GB2043743A - Heading machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A mine heading machine has a roof engaging structure (shield 12) and ground-engaging units (tracks 20') to be advanceable with the roof-engaging structure urged against a roof. Conveniently, a rock breaker (not shown) can be suspended by rails from the roof engaging structure. Conveyor means (50, 52, 56) are provided within the machine to take material from front to rear thereof, preferably self-loading on advancing the machine by virtue of a forward scraper (66) and gathering mechanisms (62, 64). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Heading machine The invention relates to heading machines for underground workings, for example as used in driving tunnels or roadways at the ends of mine face workings and particularly to a material transfer facility therefor.

We have previously proposed a so-called heading machine for this purpose that has a generally arched shield structure supported via props or jacks on spaced ground-engaging tracked units at each side thereof, and having roof-engaging tracked units to permit permanent pressing of the shield structure upwards for roof support purposes, even while the machine as a whole is moved, usually by driving its ground-engaging tracked units. The preferred material cutting means is then a percussive rock breaker or ripper mounted overhead by an extensible and rotatable boom from a carriage on rails within the shield structure.The carriage, the boom, and a rock breaker mount cradle adjustable on the end of the boom, permit manipulation of the rock breaker in cutting out material ahead of the machine proper. Othertypes of tools, e.g. grinders, and mounts, e.g. medially articulated could be used.

Such machines afford a large amount of virtually unobstructed space centrally thereof and are thus of significant advantage in mine workings. However, material cut at the front of the machine does have to be transferred through the machine, and the fact that vehicles or conveyors can be accommodated therein is useful but does lead to situations where the rockbreaker operator is obstructed and must stop work while material is removed by other machines and personnel. It is an object of this invention to provide a solution to this problem.

To this end, we propose that a heading machine, preferably but not necessarily of the above type, be equipped with conveyor means running along either or both of each of its sides, thus allowing cut material to be passed to the rear of the machine automatically, i.e. without interference in the rock-breaker operator's activities or then requiring other machinery and personnel for material removal. Particularly, of course, we envisage an overhead roof engaging structure for the machine so that the conveyor means is protected thereby.

Furthermore, we propose that the fore-end of the machine be adapted for self-loading of the conveyor means as the machine is advanced. This may be done by appropriately shaping of a forward end floor material collector, such as a scraper with a ramp up from a front edge so as to deliver cut material on to the conveyor means. It has been found to be particularly effective for such a front edge to extend between ends that are more forward than medial parts thereof. Then, upstanding side walling at those edge positions can afford a helpful scooping effect as the machine is driven forward and assist in avoiding jamming of material at the sides of the machine.

The scraper edge will normally equal or exceed the overall width of the heading machine.

Arcuately reciprocable gathering arms, or rotary or vibratory means, adjacent to and rearwardly of such ends of the scraper also assist in flow promotion and reducing build-up of material at the edges.

The shape of the self-loading provision can be simplified significantly if the conveyor means passes across the front of the machine immediately behind, and below or level with, the top of the ramp upwardly from said forward edge. Then, it is further convenient and advantageous for the conveyor to be of a round-the-houses type passing along both sides and across the front, with an off-loader at the rear of the machine that may feed directly to a hopper, into trucks, or onto a gate or roadway conveyor.

One preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the type of heading machine to which the preferred embodiment is applied; Figure 1A showing outline details of an overhead rock breaker; Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing applications of the invention to the type of machine of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a view from the front of the machine as shown in Figure 2.

Referring first to Figure 1,a heading machine comprises a curvinglyarched shield structure 12 mounted on base units 14 by way of pressure fluid operated props or jacks 16. Each base unit 14 comprises an inverted channel or box section member 18 housing a ground-engaging tracked drive mechanism 20. The props or jacks 16 seat in the box-section members 18 and act against inner shelf-like platforms 22 secured to the sides of the shield structure.

Extension of the props or jacks 16 presses the shield structure 12 upwards so that upper tracked mechanisms 24 supportingly engage against the roof of a tunnel, gate or roadway. Figure 1 also shows bracing plates 26 for the platforms 22. Three upper tracked mechanisms 24 are shown, one centrally disposed and the others spaced one to each side. The actual section of the arched shield structure is a matter of choice and design, but will normally be convenient to correspond to that of the tunnel or roadway, which will normally have a rounded arch for strata stability reasons.

From upper positions, usually on arches 38, within the shield structure 12 a pair of parallel rails 28 are suspended extending fore-and-aft of the heading machine. A carriage 30 is shown hung from and supported by the rails 28 via shoes 32 that permit translation of the carriage along the rails. Trailing rams 34 are pivotted to each side of the carriage 30 and extending to grippers capable of attachment to arch members 38 of the shield structure 12. The rams 34 serve both for translation and for anchorage of the carriage 30 in a desired position. At its forward part the carriage 30 has articulated thereto a pressure-fluid-operated, conveniently hydraulic, extensible boom 40 carrying articulated to its end a cradle 42 for an impact rock-breaker or ripper tool 44.

The boom 40 also preferably allows rotation of the cradle 42 and further ram means (not shown) controls tilting of the cradle 42 which itself conveniently allows sliding of the tool 44 under pressure fluid power.

As will be obvious, access through the heading machine between its front and back is very good.

Turning now to Figures 2 and 3, substantial mod ifications are shown especially to the base units 14'.

Thus, these units 14' now carry or are internally flanked by sections 50, 52 of conveyor troughing.

Also, their forward ends carry and are interconnected by a scraper plate 54 of downwardly sloping form and itself in front of a further section 56 of conveyor troughing interconnecting with the side sections 50,52 via rounded corners. Advancing of the heading machine into cut material will therefore tend to scoop up that material over the scraper 54 into the front conveyor section 56. To assist in gathering in this material at side positions of the machine, the scraper 54 has upstanding side walls 58,60 and arcuately reciprocal curved gathering arms 62,64. Alternatively of course, rotating blades might be used to reduce any tendencies for build-up of cut material at those edge positions, or even vibrators if the scraper slopes both upwardly from its edge and downwardly into the conveyor troughing corners.Also, the front edge 66 of the scraper is shown to extend more forwardly at those end positions than centrally.

It will, of course, be noted that the scraper extends in front of the shield structure 12 and it is protection is afforded thereat by extensible plates or roof bars 68,70,72 and 74 between and adjacent to the upper tracked mechanism 24. These are conveniently also operated by pressure fluid means such as hydraulic rams, and will usually be extendible beyond the scraper front edge 66, and be retracted as the heading machine moves forward after cutting out material.

The conveyortroughing has an upstanding rear wall 76 that provides a guide or race for a conveyor drive chain 78 carrying flights 80. As shown, a continuous "round-the-houses" type of conveyor is provided with, at the rear end of the heading machine, an off-loading device indicated schematically at 82.

It will be appreciated that other forms of conveyor could be used, e.g. of a reciprocating chain, limitedarc-flight-sweeping type, or even standard panzer types, perhaps especially if only side conveyor sections 50, 52 are provided and the scraper is centrally humped or otherwise adapted to feed towards each side. Also, continuous forward support could be provided if some or all of the adjacent extension plates 68 to 74 have intervening channels or lower plates able to pass below the tracked mechanisms 24. Furthermore, a percussive cutting tool has been mentioned, but could be replaced by a rotary grinder or any other desired tool.

It may also be preferred to have the conveyor on the jacking platforms 22 of the shield, especially if the scraper was articulated to the forward ends thereof.

The rearward extent of the conveyor sections 52, 54 may be less than the length of the heading machine so that the off-loader 84 is under the shield 12. Alternatively, they may extend beyond the rear of the heading machine so that the off-loader 84 is outside the confines of the shield 12. Then, it will usually be convenient to have extensible plates or roof bars at the rear of the machine similar to those, 68 to 74 shown at the front.

Claims (24)

1. A heading machine supported on and translatable via side, ground-engaging units supporting an overhead roof-engaging structure, wherein conveyor means extend along either or both sides of the machine to allow material to be passed from front to the rear of the machine.

2. A heading machine according to claim 1, further comprising self-loading means at the foreend of the machine.

3. A heading machine according to claim 2, wherein the self-loading means comprises a material collector operable, as the machine is advanced forwardly, to feed material from the floor to the conveyor means.

4. A heading machine according to claim 3, wherein the material collector comprises a scraper ramped upfrom a front edge to the conveyor means.

5. A heading machine according to claim 4, wherein the front edge extends between ends of the scraper plate that are more forward of the machine than medial parts of that edge.

6. A heading machine according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein ends of the scraper plate have upstanding walls extending therefrom rearwardly into the machine to assist material collection and feed to the conveyor means.

7. A heading machine according to claims 4, 5 or 6, wherein the front edge is of at least the overall width of the machine.

8. A heading machine according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein, at each of its sides, the scraper has driven material-flow-promotion means.

9. A heading machine according to claim 8, wherein the flow-promotion means comprise arcuately reciprocal gathering arms.

10. A heading machine according to claim 9, wherein said arms are curved.

11. A heading machine according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein said conveyor means extends along both sides of the machine and also across the front of the machine behind the material gathering means.

12. A heading machine according to claim 11, wherein the conveyor means also extends across a relatively rearward position between sides of the machine within or behind the machine.

13. A heading machine according to claim 12, wherein a material off-loader is associated with the conveyor means at said rearward position.

14. A heading machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the conveyor means comprises troughing and driven flights movable therein.

15. Aheading machine according to claim 14, wherein said flights are movable unidirectionally in transferring material.

16. A heading machine according to claim 15 with claim 12, wherein said flights are interconnected by flexible drive means continuouslytravers- ing round the conveyor means.

17. A heading machine according tb claim 16, wherein the flights are end-connected to a chain running in or against a rear retention wall of the conveyor means.

18. A heading machine according to any one of claims 2 to 17, wherein the self-loading means extends forwardly beyond said overhead structure of the machine.

19. A heading machine according to claim 18, wherein the fixed overhead structure has extensible plates or roof-bar means to protect the self-loading mechanism.

20. A heading machine according to claim 18, wherein the extensible plate or roof-bar means can extend beyond the self-loading mechanism for retraction as the machine advances in self-loading.

21. A heading machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the overhead structure has tracked roof-engaging means and is permanently urged against the roof means by pressure-fluidoperated rams acting between it and the side, ground-engaging units, even during advancing of the machine.

22. A heading machine according to claim 21, wherein the ground-engaging units are also tracked, but also powered for self-advancing of the machine.

23. A heading machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the conveyor means is or are secured to or integral with the side, ground-engaging units.

24. A self-loading, self-advancing heading machine substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.