GB2138377A - Conveyor line pan - Google Patents

Abstract

A line pan 1 to form part of an armoured, scraper chain conveyor, comprises a pair of parallel, elongate sidewalls, 2, 3 spaced apart by an interconnecting deck plate 4 which separates an upper, conveying run 7 from a lower, return run 8; sidewall portions 2A, 3A of each sidewall 2, 3 projecting beyond the end 11 of the deck plate 4 at each end of the pan 1; and deck plate terminal members 15, 16 adapted to extend laterally with respect to the line pan 1, to be releasably connected to each sidewall 2, 2A, 3, 3A and to abut the adjacent end 11 of the deck plate, one terminal member 15 being provided with an upper, projecting tongue 18, and the other terminal member 16 being provided with a lower, projecting tongue 19. The arrangement is such that in use the terminal member 15 of one line pan overlaps the terminal member 16 of the next adjacent line pan. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Conveyor line pan This invention relates to a line pan, to form part of a scraper chain conveyor, by being secured end-toend to similar line pans, to make up a conveyor of the desired length, with a drive head at one or both ends of the conveyor, to drive a single or twin inboard endless chains, or twin outboard endless chains, the chains carrying at spaced intervals a plurality oftransversely extending flight bars or scraper blades.

Conventionally, each line pan comprises a pair of mutually facing, sigma section sidewalls spaced apart by an interconnecting deck plate, which separates an upper, conveying run (along which the flight bars scrape the material e.g. coal, to be conveyed) from a lower, return run.

Conventionally, the sidewalls are manufactured by rolling, while an alternative proposal for an allfabricated line pan is described in our co-pending Application GB 8210357 (2096671A).

However, with any form of line pan, overlapping of the adjacent ends of the deck plates of adjacent line pans is usually effected in order to ensure that when one line pan is displaced with respect to its adjacent line pan e.g. during snaking over of a conveyor located adjacent a longwall mineral face, the deck plate, and in particular its material-carrying surface remains continuous, rather than a gap appearing between adjacent ends of adjacent deck plates through which the material being conveyed e.g.

coal, would fall into the return run of the conveyor.

Such overlapping has been effected by providing one end of the deck plate of each line pan with an upper, projecting tongue and the other end with a lower projecting tongue, so that the tongues are able to overlap one another when line pans are arranged end-to-end. However, for optimum mineral flow over a deck plate joint, and in particular over the upper conveying run of the deck plate, it is desirable that the uppertongue is located at the downstream end of the line pan, which means that the pans are in fact handed.This is not always a desirable feature and may well result in awkward transportation and/or manoeuvring operations to ensure that the line pans are located in the correct disposition with respect to the direction of conveyor drive, either when the conveyor is initially installed e.g. on a first coal face, or more commonly when, after exhaustion of that face, it is moved to a newly developed face.

According to the present invention, there is provided a line pan to form part of an armoured, scraper chain conveyor comprising a pair of parallel, elongate sidewalls spaced apart by an interconnecting deck plate which separates an upper, conveying run from a lower, return run; sidewall portions of each sidewall projecting beyond the end of the deck plate at each end of the pan; and deck plate terminal members adapted to extend laterally with respect to the line pan, to be releasably connected to each sidewall and to abut the adjacent end of the deck plate, one terminal member being provided with an upper, projecting tongue, and the other terminal member being provided with a lower, projecting tongue.

Thus, the line pan construction in accordance with the invention enables the handing of the pan to be determined on site, either by fitting the terminal members on site, or alternatively by readily exchanging terminal members that are incorrectly fitted, having regard to the direction of conveyor drive.

It is preferred for each terminal member to have a first portion of thickness corresponding to that of the deck plate, which first portion is adapted to abut the end of the deck plate, and a second portion of reduced thickness, which second portion constitutes the projecting tongue, the second portion being contiguous with what is in use either an upper or a lower surface of the terminal member, depending on whether the projecting tongue is to be an upper tongue or a lower tongue.

Although, for a line pan having rolled, generally sigma section sidewall the terminal members may be secured to the conventional apertured brackets provided at spaced locations along each sidewall, it is preferred in the case of a line pan constructed in accordance with aforementioned G B 8210357 to provide the projecting end of each sidewall with a slot extending to the end of the deck plate, whereby lateral ends of a terminal member may be engaged in, and supported by, the opposed slots. It is therefore preferred for the slots to be of width corresponding to the thickness of the first portions of the terminal members, which width corresponds of course to the thickness of the deck plate.

The releasable connection of the terminal members with respect to the sidewalls preferably embodies a screw arrangement, whether in the form of a nut and bolt or whether in the form of a threaded stud. It follows that it is desirable to provide, for either screwed arrangement described above, apertured lugs or eyes on both the terminal member and the sidewalls, so that when the apertures in the lugs or the eyes are co-axially aligned, a bolt stem or stud may be passed through the aligned holes. In a preferred arrangement using threaded studs as the releasable connections, the conveyor sidewalls have a lug or eye with a plain hole, while each lug or eye on the terminal members is tapped. Conveniently, the lugs or eyes are secured to both the conveyor sidewalls and the terminal members by welding.It is also preferred for the lugs or eyes attached to the conveyor sidewalls to have front faces contiguous with the adjacent end of the deck plate, and with the end of the slot, so that an "inner" end of each terminal member may abut not only the adjacent end of the deck plate but also the end of the slot and the front face of the two lugs.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective, part exploded view of one end of a line pan in accordance with the invention, showing both forms of terminal member; Figure 2 is a part sectional plan view of a line pan end of the kind shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the line pan end of Figure 2 showing one form of terminal member; Figure 4 is a side elevation of the line pan of Figure 2 showing the other form of terminal member; and Figure 5 is an end elevation of Figure 2.

In the drawings, is shown a line pan 1 intended to form part of an armoured, scraper chain conveyor, by being secured together end to end, in articulated manner, with a plurality of similar line pans, to produce a conveyor of desired length and, in the conventional manner, with one end of ends of the conveyor being defined by a head frame incorporating a sprocket barrel to drive the endless chain(s) of the conveyor, with its attached flight bars, and with the other end of the conveyor being defined by a tail frame incorporating a return, and sometimes driven, sprocket barrel. In longwall coal mining operations, the conveyor is positioned along a mineral face and a mineral winning machine e.g. a shearer or plough is reciprocated along, and guided by, the conveyor.

Each line pan 1 comprises two spaced apart parallel, elongate sidewalls, each generally of sigma section, being a face side sidewall 2 (in use located adjacent the mineral face) and a goaf side sidewall 3 (in use located adjacent the goaf), the two sidewalls being interconnected by a common deckplate 4 and also, if required, a floor plate 5 adapted to seat on a mine floor 6, with the deckplate 4 separating an upper, conveying run 7 of the conveyor from a lower, return run 8, the latter being closed by any floor plate 5 that may be present.In the conventional manner, each sidewall 2 and 3 is adapted to carry various furnishings, the face side sidewall 2 being indicated as carrying a ramp plate 9 intended to aid the loading of coal etc., from the mine floor 6 and onto the conveyor, while the goaf side sidewall 3 is indicated as carrying a spill plate 10 intended to prevent spillage of mineral over the goaf side sidewall 3.

With the line pan 1 in accordance with the present invention, each end of each sidewall 2, 3 terminates in a sidewall portion 2A, 3A which project beyond an adjacent end 11 of the deck plate 4, and each of which is provided with a slot 12 extending, in the plane of the deck plate 4 as far as the adjacent deck plate end 11. Also in the vicinity of the end 11 of the deck plate 4, the outside of each sidewall 2, 3 is provided with a lug 13 having an aperture 14.Also illustrated in Figure 1 are the two forms of terminal member intended to be attached, in a releasable manner, to the ends of the line pan 1, these being a male terminal member 15 and a female terminal member 16, each terminal member having first portions 17 of thickness corresponding to that of the slots 12, with the male terminal member 15 provided with an upper, projecting tongue 18 extending from its first portion 17, and with the female terminal member 16 provided with a lower projecting tongue 19 extending from its first portion 17.Additionally, the male terminal member 15 is provided with a male lug 20 having a tapped hole 21 and the female terminal member 16 is provided with a female lug 22 having a tapped hole 23 whereby, with the first portions 17 of the terminal members 15 inserted into the slots 12 at one end of the line pan 1, and with the first portion 17 of the terminal member 16 inserted into the slots 12 at the other end of the line pan 1, each terminal member 15, 16 may be releasably secured to its line pan by bolts 24 passing through the apertures 14 in the lugs 13, to be screwed into the tapped holes 21, 23 of adjacent lugs 20, 22.

Conveniently the lugs 13 are secured to the sidewalls 2,3 by welding, and similarly the lugs 20, 22 are secured to the terminal members 15, 16 by welding.

It follows that the use of the line pan in accordance with the present invention enables the handing of the pan to be determined on site, either by fitting the terminal members 15, 16 on site, or alternatively by readily exchanging terminal members 15, 16 that are incorrectly handed e.g. which frequently occurs when line pans are salvaged from one mineral face and relocated on a fresh mineral face.

Claims (15)

1. A line pan to form part of an armoured, scraper chain conveyor comprising a pair of parallel, elongate sidewalls spaced apart by an interconnecting deck plate which separates an upper, conveying run from a lower, return run; sidewall portions of each sidewall projecting beyond the end of the deck plate at each end of the pan; and deck plate terminal members adapted to extend laterally with respect to the line pan, to be releasably connected to each sidewall and to abut the adjacent end of the deck plate, one terminal member being provided with an upper, projecting tongue, and the other terminal member being provided with a lower, projecting tongue.

2. A line pan as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each terminal member has a first portion of thickness corresponding to that of the deck plate, which first portion is adapted to abut the end of the deck plate, and a second portion of reduced thickness, which second portion constitutes the projecting tongue, the second portion being contiguous with what is in use either an upper or a lower surface of the terminal member, depending on whether the projecting tongue is to be an uppertongue our a lower tongue.

3. A line pan as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the sidewalls are generally of sigma section.

4. A line pan as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the terminal members are secured to the conventional apertured brackets provided at spaced locations along each sidewall.

5. A line pan as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the sidewalls are fabricated to generally sigma section.

6. A line pan as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the projecting end of each sidewall is provided with a slot extending to the end of the deck plate, whereby lateral ends of a terminal member are engaged in, and supported by, opposed slots.

7. A line pan as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the slots are of width corresponding to the thickness of the first portions of the terminal members, which width corresponds to the thickness of the deck plate.

8. A line pan as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the releasable connection of the terminal members with respect to the sidewalls embodies a screw arrangement.

9. A line pan as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the screw arrangement is in the form of a nut and bolt.

10. A line pan as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the screw arrangement is in the form of a threaded stud.

11. A line pan as claimed in Claim 9 or Claim 10, wherein apertured lugs or eyes are provided on both the terminal member and the sidewalls.

12. A line pan as claimed in Claim 10 and Claim 11, wherein the conveyor sidewalls have a lug or eye with a plain hole, while each lug or eye on the terminal members is tapped.

13. A line pan as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the lugs or eyes are secured to both the conveyor sidewalls and the terminal members by welding.

14. A line pan as claimed in Claim 11 and any Claim appendant thereto, wherein the lugs or eyes attached to the conveyor sidewalls have front faces contiguous with the adjacent end of the deck plate, and with the end of the slot, so that an "inner" end of each terminal member abuts not only the adjacent end of the deck plate but also the end of the slot and the front face of the two lugs.

15. A line pan substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.