CUTTING THE STRESS: Gear systems specialist Oerlikon Fairfield develops new gearbox for roadheader applications

摘要

All machines undergo a variety of mechanical stresses as part of their normal duty cycles. Yet there are probably few that face the same level of sheer physical demand as roadheaders. Used mainly in mining and tunneling applications, roadheaders typically utilize a specialized boom-mounted cutter head that is worked vertically and laterally along a rock wall surface, slicing and grinding materials from the wall, allowing them to be collected. The machines have carved a significant niche in many areas of soft- and mediummineral mining, as they can work a rock face more precisely than a mining longwall or a full-face tunnel borer.