AU2005220181B2

AU2005220181B2 - A transfer station

Info

Publication number: AU2005220181B2
Application number: AU2005220181A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Klaus Funk; Karl-Heinz Schurer
Original assignee: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
Current assignee: Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
Priority date: 2004-10-04
Filing date: 2005-10-04
Publication date: 2011-11-03
Anticipated expiration: 2025-10-04
Also published as: CN2931794Y; AU2005220181A1; RU54578U1; PL63382Y1; PL115704U1; DE202004015478U1

Abstract

A TRANSFER STATION A transfer station for the longwall-to-drift transfer in underground conveyor systems, comprising a box frame (1) holding at least one top run (2) of a longwall conveyor and one top run (3) of a drift conveyor intersecting one another, a transfer opening (4) in the end of the top run (2) of the longwall conveyor and a master console (7) for the transfer of broken 10 material, comprising an upright, arcuate deflector wall (8) and releasably fastened to the box frame (1) behind the transfer opening (4) in the conveying direction (F) of the longwall conveyor, at least one stripper knife (10) being releasably fastened to the master console, in which the stripper knife (10) has an upright guide plate (20) for broken material, extending in front of the deflector wall (8).

Description

P/00/0 I Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PATENT ORIGINAL TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: DBT GMBH Actual Inventors: Klaus Funk; and Karl-Heinz Schirer Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 711 High Street, Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia Invention Title: A TRANSFER STATION The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- -2 A TRANSFER STATION The invention relates to a transfer station for the longwall-to-drift transfer in underground conveyor systems, comprising a box frame holding at least one top run of a longwall 5 conveyor and one top run of a drift conveyor intersecting one another, a transfer opening in the end of the top run of the longwall conveyor and a master console for the transfer of broken material, comprising an upright, arcuate deflector wall and releasably fastened to the box frame behind the transfer opening in the conveying direction of the longwall conveyor, at least one stripper knife being releasably fastened to the master console. 10 A transfer station in accordance with the preamble is proposed in DE 203 01 583 Ul and diagrammatically shown in Figure 2. The previously proposed transfer station 100 (general reference 100) comprises a box frame 101 at which the top run 102 of a longwall conveyor and the top run 103 of a drift conveyor intersect so that material such as coal 15 conveyed in the top run 102 of the longwall conveyor in the conveying direction F thereof can be transferred to the top run 103 of the drift conveyor through a transfer opening 104 in the base of the end of the top run 102 of the longwall conveyor and then carried away on the drift conveyor in the carrying-away direction A. The longwall conveyor and the drift conveyor can both be scraper chain conveyors. In Figure 2 a line 105 diagrammatically 20 indicates the axis of rotation of a chain wheel drum for the longwall conveyor and a line 106 indicates the axis of motion of a chain wheel drum for the drift conveyor. The chains and the scrapers attached thereto and rotating in the runs of the longwall conveyor and the drift conveyor are 'guided on the two chain wheel drums. As also shown in Figure 2, a master console 107 with a vertical, curved deflector wall 108 is disposed on the box frame 25 101 of the transfer station 100, the wall 108 being in the form of a curved track for broken material conveyed in the top run 102 of the longface conveyor to the box frame 101. The master console 107 is associated with a stripper knife 110 which is releasably connected by a number of fastening screws 111 to the console 107 and has an edge 112 projecting uniformly beyond the stripper wall 108. The stripper knife 110 exerts a defined cutting 30 force on the broken material pressing against the deflector wall 108, to improve the lateral discharge of broken material into the top or conveying run 103 of the drift conveyor. An arrow B in Figure 2 denotes the resulting disadvantageous loading of the drift-conveyor top run 103, which can occur when the top run 102 of the longwall conveyor is only partly loaded. As can be seen, partial loading of the longwall conveyor on the top run 103 of the -3 drift conveyor can result in heavier loads on the rear side 109 remote from the longwall conveyor. Stripper knives on the master console have given good results, also especially on extracting 5 plants in which the extracting unit is in the form of rollers. However partial loading of the longwall conveyor, resulting for example from shallow cutting depths or thin seams, may result in one-sided loading of the drift conveyor and increase the wear thereon. An aim of the present invention is to improve a transfer station so that in the event of 10 partial loading as expected, one-sided loads can be avoided by simple steps. Accordingly the present invention is directed to a transfer station as described in the opening paragraph of the present specification, wherein the stripper knife has an upright guide plate for broken material, extending in front of the deflector wall. In accordance with 15 the present invention, therefore, stripping knives present at the transfer station are optionally replaced by a modified stripping knife equipped with a guide plate for broken material, whereby the flow rate of material conveyed in the longwall conveyor can be so influenced that the material is uniformly transferred to the drift conveyor. Owing to the combination of the guide plate with the stripper knife, a guide plate for broken material can 20 be installed and replaced when required quickly and in simple manner, with the advantage that the means for fastening the stripping knife can also be used for fastening the guide plate. In a preferred embodiment the guide plate for broken material has a straight wall portion. 25 When the longwall conveyor is fully loaded, the deflector wall, which has a large radius of curvature, transfers the broken material advantageously and uniformly to the downstream drift conveyor intersecting the longwall conveyor. In the case of partial loads, on the other hand, the large radius of curvature initially results in an accumulation of broken material on the top wall pointing towards the longwall conveyor, resulting in non-uniform loading 30 of the drift conveyor, that is increased off-centre loading of the drift conveyor on the side remote from the longwall conveyor. By means of the guide plate for broken material and the straight wall portion, the broken material is guided towards the middle of the drift conveyor, which is therefore more uniformly loaded.

-4 Advantageously, the guide plate for broken material is in the form of a chord cutting the curve of the deflector wall. Preferably the guide plate for broken material extends substantially over the height of the 5 deflector wall and of course, owing to the guide plate, a part-region of the deflector wall, that is the part-region behind the guide plate, is not used for guiding the broken material when the conveyors are in operation. Preferably also the stripper knife has a projecting edge at the underside of the guide plate 10 of the broken material, the projecting width preferably decreasing in the conveying direction of the drift conveyor. In a preferred embodiment the guide plate for broken material is welded to the stripper knife. 15 Preferably a support disc and/or support webs can be disposed especially on the back of the guide plate for broken material, and when assembled support the guide plate by abutting the deflector wall. 20 Advantageously the supporting disc can especially have vertical lugs through which fastening screws can extend, in order to fix the modified stripper knife in the top region of the deflector wall, as well as to the stripper-knife fastening devices, which are preferably on the baseplate of the master console. 25 An example of a transfer station made in accordance with the present is described herein below with reference to the accompany drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a transfer station in accordance with the invention, with a fitted guide plate for broken material; 30 Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a previously proposed transfer station with a stripper knife; -5 Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the stripper knife in accordance with the present invention, used with a guide plate for broken material; Figure 4 shows a front view of the stripper knife shown in Figure 3; and 5 Figure 5 shows a plan view of the stripper knife. Figure 1 shows a transfer station 50 in accordance with the invention, using reference numbers reduced by 100 compared with the prior art shown in Figure 2. The transfer 10 station 50 in accordance with the present invention likewise comprises a box frame 1 at which the top run 2 of the longwall conveyor and the top run 3 of the drift conveyor intersect, as do the associated bottom runs in most cases. The top run 2 of the longwall conveyor is disposed directly over the top run 3 of the longwall conveyor so that broken material conveyed in the top run 2 of the longwall can be transferred via the opening 4 to 15 the top run 3 of the drift conveyor and laterally discharged from the transfer station 50. The axes of rotation of the guide drums of the longwall conveyor and the drift conveyor are marked 5 and 6, and a master console 7 with an identically curved deflector wall 8 having a large radius of curvature is releasably fastened to the box frame 1. Owing to the releasable fastening of the guide console, the transfer station 50 can be adapted for 20 discharge to the left or right. The means for releasably and exchangeably fastening the master console 7 are not shown. In the transfer station 50 as before, an arrow F indicates the conveying direction of the longwall conveyor and an arrow A indicates the carrying away direction of the drift conveyor. In the example embodiment of the transfer station 50 shown, however, the deflector wall 8 does not take part in guiding and transferring the 25 broken material from the longwall conveyor to the drift conveyor since the deflector wall 8 is behind a broken-material guide plate 20 which is part of a modified stripper knife 10 and in the present case is in the form of a chord cutting off the entire curve of the deflector wall 8. As before, the guide plate 20 and the stripper knife 10 can be fastened to the devices 11 for fastening the stripper knife 10, without needing any modifications of the master console 30 7. The much more uniform loading of the drift conveyor obtained by means of the guide plate 20 is indicated by the arrow B'. Owing to the shorter travel of the material conveyed in the direction of arrow F between the top run 2 of the longwall conveyor and the top run 3 of the drift conveyor, the top run 3 of the drift conveyor is much more uniformly loaded.

-6 Referring to Figures 3 to 5, in which show the modified stripper knife 10 used in accordance with the present invention is shown in detail. The stripper knife 10 comprises a plate 13 which is disposed on the underside of the master console 7 and has an edge 12 projecting beyond the vertical guide plate 20 for broken material. The width of the 5 projection decreases in the carrying-away direction A of the drift conveyor, as clearly indicated in Figure 3. The guide plate 20 has a flat wall portion, the height of which is substantially equal to the height of the deflector wall 8 in the master console 7. The guide plate 20 is disposed vertically and welded to the knife plate 13, and a support disc 22 having a curved back 23 is welded to the back 21 of the guide plate 20. In the state when 10 assembled, the back 23 of the support disc 22 abuts the deflector wall (8, Figure 1), in order additionally to stabilise the guide plate 20. In order to reinforce the modified stripper knife 10, vertical support webs 24 are welded between the knife plate 13 and the support disc 22. Two vertical lugs 25 with reach-through eyelets 26 are welded to the top of the support disc 22 near the support edge 23, so that the stripper knife 10 can be fastened to the 15 deflector wall 8 by additional screws (27 in Figure 1). A part of the knife plate 13 projects backwards beyond the edge 23 of the support disc 22 and the projecting portion contains the fastening holes 11, via which the stripper knife 10 can be fastened to a baseplate of the master console (7, Figure 1). The chosen arrangement 20 of the fastening holes 11 is such that the holes used for fastening the stripper knife in the prior art can be used at the master console. The alignment or contour of the guide plate 20 as shown, mounted in front of the entire curve of the deflector wall, is by way of example only in the embodiment shown. The 25 transfer of broken material from the guide plate to the master console can also, at the end thereof near the longwall conveyer, occur in the region of the curve of the deflector wall 8, so that the broken material is guided over a partially curved portion of the deflector wall before coming into contact with the guide plate. If there are a number of different, quickly exchangeable, stripper knives, various non-uniform loads on the longwall conveyor can 30 then be compensated. As will be clear to the skilled man from the preceding description, numerous modifications can be made within the scope of protection of the accompanying claims. The drift conveyor can also be a conveyor belt. The contour of the guide plate for broken material -7 can vary. Preferably the guide plate is firmly secured to the stripper knife. Alternatively it can be adjustable relative to the deflector wall. Where the terms "comprise", "comprises", "comprised" or "comprising" are used in this 5 specification, they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components referred to, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature, integer, step, component or group thereof.

Claims

1. A transfer station for the longwall-to-drift transfer in underground conveyor systems, said transfer station including a box frame holding at least one top run of a 5 longwall conveyor and one top run of a drift conveyor intersecting one another, a transfer opening in the end of the top run of the longwall conveyor and a master console for the transfer of broken material, comprising an upright, arcuate deflector wall and releasably fastened to the box frame behind the transfer opening in the conveying direction of the longwall conveyor, at least one stripper knife being releasably fastened to the master 10 console, in which the stripper knife has an upright guide plate for broken material, extending in front of the deflector wall.

2. A transfer station according to claim 1, in which the guide plate for broken material has a straight wall portion. 15

3. A transfer station according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the guide plate for broken material is in the form of a chord cutting the curve of the deflector wall.

4. A transfer station according to any preceding claim, in which the guide plate for 20 broken material extends substantially over the height of the deflector wall.

5. A transfer station according to any preceding claim, in which the stripper knife has a projecting edge at the underside of the guide plate for broken material, wherein the projecting width decreases in the conveying direction of the drift conveyor. 25

6. A transfer station according to any preceding claim, in which the guide plate for broken material is welded to the stripper knife.

7. A transfer station according to any preceding claim, in which a support disc and/or 30 support webs are disposed on the back of the guide plate for broken material and when assembled abut the deflector wall.

8. A transfer station according to any preceding claim, in which the support disc has vertical lugs through which fastening screws extend. -9

9. A transfer station substantially as described herein and with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings. 5 DATED this 3 rd day of October, 2005 DBT GMBH By their Patent Attorneys: CALLINAN LAWRIE 10