Mining Machine Eccentric Disc Cutter Arm
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mining machines face challenges in efficiently excavating hard rock due to high energy requirements and difficulty in supporting the weight of disc cutters while allowing them to swing through more than 180°, which limits their operational efficiency and geometry flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A mining machine equipped with an eccentrically driven disc cutter assembly that uses a small amplitude, high-frequency oscillating motion to cause tensile failure in rock, reducing energy requirements and featuring a pivotally attached arm that can swing through a wide arc, allowing for efficient rock excavation with reduced weight and increased geometry flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a disc cutter is mounted on a pivot arm to swing through more than 180°, then the cutting geometry flexibility is improved, but supporting the weight of the disc cutter head becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The arm is divided into two segments: a main portion and a wrist portion pivotally attached to it. This segmentation allows the wrist portion to support the disc cutter head while the main portion provides the primary structural support, enabling the system to handle the weight while achieving the required swinging motion and cutting geometry flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The wrist portion acts as an intermediary between the main arm portion and the disc cutter head. It transfers and distributes the weight and forces, allowing the disc cutter to be supported effectively while maintaining the ability to swing through more than 180° for flexible cutting geometries.
2Productivity
If high forces are applied to excavate hard rock, then the excavation effectiveness is improved, but the energy requirements and reaction mass increase
Solution Approach 1:
The disc cutter is driven to oscillate at high frequency with small amplitude. This vibratory motion concentrates the cutting action, allowing effective excavation of hard rock with reduced peak forces and lower energy requirements compared to conventional continuous contact cutting methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting parameters are changed from continuous contact with high force to high-frequency oscillation with small amplitude. This parameter change reduces the reaction mass needed and lowers energy consumption while maintaining or improving excavation effectiveness on hard rock.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient rock excavation with lower energy consumption and enhanced flexibility in cutting geometry, allowing the machine to effectively mine materials while minimizing weight and maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
Because the device usually applies a load at an angle to the rock face, it causes tensile fracture of the rock, instead of crushing the rock. This tensile fracture force applied to the rock is substantially less than that needed with crushing forces
Implementation Method 2
The disc cutter is driven by the arm into the material to be mined, with the arm configured to oscillate through an arc of more than 180°
Data Source
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AI summary
A mining machine (100) including a cutting mechanism comprising (104) an arm (108) having an arm end (112), a disc cutter (116) adapted to engage the material to be mined and mounted on said arm end (112) by a disc cutter assembly for eccentrically driving the disc cutter, wherein said disc cutter (116) is driven by said arm into the material to be mined, and wherein said arm further includes a main portion (304), and a wrist portion (308) pivotally attached to the main portion, said main portion including two spaced apart horizontal main plates (322), and a support (330) rotatably mounted and extending between the two main plates (322), said wrist portion (308) being pivotally mounted on the support (330), and pivotable relative to the main portion (304) by rotating about the support (330).