Tunnelling machine

Abstract

The invention relates to a tunnelling machine having a rotatable cutting wheel, wherein a cutting wheel drive (203) is provided, by means of which the cutting wheel can be rotated via at least one hydraulic motor (209). A bypass branch part (215) is placed parallel to the hydraulic motor (209), through which a drive fluid flows at a drive pressure, the bypass branch part being used to feed a proportion of the drive fluid to a pressure amplifier (236) for controlling a control cylinder (121) in order to align the cutting wheel. As a result, the control cylinder (121) can be controlled via a relatively short high-pressure line (239).

Description

[0001] Tunnel boring machine

[0002] The invention relates to a tunnel boring machine according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0003] From GB 1 215 463, a tunnel boring machine is known with a cutterhead rotatable by means of a cutterhead drive, in which a number of control cylinders are provided to influence the direction of advance of the tunnel boring machine. The control cylinders in this tunnel boring machine can be actuated by separate pumps.

[0004] A crushing device with a pressure booster is known from GB 815 375.

[0005] The invention is based on the objective of providing a tunnel boring machine of the type mentioned above, which is characterized by an efficient control of the control cylinders both during provision and in operation.

[0006] This problem is solved according to the invention in a tunnel boring machine of the type mentioned at the outset with the characterizing features of claim 1.

[0007] By using at least one

[0008] If a control cylinder is connected in parallel to a hydraulic motor of a hydraulic cutter wheel drive for rotating the cutter wheel by means of a flow of drive fluid, and a downstream pressure amplifier is present, a portion of the drive fluid flow, usually supplied in excess by the cutter wheel drive, can be diverted to the hydraulic motor and used via the pressure amplifier to control a control cylinder. This allows for the use of relatively short high-pressure lines without an additional high-pressure pump with a long high-pressure line, and enables very efficient utilization of the drive fluid flow supplied by the cutter wheel drive.

[0009] Further advantageous embodiments of tunnel boring machines according to the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0010] Further advantageous embodiments and benefits of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of a tunnel boring machine according to the invention with reference to the figures of the drawing.

[0011] They show:

[0012] Fig. 1 shows a schematic, partially cut-away side view of an embodiment of a tunnel boring machine according to the invention and

[0013] Fig. 2 shows a hydraulic circuit diagram for the embodiment according to Fig. 1 with components provided for a cutter wheel drive and a control cylinder.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a partially cutaway side view of an embodiment of a tunnel boring machine 103 according to the invention. The tunnel boring machine 103 has a rotatable cutterhead 106, which is equipped on an end face located at the front in the direction of travel with excavation tools 109 for removing material at a tunnel face. The cutterhead 106 can be driven for rotation by a hydraulically operated cutterhead drive 112 with a number of hydraulic motors 115.

[0015] The cutting wheel 106, together with a shield shell 118 connected to it, is pivotably mounted in a control joint area 124 relative to a machine tube 127 located behind the shield shell 118 in the direction of travel by means of hydraulically operated control cylinders 121, the control cylinders 121 acting on the shield shell 118 and on the machine tube 127 for this purpose.

[0016] Fig. 2 shows a hydraulic circuit diagram for the embodiment of a tunnel boring machine 103 according to Fig. 1, with essential and suitable components for driving the cutter wheel 106 and for controlling a control cylinder 121. The cutter wheel drive 112 has a hydraulic power unit 203, with which a hydraulic motor 209 can be supplied via hydraulic drive lines 206 with a drive fluid under drive pressure for rotating a cutter wheel drive shaft 212 coupled to the cutter wheel 106.

[0017] Parallel to the hydraulic motor 209, a bypass branch section 215 is placed between two hydraulic drive lines 206 connected to the hydraulic motor 209. This bypass branch section is configured to divert a portion of the drive fluid flowing towards the hydraulic motor 209 and feed it into a branch line 218. The branch line 218 is advantageously connected to a pressure reducing valve 221, which is configured to limit the pressure of the drive fluid coming from the bypass branch section 215 to a predetermined maximum pressure.

[0018] Between the bypass branch section 215 and the pressure reducing valve 221, a pressure buffer storage tank 224, designed for example as a hydropneumatic storage tank, is expediently placed, which is designed to compensate for pressure fluctuations in the branch line 218 in such a way that the pressure delivered by the pressure reducing valve 221 does not fall below a minimum pressure.

[0019] On the output side, the pressure reducing valve 221 is connected via a connecting line 227 to a directional control valve 230, which is designed, among other things, to direct a volume flow of actuator fluid fed into the directional control valve 230 into a low-pressure line 233 connected to an output of the directional control valve 230.

[0020] The low-pressure line 233 is connected to a pressure booster 236, which is designed to increase an inlet pressure pi provided in the low-pressure line 233 to an outlet pressure p2 higher than the inlet pressure pi by means of volume flow conversion with a fixed proportionality factor.

[0021] On the output side, the pressure booster 236 is connected via a high-pressure line 239 to a control cylinder 121, which is connected via a back-pressure line 242 to the directional control valve 230.

[0022] Furthermore, it can be seen from the circuit diagram according to Fig. 2 that the directional control valve 230 is expediently connected to an open drain line 245, via which a displacement volume can be released from the control cylinder 121 when the directional control valve 230 is in the appropriate position.

[0023] From the circuit diagram explained above, it follows that the pressure prevailing in the connecting line 227 on the outlet side of the pressure reducing valve 221 can be fed to the pressure amplifier 236 as a relatively low inlet pressure pi, with a maximum limit, and, while maintaining a maximum inlet pressure for the pressure amplifier 236, is increased by a fixed proportionality factor to a relatively high outlet pressure p2 as the control pressure.

[0024] Control cylinder 121 can be fed in.

Claims

REQUIREMENTS 1. Tunnel boring machine with a rotatable cutter wheel (106), with a cutter wheel drive (112) configured for rotating the cutter wheel (106), and with a number of control cylinders (121) configured to influence a direction of advance of the tunnel boring machine (103), characterized in that a hydraulic cutter wheel drive (112) is provided, which has at least one hydraulic motor (209) that can be supplied with a volume flow of a drive fluid under a drive pressure, that a bypass branch section (215) is provided, which is connected in parallel to a hydraulic motor (209) and with which a portion of a volume flow of the drive fluid driving the hydraulic motor (209) can be diverted, and that a pressure booster (236) is connected between the bypass branch section (215) and a control cylinder (121), which is configured toto apply a control pressure higher than a drive pressure to the control cylinder (121).

2. Tunnel boring machine according to claim 1, characterized in that a pressure reducing valve (221) is arranged between the bypass branch section (215) and the pressure booster (236), which is configured to limit the pressure of the drive fluid originating from the bypass branch section (215) to a maximum permissible inlet pressure (pi) of the pressure booster (236).

3. Tunnel boring machine according to claim 2, characterized in that a pressure buffer reservoir (224) is placed between the bypass branch part (215) and the pressure reducing valve (221) to compensate for pressure fluctuations.

4. Tunnel boring machine according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that a directional control valve (230 ) is arranged between the pressure reducing valve (221) and the pressure booster (236), which is configured to control the pressure booster (236) while maintaining a maximum permissible inlet pressure (pi).

5. Tunnel boring machine according to claim 4, characterized in that an open drain line (245) is connected to the directional control valve (230).

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