Rotary cutting head with fluid supply ducting

Abstract

A rotary cutting head for a cutting machine having a plurality of nozzles positioned at a peripheral portion of the head to direct a fluid jet to a selection of cutting buttons located at cutter discs. The nozzles are positionally mounted at the head so as to direct the fluid jets to a radially outermost selection of the buttons during cutting.

1 . A rotary cutting head for a cutting machine comprising:
 a rotatable support frame having a radially inner region and a radially peripheral portion and being rotatably coupled to a rotation drive unit;   a plurality of cutter units mounted at or towards the peripheral portion, each of the plurality of units having a cutter disc rotatably mounted at a cutter hub, a radially outer portion of each of the discs by rotation of the discs being configured to abrade rock and create a cut groove therein each of the discs being rotatable relative to the rotatable support frame via each respective hub; and   a plurality of fluid supply ducts extending at the support frame and provided in fluid communication with a first set of nozzles to deliver a fluid to the discs, the first set of nozzles being mounted at the support frame so that the discs are capable of independent rotation relative to the nozzles, and wherein the nozzles are positionally mounted to direct a fluid jet to a region of the discs that are located radially outside of the peripheral portion of the support frame and that define a radially outermost perimeter of the cutting head.   
     
     
         2 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a fluid flow director arranged to direct a flow of fluid to a selection only of the first set of nozzles at the peripheral portion of the support frame. 
     
     
         3 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the selection of the first set of nozzles includes nozzles positioned at the support frame within an angular segment of 100° to 200°, 130° to 170° or 140° to 160°. 
     
     
         4 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the fluid flow director includes a disc located at the radially inner region of the support frame having a plurality of holes and/or slots extending over an angular segment of the disc in a range 100° to 200°, 130° to 170° or 140° to 160°. 
     
     
         5 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a fluid flow interrupter arranged to provide an intermittent fluid flow to the first set of nozzles. 
     
     
         6 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fluid supply ducts extend internally within the support frame in a direction radially outward from the inner region to the peripheral portion. 
     
     
         7 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a second set of nozzles in fluid communication with the fluid supply ducts and mounted at the support frame at respective positions to direct a fluid jet onto the hubs. 
     
     
         8 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the first set and the second set of nozzles are mounted at respective shrouds located at the peripheral portion of the support frame and positioned between each of the hubs in a circumferential direction. 
     
     
         9 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each nozzle of the first set of nozzles is positioned at each shroud at a position radially outside of each nozzle of the second set of nozzles. 
     
     
         10 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each shroud  404  is detachably mountable at the support frame. 
     
     
         11 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each disc is not independently rotatably driven relative to the drive unit that drives rotation of the support frame. 
     
     
         12 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein each disc is configured to be rotatably driven exclusively via rotation of the support frame by the drive unit. 
     
     
         13 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a gear box arrangement having a drive shaft, the support frame being rotatably mounted and driven via the drive shaft. 
     
     
         14 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , having in the range 5 to 20 cutter units mounted at the peripheral portion. 
     
     
         15 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of cutting buttons mounted at the radially outer portion of each of the discs, the first set of nozzles being positionally mounted to direct the fluid jet to a selection of the buttons of the discs that are located radially outside of the peripheral portion of the support frame that define the radially outermost perimeter of the cutting head. 
     
     
         16 . The cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a rotational axis of each respective disc is aligned generally with the rotational axis of the support frame. 
     
     
         17 . A cutting machine  404  comprising at least one cutting head as claimed in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         18 . The cutting machine as claimed in  claim 17 , comprising an undercutting mining machine.