EGRESS MACHINE CUTTER DEVELOPMENT

THE NEED EXISTS FOR AN ADVANCEMENT IN TUNNELING MACHINE CUTTER TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE PENETRATION RATE OF TUNNELERS. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR CUTTERS MOUNTED ON A MACHINE INTENDED TO BE USED ON A EGRESS MACHINE FOR A MISSILE DEEP BASE. PHASE I OF THIS CONTRACT WILL PROVE FEASIBILITY OF AN INNOVATIVE CUTTER DEVELOPMENT AND TEST PROGRAM WHICH WILL INCLUDE NEW BEARING, SEAL AND CUTTER RING DESIGN CONCEPTS. AN ANALYTIC INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SHIZE/SHAPE/SPEED OF THE CUTTER AND ITS CUTTING EFFICIENCY WILL BE PERFORMED. THERE IS REASON TO BELIEVE THAT A WIDESPREAD VIEW CONCERNING CERTAIN CUTTER CONFIGURATIONS MAY BE IN ERROR. THE PHASE I WORK WILL INCLUDE ANALYSIS, DESIGN RESEARCH, CONCEPT DEFINITION AND SELECTION AND PHASE II RECOMMENDATIONS. THE KEY PERSONNEL TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT HAVE MANY YEARS OF TUNNELING AND MINING EXPERIENCE. THIS EXPERIENCE INCLUDES CUTTER DESIGN AND TESTING, JOB SITE TROUBLE SHOOTING AND PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAJOR TUNNELING COMPANIES.