand larger loads, improving the overall service life and reliability of the variable-diameter cutterhead.
[0032] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A variable diameter cutter head, characterized in that, include: Main cutter head and extended cutter head; The extended cutter head is sleeved around the main cutter head; The edge of the main cutter disc is provided with a first side hobbing cutter assembly, and the cutter head of the first side hobbing cutter assembly extends beyond the edge of the main cutter disc; The extended cutter head is provided with a second side hobbing cutter assembly at its edge, and the cutter head of the second side hobbing cutter assembly extends beyond the edge of the extended cutter head.
2. The variable diameter cutter head according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first side hobbing cutter assembly includes a first cutter box and a first hobbing cutter head. The first cutter box is disposed at the edge of the main cutter disc, and the opening direction of the first cutter box is set at an angle to the disc surface of the main cutter disc. The first hobbing cutter head is installed in the first cutter box, and the end of the first hobbing cutter head extends to the outside of the edge of the main cutter disc. The second side hobbing cutter assembly includes a second cutter box and a second hobbing cutter head. The second cutter box is disposed at the edge of the extended cutter disc, and the opening direction of the second cutter box is set at an angle to the disc surface of the extended cutter disc. The second hobbing cutter head is installed in the second cutter box, and the end of the second hobbing cutter head extends to the outside of the edge of the extended cutter disc.
3. The variable diameter cutter head according to claim 2, characterized in that, The opening direction of the first blade box forms an angle of 45° with the surface of the main blade disc; the opening direction of the second blade box forms an angle of 45° with the surface of the extended blade disc.
4. The variable diameter cutter head according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple sets of the first side hobbing cutter assembly are provided, and the multiple sets of the first side hobbing cutter assembly are distributed along the edge circumference of the main cutter disc; Multiple sets of the second side hobbing cutter assembly are provided, and the multiple sets of the second side hobbing cutter assembly are distributed along the edge circumference of the extended cutter disc.
5. The variable diameter cutter head according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first scraper is provided at the edge of the main blade disk. The first scraper is arc-shaped and its blade extends beyond the edge of the main blade disk. A second scraper is provided at the edge of the expanding cutter disc. The second scraper is arc-shaped and its blade extends beyond the edge of the expanding cutter disc.
6. The variable diameter cutter head according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first scraper is provided in multiple sets, and the multiple sets of the first scraper are distributed along the circumference of the edge of the main blade disk; The second scraper is provided in multiple sets, and the multiple sets of the second scraper are distributed along the circumference of the edge of the expanding blade disc.
7. The variable diameter cutter head according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner side of the extended cutter head is provided with a retaining step, and the extended cutter head is engaged with the outer edge of the main cutter head through the retaining step.
8. The variable diameter cutter head according to claim 7, characterized in that, The card step is welded to the outer edge of the main cutting disc.
9. The variable diameter cutter head according to claim 1, characterized in that, The extended cutter head has multiple reinforcing ribs at its bottom edge, and these reinforcing ribs are distributed circumferentially along the edge of the extended cutter head.