Auger Boring Machine Spoils Ejector Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tunnel boring machines are inefficient and costly, requiring significant time and expense for adjustments and spoils removal, limiting their ability to bore longer tunnels quickly and economically.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a spoils ejector mechanism with a power source attached to an auger, featuring a plurality of large and small casings with a cutting head, where the spoils ejector is located between the terminal end of the small casings and the cutting head, allowing for efficient evacuation of spoils through a unique configuration of plates and ports, enabling the auger to bore through larger casings with a smaller diameter inner casing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a traditional auger boring machine is used with a single large casing, then the machine can bore tunnels, but it requires significant time and expense for adjustments and spoils removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested casing structure where a smaller diameter inner casing is positioned within a larger diameter outer casing. The auger rotates within the inner casing while spoils are evacuated through the annular space between the inner and outer casings. This nesting arrangement allows continuous operation without requiring machine disassembly or reconfiguration, thereby increasing productivity and reducing setup time.
2Ease of repair
If the auger is removed from within the casing when a problem is encountered at the cutting head, then the problem can be addressed, but this takes time and incurs expense
Solution Approach 1:
The boring machine is divided into separable modular components including the cutting head, auger, inner casing, and outer casing. The cutting head can be independently removed and replaced without disturbing the auger or casing structure. This segmentation enables quick maintenance and repair operations, reducing both maintenance time and associated costs.
3Productivity
If spoils are evacuated through the auger blade in traditional machines, then spoils removal is achieved, but frequent adjustments and machine reconfiguration are required
Solution Approach 1:
The nested casing configuration creates a dedicated spoils evacuation pathway through the annular space between the inner and outer casings. This separate evacuation channel operates independently from the auger rotation, allowing continuous spoils removal without interfering with the boring operation. The fixed geometric relationship between nested casings simplifies the overall machine configuration compared to traditional adjustable systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An auger boring machine having spoils ejector having a power source attached to an auger, a plurality of large casings extending linearly from the power source, a plurality of small casings located linearly within the large casings and centered within the large casings with the auger extending linearly within the small casings, a cutting head attached to the terminal end of the large casings, and a spoils ejector, with the spoils ejector attached to the auger and to the cutting head, with the spoils ejector located between the terminal end of the small casings and the cutting head, with the spoils ejector enclosed within the large casings, with the spoils ejector having a front, a back, first and second sides each attached to the front and to the back, first and second curved plates each attached the front, the back, and to the first and second sides, at least one of the sides having a collector aperture formed therein adjacent one of the curved plates, with the back having formed therein at least one spoils port.