GB1601048A

GB1601048A - Crushing apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB1601048A
Application number: GB2316078A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia GmbH
Current assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia GmbH
Priority date: 1977-07-12
Filing date: 1978-05-26
Publication date: 1981-10-21
Also published as: DE2731424A1; PL115457B1; DE2731424C2; FR2397233A1; PL208301A1; FR2397233B1; ES471655A1

Description

(54) CRUSHING APPARATUS (71) We, GEWERKSCHAFT EISEN HUTTE WESTFALIA, a German body corporate, organised and existing under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, of 4670 Lunen, Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to apparatus for crushing mineral material, and in particular to such apparatus that can be used with a mineral mining installation such as a scraper-chain conveyor.

Known mining crushing apparatus is used to comminute mined minerals, such as coal, iron ore, salt, potash and gypsum. In these known forms of apparatus, the mine conveyor (usually a scraper-chain conveyor) forms an abutment for a rotary crusher so that the mined material is broken up as it passes through the gap between the crusher and the top surface of the conveyor.

The present invention provides apparatus for crushing mineral material, the apparatus comprising a rotary crusher disposed above, and co-operating with, a floor plate, wherein the floor plate is constituted by a generally horizontal input section and an upwardly inclined output section, the two sections meeting at an angle in the working zone of the crusher.

Preferably, the axis of rotation of the crusher is positioned between the input side of the floor plate and the region at which its two sections meet.

This form of floor plate enables the delivery side floor plate section to be angled upwardly.

It has been found that the crushing action is improved by the upward angling of the floor plate in the working zone of the crusher, since laminar material can be more readily seized and broken up. As the material passes through the crushing gap between the floor plate and the crusher, laminar pieces at the delivery side of the gap move into the ascending portion of the floor plate, so that in this zone they are engaged and broken up by the crusher in a more efficient manner.

Advantageously, the floor plate forms part of a scraper-chain conveyor, and the two sections of the floor plate define an included angle of between 1600 and 1700. Since the floor plate rises gently at the delivery side of the crusher, a sufficiently high level is reached at the delivery end of the conveyor to enable the crushed material to be transferred to another conveyor, for example a belt conveyor, although the height of the apparatus as a whole can be kept relatively small. A further considerable advantage resides in the fact that, because of the angling of the conveyor (or of the floor plate that forms it), the height of the entire apparatus is reduced in the angled zone so that, with an overall relatively small height of the apparatus, a crusher of relatively large diameter can be used.Thus, a more favourable intake angle for the material to be crushed is created at the crushing gap input side, so that larger pieces of mined material are gripped more firmly and broken up.

The angling of the floor plate is also of importance as regards facilitating travel of the crushing apparatus. Advantageously, a pair of support wheels are provided on the floor plate in the region at which its two sections meet. In this case, retractable support means may be provided for relieving the wheels of load. Advantageously, the retractable support means is constituted by mechanicallylockable, hydraulic rams, and preferably, the retractable support means is positioned between the delivery end of the floor plate and the region at which its two sections meet. This enables the wheels to be relieved of load during crushing operations, the apparatus being supported on the floor of the mine working, by the support means and the input side floor plate section.When the apparatus is ready to be moved, however, the support means is retracted so that the apparatus can be readily displaced on its wheels. Even though the ground-clearance of the apparatus is relatively small in the zone where the wheels are fitted, the two ends of the apparatus still have a relatively great ground-clearance, so that mining implements can be moved below it without difficulty.

The crusher may be mounted above the floor plate by means of a frame, and the frame may support drive means for the crusher. Since the drive means is not flanged to the side of the floor plate, the width of the apparatus is greatly reduced compared with known types of crushing apparatus. On the other hand, the drive means can be mounted above the floor plate in the region at which its two sections meet, in such a way that the height of the apparatus, which is in any case relatively small is not greatly increased. Thus, an extremely compact construction of the apparatus as a whole is achieved.

Advantageously, the frame is pivotably mounted on the floor plate, whereby the crushing gap between the crusher and the floor plate can be varied. Preferably the height of the crushing gap is controlled by means of a double-acting hydraulic ram acting between the floor plate and the frame. This ram also provides the crusher with resilient protection means. The drive means may be constituted by an electric motor which drives the crusher, by way of a mechanical gear, a shear-pin clutch being optionally interposed.

The invention also provides a scraper-chain conveyor incorporating the crushing apparatus defined above. Advantageously, the crushing apparatus is positioned at the delivery end of the conveyor. Preferably, the conveyor drive chain is so guided that the vertical distance between its two runs in the crusher working zone is less than at the ends of the conveyor.

This permits the use of a large diameter crusher even though the height of the apparatus is relatively small.

Preferably, the electric motor drives the conveyor via a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor. With this form of drive, the speed of the conveyor is continually reduced as the current intake of the electric motor rises and the loading of the crusher increases, so that the quantity of material to be crushed that is fed into apparatus automatically adapts itself to the capacity of the crusher. In this way, overloading of the crusher is avoided.

Manual setting of the speed of the conveyor as well as reversal of the conveyor are likewise possible. If the crusher becomes blocked by pieces of material that cannot be broken up, the shear-pin clutch cuts off the drive to the crusher. At the same time the installation is switched off by way of a revolution counter.

The input end of the apparatus is advantageously formed as a bunker. With such an arrangement it is preferred that the side plates of the bunker be detachable, so that different sizes and forms of bunker can be built on to the apparatus. Furthermore, top plates can be pivotably fitted to the side plates of the bunker, the top plates being swung against the walls of the gallery when the apparatus is set up in an underground working so that mined material is prevented from becoming scattered over the floor of the working. The top plates also serve to increase the capacity of the bunker.

Preferably, that portion of the conveyor forming the delivery side floor plate section of the crushing apparatus is covered over. The covering over the conveyor in the delivery zone prevents the development of dust in this area.

If necessary, water-spraying, for example with the aid of fan jets, can be carried out within the covered-over area before starting up the crusher.

A scraper-chain conveyor incorporating crushing apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the crushing apparatus in its working position; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1, but showing the apparatus in the position in which it can be moved; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, the crushing apparatus has a base frame 1 which forms part of a scraper-chain conveyor (not shown) and is provided with wheels 2 having tyres of solid rubber. The crushing apparatus has endless drive chains 4 at each side thereof, these chains being interconnected by scraper bars 3. The chains 4 are driven and reversed respectively at the two ends of the apparatus by way of sprocket drums 5 and 6. The base frame 1 has a floor plate 7 which forms a continuation of the deck plate of the scraper-chain conveyor.

The base frame 1 (and hence the floor plate 7) is angled at 8 at about its centre, the wheels 2 being disposed in the zone 8. The base frame 1 is provided with hydraulic rams 10 positioned between the zone 8 and the delivery end 9 of the apparatus, the piston-rods 11 of which are provided with hinged support brackets 12.

By extending the rams 10, the apparatus can be lifted at its delivery end 9 to such an extent that the wheels 2 are completely relieved of load. At its opposite end 13, that is to say the feed end, the apparatus is supported over a large area on the ground or the mine working floor 15 by means of a base plate 14 fitted on the underside of the base frame 1.

Figure 1 shows the position of the apparatus during crushing operations with the rams 10 extended and the wheels 2 relieved of load. In this position, the delivery end 9 is raised to such an extent that crushed mined material can be transferred to a downstream conveyor, for example a belt conveyor (not shown). The delivery end 9 is at least 1 metre above floor level. In this operating posi tion of the apparatus, it is at least substantially horizontal over the section between the feed end 13 and the zone 8, whereas over the adjoining section between the zone 8 and the delivery end 9 it rises gently towards the horizontal at an angle of between about 100 and 20 .

A frame 16 is pivotably mounted, about a horizontal pivot axis 17, on the base frame 1 above the apparatus, and in the zone 8. A crusher 18 is horizontally and rotatably mounted on the frame 16. The frame 16 also carries an electric motor 19 which drives the crusher 18 via a gear 20 including a shear-pin clutch (not shown). The crusher 18 is provided with replaceable tapered cutters. Thus, the motor 19 also lies above the apparatus between the two oppositely disposed side-plates of the base frame 1, and is offset from the crusher 18 towards the delivery end 9.

The electric motor 19 also serves to power the sprocket drum 5 of the apparatus. For this purpose, it has a through shaft, with one end of which the crusher 18 is in driving connection by way of the gear 20, whereas a hydraulic pump 21 having metering means is in driving connection with the other end of the shaft. The pump 21 supplies a slowrunning hydraulic motor 22 which powers the sprocket drum 5 of the apparatus by way of a chain drive 23 which is accommodated in a protective housing. An oil cooler 24 having a built-in electric motor is provided. The oil cooler 24, together with an oil reservoir 25 and an electric instrument board 26 as well as a hydraulic control panel 27 are arranged laterally on the base frame 1.

The frame 16 can be raised and lowered by means of double-acting hydraulic rams 28, so that the width of the crushing gap, formed between the crusher 18 and the floor plate 7, can be adjusted. The cylinders of the hydraulic rams 28 are pivotably mounted to the sides of the base frame 1, whereas their piston-rods are pivotably connected at 29, to the frame 16. The working chambers in the rams 28 are connected to a source of pressurised hydraulic fluid (not shown), so that the crusher 18 is thus mounted on resilient protective means.

It will be seen that the axis of rotation 30 of the crusher 18 is slightly offset from the zone 8 towards the feed end 13, so that the zone 8 is located at the outlet side of the crushing gap. Because of the angling of the floor plate 7 in the zone of the crusher 18, laminar material to be crushed is more readily engaged by the rotating crusher and is broken up, at the latest, upon leaving the crushing gap. The crushing action of the crusher 18 is thus considerably intensified. Furthermore, the angling of the base frame 1 and the floor plate 7 provides, in the operating position of the apparatus as shown in Figure 1, a sufficiently high ejection level at its delivery end 9, as previously mentioned.In the travel position of the apparatus (see Figure 2), despite a relatively small ground-clearance of the apparatus in the region of the zone 8 and the wheels 2, there is a relatively large groundclearance at the ends 9 and 13, so that mining implements etc. can be passed below the apparatus. Because of the small ground-clearance of the apparatus in the region of the zone 8 and the wheels 2, there is a large amount of space for accommodating the crusher 18 and the associated drive, so that a crusher having a relatively large diameter can be used, while at the same time the total height of the apparatus is maintained relatively small.

In the operating position shown in Figure 1, the apparatus is hydraulically lifted with the aid of the two rams 10 so that the wheels 2 are relieved of load. The hydraulic rams 10 are then mechanically locked, for example, by means of linch pins, in this position, so that even in the event of an accidental drop in pressure in the hydraulic system, the apparatus remains supported in this position by the rams 10.

Since the crusher 18 and the hydraulic drive 21, 22 and 23 are powered by the same electric motor 19, when the current intake of the electric motor rises, that is to say when the load on the crusher increases, the speed of the scraper assembly 3, 4 is correspondingly reduced so that a smaller quantity of material is fed to the crushing apparatus. Conversely, the speed of the assembly 3, 4, and therefore the amount of material fed to the crushing apparatus, increases with diminishing current intake by the electric motor 19. Thus, during operation of the crushing apparatus, the quantity of material fed to it is automatically adapted to suit its crushing capacity. If the crusher 18 becomes blocked by pieces of material that cannot be broken up, the shear-pin safety device becomes operative.The resilient mounting of the crusher 18, by means of the hydraulic rams 28, reduces damage caused to the crusher 18 by pieces of material that cannot be broken up.

To move the apparatus from one place to another, the hydraulic rams 10 are retracted, after releasing the mechanical locking means, so that the apparatus can be moved on the wheels 2 with the aid of a towing vehicle. The wheels 2 are arranged in the zone 8 in such a way that in the travel position shown in Figure 2, the opposing torques, operative about the axle of the wheels and resulting from the weight distribution and the moment arms, substantially cancel each other out.

Also of importance is the fact that the vertical distance X between the upper and lower runs of the endless drive chains 4 is greater in those zones of the apparatus adjacent its ends 9 and 13 than in the zone 8, and therefore in the working zone of the crusher 18. At this point the vertical distance between the chains 4 is designated by the letter Y. Because of this arrangement, a relatively great height is available for accommodating the crusher 18 above the floor plate 7 in the zone 8, and at the same time the apparatus is of relatively small depth.

The portion of the crushing apparatus located between the feed 13 and the crusher 18 takes the form of a bunker. In this zone, the base frame 1 carries detachable wall elements 31 which increase the loading cross-section of the apparatus. Furthermore, hinged top plates 32 are provided which can be swung towards the side-walls of the mine working so that mined material can be passed to the crusher 18 in a tidy manner.

In the zone between the crusher 18 and the delivery end 9 the apparatus is completely covered in as shown at 33. At the delivery end 9 a rubber apron 34 is provided to seal off the conveying duct.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. Apparatus for crushing mineral material, the apparatus comprising a rotary crusher disposed above, and co-operating with a floor plate, wherein the floor plate is constituted by a generally horizontal input section and an upwardly inclined output section, the two sections meeting at an angle in the working zone of the crusher.

2. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the floor plate forms part of a mine conveyor.

3. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the floor plate forms part of a scraper-chain conveyor.

4. Crushing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the two sections of the floor plate define an included angle of between 1600 and 1700.

5. Crushing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, further comprising support wheels.

6. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 5, wherein a pair of wheels are provided on the floor plate in the region at which its two sections meet.

7. Crushing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the axis of rotation of the crusher is positioned between the input side of the floor plate and the region at which its two sections meet.

8. Crushing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the two sections of the floor plate have substantially the same length.

9. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 6 or in either of Claims 7 and 8 when appendant to Claim 6, wherein retractable support means are provided for relieving the wheels of load.

10. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the retractable support means is constituted by mechanically-lockable, hydraulic rams.

11. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein the retractable support means is positioned between the delivery end of the floor plate and the region at which its two sections meet.

12. Crushing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 11, wherein the crusher is mounted above the floor plate by means of a frame.

13. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the frame supports drive means for the crusher.

14. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 12 or Claim 13, wherein the frame is pivotably mounted on the floor plate, whereby the crushing gap between the crusher and the floor plate can be varied.

15. Crushing apparatus as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the height of the crushing gap is controlled by means of a double-acting hydraulic ram acting between the floor plate and the frame.

16. Crushing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 13 to 15, wherein an electric motor constitutes said drive means.

17. Crushing apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

18. A mine conveyor incorporating crushing apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 17.

19. A mine conveyor as claimed in Claim 18, wherein the conveyor is a scraper-chain conveyor.

20. A scraper-chain conveyor as claimed in Claim 19, wherein the crushing apparatus is positioned at the delivery end of the conveyor.

21. A scraper-chain conveyor as claimed in Claim 19 or Claim 20, wherein the conveyor drive chain is so guided that the vertical distance between its two runs in the crusher working zone is less than at the ends of the conveyor.

22. A scraper-chain conveyor as claimed in any one of Claims 19 to 21 when appendant to Claim 16, wherein the electric motor drives the conveyor via a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor.

23. A scraper-chain conveyor as claimed in any one of Claims 19 to 22, wherein that portion of the conveyor forming the delivery side floor plate section of the crushing apparatus is covered over.

24. A scraper-chain conveyor as claimed in any one of Claims 19 to 23, wherein that portion of the conveyor forming the input side floor plate section of the crushing apparatus is provided with detachable side plates and pivotally mounted top plates.

25. A scraper-chain conveyor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. plate 7 in the zone 8, and at the same time the apparatus is of relatively small depth. The portion of the crushing apparatus located between the feed 13 and the crusher 18 takes the form of a bunker. In this zone, the base frame 1 carries detachable wall elements 31 which increase the loading cross-section of the apparatus. Furthermore, hinged top plates 32 are provided which can be swung towards the side-walls of the mine working so that mined material can be passed to the crusher 18 in a tidy manner. In the zone between the crusher 18 and the delivery end 9 the apparatus is completely covered in as shown at 33. At the delivery end 9 a rubber apron 34 is provided to seal off the conveying duct. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. Apparatus for crushing mineral material, the apparatus comprising a rotary crusher disposed above, and co-operating with a floor plate, wherein the floor plate is constituted by a generally horizontal input section and an upwardly inclined output section, the two sections meeting at an angle in the working zone of the crusher.