Excavation apparatus and method
First Claim
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1. An excavation method, comprising:
- providing an excavator, the excavator having a powered, rotating cutting head, the cutting head having at least a plurality of cutting elements located on a side of the cutting head;
contacting the cutting head with a hard rock excavation face, wherein, at any one time, a first set of the cutting elements is in contact with the excavation face and a second set of the cutting elements is not in contact with the excavation face and wherein, in the contacting step, the cutting head excavates the excavation face in at least a first direction; and
during the contacting step, using an elongated support member extending from the excavator to a powered device to apply a force to the excavator in at least the first direction to provide at least a portion of the cutting force, wherein the powered device is located at a distance from the excavator and wherein a plane defined by the force applied by the elongated support member and the first direction is normal to a plane of rotation of the cutting head.
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Abstract
In one embodiment, an excavation method is provided that includes the steps of:
- (a) contacting a rotating powered cutting head 440 of an excavator 400 with an excavation face 452, wherein, at any one time, a first set of the cutting elements is in contact with the excavation face and a second set of the cutting elements is not in contact with the excavation face, the cutting head excavating the excavation face in at least a first direction; and
- (b) during the contacting step, using an elongated support member 404 extending from the excavator 400 to a powered device 118 to apply a force to the excavator 400 in at least the first direction to provide at least a portion of the cutting force. The powered device 118 is located at a distance from the excavator 400.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. An excavation method, comprising:
- providing an excavator, the excavator having a powered, rotating cutting head, the cutting head having at least a plurality of cutting elements located on a side of the cutting head;
contacting the cutting head with a hard rock excavation face, wherein, at any one time, a first set of the cutting elements is in contact with the excavation face and a second set of the cutting elements is not in contact with the excavation face and wherein, in the contacting step, the cutting head excavates the excavation face in at least a first direction; and during the contacting step, using an elongated support member extending from the excavator to a powered device to apply a force to the excavator in at least the first direction to provide at least a portion of the cutting force, wherein the powered device is located at a distance from the excavator and wherein a plane defined by the force applied by the elongated support member and the first direction is normal to a plane of rotation of the cutting head. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- providing an excavator, the excavator having a powered, rotating cutting head, the cutting head having at least a plurality of cutting elements located on a side of the cutting head;
Specification