GB2179615A

GB2179615A - Endless tubular conveyor for underground workings

Info

Publication number: GB2179615A
Application number: GB08620401A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Friedrich Wilhelm Paurat; Roland Paurat
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-08-30
Filing date: 1986-08-21
Publication date: 1987-03-11
Also published as: GB8620401D0; GB2179615B; DE3531069C1

Abstract

An endless tubular conveyor (2) traversing between two reversal stations, one of which is adapted as an unloading station (1), has a conveyor belt (2) which can close to tubular form (S), trolleys (3) disposed on the two longitudinal edges of the belt, a traction chain (5) disposed beneath the base (4) of the belt when in closed form and guide rails (6) for the trolleys. The belt is opened into a flat form at the unloading station (1) and wraps round a reversal drum (8) to move from the forward run into the return run. An inversion station (11) is interposed between the drum (8) and the return run (9) to twist the flat belt (2) leaving the drum (8) with the traction chain (5) on top about its longitudinal axis, whereby the flat belt now traversing the return run (9) with the traction chain (5) disposed beneath its base (4) can be used as a return conveyor. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Endless hose conveyor for underground workings This invention reiates to an endless hose conveyor traversing a forward run and a return run between two reversal stations, one ofwhich is adapted as an unloading station, having a conveyor belt which can close to form a conveyor hose,trolleys disposed on the two longitudinal edges ofthe conveyor belt, a traction chain disposed beneath the base or keel of the conveyor belt when it is closed into a hose shape, and guide rails for the trolleys, which guide rails diverge at least in the vicinity of the reversal station adapted as an unloading station at the end of theforward run, so as to open the hose out into a flat belt, which wraps round a reversal drum with a traction chain disposed between it and the reversal drum for its reversal from the forward run into the return run.

The hose conveyor is morn particularly adapted as a faceconveyorforunderground mine workings. The conveyor belt carries the traction forces. Thetraction chain transmits the traction forces, which act on the trolleys through the conveyor belt itself. The traction chain is driven by suitable means, for example through suitable driving sprockets. The reversal drum obviously has a central traction chain groove and can be formed as a chain starwheel. Dangerous constraints at the reversal points and elsewhere are avoided by providing compensating clearances in the traction chain and/or the members linking the traction chain to the conveyor belt, and/or by deformations in the conveyor belt itself.The guide rails are suitably arranged to allowthe hose shape ofthe beltto open and close so asto facilitate the loading and unloading of the hose conveyor.

A known hose conveyor of thins type (US-PS 3978 976), which in addition to having trolleys on the longitudinal edges ofthe conveyor belt and a powerdriven traction chain in the base or keel of the con veyor belt, has the traction chain in the return run lying on the conveyor belt, which moreover returns in the flat state. The return run cannot be utilised as a return conveyor, becausethechain lies on itandthe driving and guiding rolls or rollers are disposed on the load-bearing face in the return run.

The object of the invention is to improve a hose conveyor of the type initially described so thatthe return run can be utilised as a return conveyor. This is particularly important in underground mine work inns, because when the hose conveyor is operated as a face conveyor, coal for example is carried in one direction on the forward run to the unloading station, and packing or material for the cutting operations must be carried in the opposite direction.

According to the present invention, therefore, an inversion station is interposed between the reversal drum and the return run whereby the flat belt leaving the reversal drum with the traction chain on top is twisted about its longitudinal axis, and the flat belt traversing the return run with the traction chain disposed beneath its base or keel is utilised as a return conveyor. In this connection, the conveyor belt can be closed again into the hose shape to act as a return conveyor. However, it is also possible to dispose the guide rails in the return run so that the conveyor belt is merely dished in order to act as a return conveyor.

The inversion station can be set up to effect inversion in one stage or in two stages. In an embodiment providing single-stage inversion the conveyor belt is in its flat open form through the inversion station and the guide railsforthetrolleysare disposed helically in a flat-belt zone and twist the flat belt and the traction chain lying thereon from the horizontal into the vertical position, and thatthereafterthe guide rails continue on steadily curved paths to reach their working positions corresponding to the closed hose shape or the dished shape.An embodiment of twostage inversion station has an inversion drum disposed at the end of a flat-belt zone where the forward run leaves the reversal drum, around which inversion drum the conveyor belt leaving the reversal drum with the traction chain on top is rotated through 180 together with the traction chain, so that the traction chain is returned to the underside ofthe flat belt, the guide rails being arranged after the inversion drum to close the flat belt into the hose shape, and then the closed conveyor hose is passed through a loop into the return run. In both cases,the trolleys are preferably guided throughout their path round the reversal drum,through the inversion sta- tion and into the return run, with the aid of continuous guide rails.In the context of the invention, the design ofthe guide rails on the one hand and the trolleys on the other hand is in principle optional.

However, a correlation is obviously required between the guide rails on the one hand and thetrolleys on the other hand. In an embodiment of outstanding simplicity and functional reliability the guide rails are formed as hollow box rails having lateral cheeks and a floor with an entry slit for con necting means between the trolleys and the conveyor belt, and in the vicinity of the reversal drum and in the flat-belt zone at the inversion station the guide rails are twisted through 90 in continuous crossings with the entry slit facing the flat belt. It is within the scope ofthe invention to adaptthe reversal drum and/orthe inversion drum as a driving drum or drums.

It is obvious that the reversal station at the end of the forward run in the hose conveyor of the invention must be so adapted that the return conveyor arriving in the form of a hose conveyor having a traction chain attached below its base or keel can once more function in the forward run. There are various pos- sibilities. The reversal station at the end of theforward run may have a reversal drum leading in the direction of advance to a second inversion station of the single-stage construction already described.

However, an inversion station of this type in thereon versal-station zone at the end of the forward run can be dispensed with by forming the reversal station in a simple loop.

The advantages accruing from the invention areto be seen in that the hose conveyor of the invention no longerfunctions only intheforward run and runs empty through the return run. The conveyor now functions as a conveyor in both the forward run and the return run, so that this hose conveyor can perform many of the return-conveyorfunctions required in underground mineworkings. It is obviousthat in the conveyance zone the forward run and the return run can be disposed either one under the other or one alongside the other; for example, they can be disposed one beside the other in the roof area of a gallery. In this case the guide rails are secured to the gallerysupports.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, byway of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which Figure lisa side elevation of part of a hose conveyor in accordance with the invention, in the vicinity ofthe unloading station; Figure2 is a plan view of the single-stage inversion station indicated in Figure 1; Figure 3supplements Figure 2 and shows some of the kinematic aspects of the inversion process; Figure4is a side elevation of a two-stage inversion station in a hose conveyor in accordance with the invention; and Figure 5 is an enlarged section corresponding to the ringed part of Figure 3.

The hose conveyor parts of which are shown in the drawings is an endless hose conveyor traversing a forward run and a return run between two reversal stations, one of which reversal stations is adapted as an unloading station 1 as seen in Figure 1 .The hose conveyor comprises a conveyor belt 2 which can close to form a conveyor hose S, trolleys 3 disposed on the two longitudinal edges of the conveyor belt 2, a traction chain 5 disposed beneath the base or keel 4 ofthe conveyor belt 2 when it is closed as a hose, and guide rails 6 for the trolleys 3, which guide rails 6 diverge in the known manner at least in the vicinity of the reversal station adapted as the unloading station 1 atthe end ofthe forward run 7,so as to open the hose S out rapidly into a flat belt Fl. The flat belt Fl wraps round a reversal drum 8 with the traction chain 5 disposed between it and the reversal drum, for its reversal from the forward run 7 into the return run 9.

The reversal drum 8 has a groove 10 for the traction chain 5, as shown in Figure land may be formed as a chain starwheei.

Between the reversal drum 8 and the return run 9 there is interposed an inversion station 11 which is shown encaced in Figure 1. The inversion station 11 isso adapted thatthe flat belt Fl leaving the reversal drum 8 with the traction chain 5 on top is twisted about its longitudinal axis in either one stage ortwo stages. The effect ofthis is that the flat belt Fl entering the return run 9 with the traction chain 5disposed beneath its base or keel 4 can be utilised as a return conveyor, as shown in Figure 1, in which the conveyor belt 2 in the return run 9 is closed again into the hose shape S. Alternatively, however, the return conveyorcould be so adapted that the conveyor belt 2 is merely dished.In the latter case, the guide rails 6 would not be brought close together but kept a suitable distance apart from each other.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the single-stage type of inversion station 11. They show that the guide rails 6 forthe trolleys 3 on the conveyor belt 2 in its flat open form Flare disposed helically in aflat-beltzone B and twistthe flat belt Fl and the traction chain 5 lying thereon from the horizontal to the vertical position.

The arrangement thereafter is such that the guide rails 6 continue on steadiiy curved paths to reach their working positions corresponding to the closed or dished conveyor belt 2.

Figure4showsthe construction of an inversion station 11 which functions in two stages. The inversion station 11 has an inversion drum 12 disposed at the end of a flat-belt zone B where the forward run 7 leaves the reversal drum 8,around which drum 12 the conveyor belt 2 leaving the reversal drum 8 with the traction chain 5 on top is rotated through 180 together with the traction chain 5, so that the traction chain 5 is returned to the underside of the conveyor belt 2. This completes the first stage ofthe inversion process. The guide rails 6 are arranged afterthe inversion drum 12 to close the flat belt Fl into the hose shape S, and the arrangement thereafter is such that the conveyor belt 2 closed into a hose S is passed through a loop into the return run 9.In the embodiment shown, the loop is formed round a drum 13 withavertical axis 14 of rotation.

In both cases, the trolleys 3 are guided throughout their paths fro the reversal drum 8through the inversion station 11 and into the return run 9 in the continuous guide rails 6. In the preferred embodiments shown in Figure the guide rails 6 are formed as hollow box rails having lateral cheeks 15 and floor 16 with an entry slit 17 for connecting means 18 to the conveyor belt 2. In the vicinity ofthe reversal drum 8 and in the flat-belt zone B at the inversion station 11, the guide rails 6 are twisted through 90 in continuous crossings with the entry slit 17 facing theflat belt Fl. It is obviously possible to adapt the reversal drum 6 and/orthe inversion drum 12 as a driving drum or drums.

Although at the end ofthe forward run 7 there is shown a reversal station corresponding to one or other of the embodiments already described, alternativelya loop can be provided at the end oftheforward run 7. It is obvious that the guide rails 6 can be suitably disposed along the conveyor path so thatthe conveyor belt 2 can be opened from hose shape S, loaded, closed, re-opened and unloaded.

Claims

1. An endless hose conveyor traversing a forward run and a return run between two reversal stations, one of which is adapted as an unloading station, having a conveyor belt which can be closed into a hose shape, trolleys disposed on the two longitudinal edges of the conveyor belt, a traction chain disposed beneath the base or keel of the conveyor belt when it is closed into a hose shape, and guide rails forthetrolleys, which guide rails diverge at least in the vicinity of the reversal station adapted as an unloading station atthe end of the forward run, so as to open the hose out into a flat belt, which wraps round a reversal drum with a traction chain disposed between it and the reversal drum for its reversal from the forward run into the return run, an inversion station being interposed between the reversal drum and the return ru n, whereby the flat belt leaving the reversal drum with the traction chain on top is twisted about its longitudinal axis, and the flat belt traversing the return run with the traction chain disposed ben eath its base or keel is utilised as a return conveyor.

2. Ahoseconveyoras in Claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt is closed again into the hose shape when utilised as a return conveyor.

3. A hose conveyor as in Claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt is merely dished when utilised as a return conveyor.

4. Ahoseconveyorasin anyoneofCiaimsl to3, wherein the conveyor belt is in its flat open form through the inversion station and the guide rails for the trolleys are disposed helicallyinaflat-beltzone and twist the flat belt and the traction chain lying thereon from the horizontal into the vertical position, and thatthereafterthe guide rails continue on steadily curved paths to reach their working positions corresponding to the closed hose shape or the dished shape.

5. A hose conveyor as in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the inversion station has an inversion drum disposed at the end of a flat-belt zone where the for- ward run leaves the reversal drum, around which inversion drum the conveyor belt leaving the reversal drum with the traction chain on top is rotated through 1 80'togetherwith the traction chain, so that thetractionchain isreturnedtotheundersideofthe flat belt, the guide rails are arranged after the inversion drum to close the flat belt, into the hose shape, and then the conveyor belt in the hose shape is passed through a loop into the return run.

6. A hose conveyor as in anyone of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the trolleys are guided throughouttheir path round the reversal drum, through the inversion station and into the return run with the aid of continuous guide rails.

7. A hose conveyor as in Claim 6, wherein the guide rails are formed as hollow box rails having lat eral cheeks and a floorwith an entry slitfor connect- ing means between the trolleys the conveyor belt, and in the vicinity ofthe reversal drum and in the flatbelt zone at the inversion station the guide rails are twisted through 90 in continuous crossings with the entry slit facing the flat belt.

8. A hose conveyor as in anyone of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the reversal drum and/orthe inversion drum is or are adapted as a driving drum ordrums.

9. A hose conveyor as in anyone of Claims 1 to 8 wherein the reversal station at the end oftheforward run has a reversal drum leading in the direction of advance to a second inversion station of the construction described in Claim 4.

10. Ahoseconveyorasin anyoneofClaims 1 two 6, wherein the reversal station at the end oftheforward run is formed in a loop.

11. An endless hose conveyor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.