Patent ID: 7017683

Claim:
A cutter for a tunnel boring machine, which cutter comprises a cutter body ( 1 ) designed with a slanting surface ( 2 ) for interaction with a slanting surface ( 8 ) on a cutter ring with a dovetailed foot ( 3 ), which cutter ring 3 may be whole or divided into segments ( 3 a , 3 b ), which cutter ring ( 3 ) has an inner cylindrical contact surface ( 11 ), which interacts with an outer cylindrical contact surface ( 12 ) on the cutter body ( 1 ), whereby the cutter body ( 1 ) is designed with a threaded portion with threads ( 6 ), which interact with corresponding suitable threads on a clamping ring ( 4 ), which clamping ring has a slanting surface ( 5 ), which interacts with a slanting surface ( 7 ) on the cutter ring ( 3 ) in order to exert both radial and axial clamping forces on the caller ring ( 3 ) when the cutter ring is secured on the cutter body, further wherein the threads on the cutter body ( 1 ) are conically tapered and interact with corresponding conically tapered threads on the clamping ring ( 4 ), and that the diameter of the cutter ring's ( 3 ) inner cylindrical contact surface ( 11 ) has a clearance tolerance relative to the diameter of the outer cylindrical contact surface ( 12 ) of the cutter body ( 1 ), which clearance tolerance between the cutter ring ( 3 ) and the cutter body ( 1 ) decreases when the cutter ring is secured to the cutter body by virtue of tightening of the clamping ring ( 4 ), characterized in that the slanting surface ( 5 ) is provided with a groove ( 13 ) around the entire circumference, which receives a spring ( 14 ) of a corrugated nature, with a plurality of waves with wave crests, which in an unloaded state, project over the slanting surface ( 5 ).