Undersea mining machine for mineral nodules - has collector with parallel swivelable blades whose pointed leading edges scrape over sea-bed

摘要

The nodule collection section (A) incorporates a storage unit (8) for the collected minerals and is connected to the unit by a lever (2, 4) allowing at least three degrees of freedom between them. The collection section rests on the sea bed by way of a support surface (10a) having two parts the leading one of which is convex relative to the sea bed. The collecting unit (R) has several parallel blades (12) mounted swivably on a horizontal axis (14) and with printed leading edges which scrape over the sea bed to direct the nodules into the machine. A shovel or blade wheel (16) rotatable above the blades (12) assists the movement of the nodules.