Tunnel Extraction Machine Segmented Cutting and Plasma Substitution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tunnel excavation methods are inefficient and costly, requiring extensive digging and crushing of rock or soil, and consume significant energy.
Innovation Solution
The Tunnel Extraction Machine (TEM) uses a combination of hollow ring cutter heads and drum cutters to excavate tunnels by cutting a perimeter and making longitudinal and transverse cuts, allowing for the mechanical extraction and removal of large, untouched rock or soil sections without the need for extensive digging or crushing, utilizing muck boxes and various cutting tools like plasma torches and water jets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional digging and crushing methods are used to excavate tunnel material, then the tunnel can be excavated, but the energy consumption is significant and the process is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The tunnel excavation process is segmented into two distinct phases: (1) perimeter cutting using hollow ring cutter heads and drum cutters to create longitudinal and transverse cuts, and (2) extraction of large untouched rock sections using muck boxes. This segmentation allows the machine to avoid continuous digging and crushing of the entire tunnel material, significantly reducing energy consumption while improving tunneling speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical digging and crushing system with a hybrid system combining mechanical cutting (hollow ring cutter heads and drum cutters) and thermal cutting (plasma torches). This substitution enables the extraction of large rock sections in an untouched state, eliminating the energy-intensive crushing process and reducing overall energy consumption by over 60%.
2Productivity
If conventional digging and crushing methods are used, then the tunnel material can be removed, but the process is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow ring cutter heads and drum cutters perform preliminary cutting actions along the perimeter of the tunnel section, creating longitudinal and transverse cuts that define the boundaries of large rock sections. This preliminary action prepares the rock for extraction without requiring subsequent digging and crushing, significantly reducing excavation time and improving overall efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts large portions of rock or soil in an untouched state directly from the tunnel face using muck boxes, rather than digging and crushing the material in place. This extraction approach removes the time-consuming crushing process entirely and allows for rapid removal of excavated material, reducing excavation time by over 60%.
3Use of energy by moving object
If large portions of rock are extracted without digging or crushing, then energy consumption is reduced, but the cutting precision and rock section definition must be high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two cutting technologies: mechanical cutting using hollow ring cutter heads and drum cutters, and thermal cutting using plasma torches. This combination allows for precise definition of rock section boundaries through mechanical cutting while the plasma torches provide clean separation of the extracted sections. The synergistic effect of merging these cutting methods achieves the required cutting precision while maintaining low energy consumption for the overall extraction process.
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
This approach significantly increases tunneling speed and reduces energy consumption and costs by extracting over 60% of the tunnel material in an untouched state, enhancing the efficiency and economic viability of tunnel excavation.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing muck boxes and various cutting tools like plasma torches and water jets
Implementation Method 2
various cutting tools like plasma torches and water jets
Implementation Method 3
various cutting tools like plasma torches and water jets
Implementation Method 4
various cutting tools like plasma torches and water jets
Data Source
AI summary
A Tunnel Extraction Machine (TEM) and its alternatives is a sustainable machine to excavate the tunnel or mine or dredge seabed in a rapid, efficient and cost-effective way as it allows large parts of the rock (or soil) to be extracted and pulled out of the tunnel or mine without necessity of digging or crushing them and with significantly reduced amount of the energy. Basically, it can excavate (cut) perimeter of the tunnel section in different shapes and sizes along with some other required longitudinal and transversal cuts and then extract and pull out the untouched and undug large portions of the rock or soil out of the tunnel.