GB2185509A

GB2185509A - A mining process and apparatus for use with a seam containing a dirt band

Info

Publication number: GB2185509A
Application number: GB08701008A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Herbert Schupphaus; Willy Lanfermann
Original assignee: Gebr Eickhoff Maschinenfabrik u Eisengiesserei GmbH
Current assignee: Gebr Eickhoff Maschinenfabrik u Eisengiesserei GmbH
Priority date: 1986-01-20
Filing date: 1987-01-19
Publication date: 1987-07-22
Also published as: SU1549487A3; GB8701008D0; DE3601485A1; DE3601485C2; GB2185509B

Abstract

A process for the separate cutting and loading of mineral and dirt from a seam containing a dirt band (7), by means of a shearer loader machine (1) which cuts material from the seam face by means of vertically adjustable shearer drums (2,3,4), in which the leading shearer drum (2 or 3) of the machine cuts the top mineral band over its entire height and ejects it laterally onto the bottom mineral band (6) which at this stage presents a supporting floor. A central shearer drum (4) of the machine then cuts out the bottom mineral band (6) together with the mineral material lying on it and delivers it laterally onto the face conveyor (17). The trailing drum (3 or 2) of the machine then cuts out the dirt band (7) and discharges it onto the floor area exposed by the central drum (4), this area being bounded by the face conveyor (17) and by the face of the bottom mineral band (6). Only at the end of the machine run is the dirt picked up by means of a plough or plough attachment or of an inclined ramp or, on a clearing or ploughing run of the machine (1), by the machine itself, and transferred to the face conveyor (17). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A mining process and apparatus for use with a seam containing a dirt band This invention relates to a process for cutting and loading mineral and dirt from a mineral seam containing a dirt band, by means of a shearer loader machine which mines the seam face by means of vertically adjustable shearer drums.

Broadly stated, from one aspect the invention consists in a process for cutting and loading mineral and dirtfrom a mineral seam containing a dirt band, by means of a shearer loader machine which travels on a face conveyor and cuts out the seam face by means of a number of vertically adjustable shearer drums, in which the leading shearer drum cuts out the top mineral band substantially over its full height and discharges it laterally onto the bottom mineral band, which projects on the floor from the mineral face towards the face conveyor for a width corresponding to the depth ofthetop seam cut, and which is later cut out together with the mineral above it by another shearer drum following the leading drum and cutting adjacent the floor, all this material being loaded onto the face conveyor before a trailing shearer drum cuts out the dirt band and discharges the dirt behind the second drum into the gap between the face conveyor and the mineral face, this dirt being later loaded onto the face conveyor.

In a preferred form the invention provides a processforthe separate cutting and loading of a seam containing a dirt band, by means of a shearer loader machine which not only permits separate mining ofthe mineral and the dirt but also enables the machine to be used to mine the seam in both directions of machine travel .

In this preferred procedure the unusable dirt and the useful mineral are not only mined separately and loaded separately into the face conveyors but also the machine, having reached the end ofthe face after ejecting the dirt, can continue to mine the seam in the same way in the opposite direction of movement.

The pause necessaryinthis procedureforthe machine at the end of its winning run is relatively short and is limited to the time necessary just to load the dirt by means of a plough or plough attachment or inclined ramp.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, at both ends of the face the leading drum ofthe machine moves into the respective road and is lowered and reciprocated to cut the face zone presented between the road and the central drum of the machine beforethe machine reverses, with the leading drum raised up to the roof and with the trailing drum adjusted down to the level ofthedirt band, towards the part of the face conveyor which has meanwhile been advanced, and returns before the next winning run to the end part of the face conveyor which has also been advanced meanwhile.

Thus in cases in which the central drum ofthe machine cannot move into the road, the mineral part which would otherwise be unminable by the central drum, can nevertheless be cut out. Consequently, the resulting mixed dirt and-mineral can be reduced to a minimum and removed togetherwith the dirt.

The machinethen moves, with the leading drum cutting the roof and with the trailing drum cutting the dirt band, into the new face. Only then does the end portion of the face conveyor advance together with the reversal or drive station. The subsequent winning run of the machine takes place only when the machine has returned on the advanced conveyor section as far as the end of the face and by means of its central drum has removed the mineral residue still remaining on the floor between the end ofthe face conveyor and the central drum.

From another aspect the invention consists in a shearer loader machine for performing the process specified above, comprising three shearer drums of the same width which are vertically adjustable independently of one another, the two end drums having the same diameter as one another but a different diameter from that ofthe drum between them, in which the two end drums projecttowards the face beyond the intermediate drum by an amount corresponding to drum width and have a diameter corresponding to the heightofthetop mineral band, and each ofthethree drums has a plough pivotable around the respective drum axis, and the central drum has a diameter corresponding at least to the height of the bottom mineral band, and all three drums have helical material delivery means.

The machine can therefore mine and eject the top mineral band by means of the leading drum, the cut mineral collecting on the bottom mineral band on the floor, from which it is subsequently loaded together with the bottom mineral band cut bythe central drum. Consequently, the central drum diameter should correspond at least to the height of the bottom lineral band so that the central drum can pick up not onlythe mineral it has mined but also the material lying on the bottom mineral band and convey all this material by means of its helical loading whorls onto the face conveyor.

According to another preferred feature of the invention the central drum extends laterally close up to the machine body and is supported by a pivoted support arm located in a recess in the machine body.

This arrangement assists the ejection of dirt, and enables the distance between the central drum and the face conveyor to be reduced to the essential minimum and the cutting horizon of the central drum to be determined.

Preferably the recess is only slightlywiderthan the part ofthe support arm received in it, and the pivot of the support arm is located in a side region ofthe recess. This reduces the recess to the 1800 range of pivotal movement of the carrying arm.

According to another preferred feature ofthe invention the two end drums can rotate in opposite directions and the hand of rotation of whichever is the trailing drum is such that whichever cutting tools thereof are nearthe bottom of the drum periphery enterthe dirt. This ensuresthatthe cutting tools always act upwardly on the dirt band in both directions of machine travel and force the dirt presented in the dirt band upwardly into the free space, to facilitate the cutting work.

In a preferred construction reduction gearsforthe two end drums are located between the respective support arm and the drum body, and are so dimensioned as to exceed the pitch circle of the cutting tools ofthe drums only nearthe support arm.

This makes it possible, if necessary, to reduce their diameter so considerably that such drums can tackle a thin-seam mineral band which make it impossible to locate reduction gears inside the drum body.

The invention may be performed in various ways and one specific embodiment will now be described byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa plan view of a shearer loader mining machine according to the invention, Figure2 is a side view ofthe machine of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an end view of the machine looking in the direction X but with the plough omitted, Figure4is a side view ofthe machine working in the opposite direction of travel, and Figures 5and 6 are a plan view and diagrammatic side view respectively of the machine at the end of the face.

In this illustrated example a shearer loader machine 1 moves along theworking face of seam to be mined and shearer drums 2,3,4 of the machine cut outthe accessible mineral and also a dirt band 7, which extends along the whole length oftheface between atop mineral band 5 and a bottom mineral band 6 and which may consist of deads or attle or dirt orthe like. The cutting tools of the machine are the three shearer drums 2,3,4. Each such drum is mounted for rotation at the end of a supporting arm 8,9,10 respectively of the machine body, the arms 8,9,10 being positioned on the face side ofthe machine, and thevertical position ofthe drums 2,3,4 being adjustable by means oftheir respective support arms 8,9,10. Driving motors (not shown) are provided to drive the drums 2,3,4.The driving motors are disposed in the machine body and are arranged to drive the shearer drums by way of transmissions (not shown) within the arms 8,9,10.

The reduction gearing of the central drum 4 is located within the drum bodywhereasthe reduction gearings 11,12 of the two end drums 2,3 are positioned outside the respective drum body in the gap between the drum and the supportarm 8,9 in which zone they follow on directlyfromthe respective arm 8, 9.

The arms 8,9 associated with the drums 2,3 are positioned one at each end ofthe machine body and the central support arm 10 is positioned approximately at the longitudinal centre of the machine body. All the drums 2,3,4 have helical flanges or whorls 13 enabling them to eject lateraily the material cut out bytheircutting tools (not shown) and each has a plough 14which is so supported by an arm 15 as to pivot around the drum axis and thus to be movable two one side or the otherofthe respective drum, depending upon the direction of movement ofthe machine.

Each ofthetwo end drums 2,3 has a diameter corresponding to the height of the top mineral band 5. Also,the two end drums 2,3 project beyond the central drum 4towards the face in the direction of mining of the seam by a width corresponding to that of the drum 4, and have the same width as the central drum 4. The drums 2,3 therefore always cut out a mineral band whose width coincides with the width ofthe mineral band cut bythecentral drum 4 (Figure 1).

The diameter of the central drum 4 is at least equal to but preferably greater than the height of the bottom mineral band 6. The support arm 10 forth drum 4 is positioned in a recess 16 in the machine body, visible in Figure 1, the width of the recess 16 being slightly greater than the length of the arm 10.

The pivotforthe arm is positioned in a lateral part of the recess 16 off its centre and does not project beyond the face-side wall of the machine body.

Consequently, the drum 4 can extend right up close to the machine body, a feature which improves dirt delivery.

As the place of use of the machine 1 changes, the mineral face may be disposed to the right or left of the face conveyor 17. However, the central drum 14 must always convey the mined material onto the face conveyor 17 irrespective ofthe position ofthe face and, since its helical whorls have a fixed pitch angle, must be driven in a direction of rotation which depends upon whether the drum is positioned to the left or right oftheface conveyor 17. Reversing gearing (not shown) disposed in the drum body or machine body fulfils this purpose. Another possibility is for the driving motors for the drums 2,3,4 to be pole-changing motors, to enable the direction of rotation of each ofthe drums 2,3,4 to be reversed should this be necessary to improve the delivery of dirt.

Aface conveyor 17 which extends belowthe machine 1 over the whole length of its travel receives the mined material. A side spill plate 18 closes the conveyor 17 in the goaf direction and prevents dirt from spilling over. On the face side the face conveyor 17 has an inclined ramp 19, which has a projecting edgeflange or strip parallel with and resting on the floor, and serving as one ofthetracksforthe machine 1.

The machine body comprises various components and is located on a chassis frame 20 which on the face side is supported by rollers 21 running on the edge band or strip ofthe ramp 19. On the goafside the machine body has skids 22 which engage around a toothed rack 23 which extends along the whole length of the face conveyor 17 and whose function is to drive the machine lengthwise. The machine is advanced by means of two haulage boxes which act on thetoothed rack by way of toothed wheels 24 (Figure 2).

On its winning run in the direction ofthe arrow I in Figure 1,thefrontdrum 3 of the machine 1 deals with the mineral band 5 presented at the roof and delivers the mined mineral laterally by means ofthe helical whorls 13 of the drum 3 (Figure 1).

The drum 3 ejects the cut material into the area along which the central drum 4 moves on the machine run. The bottom mineral band 6 is still present in this area and the material ofthetop mineral band 5 mined by the leading drum 3 collects on the bottom mineral band 6 and is engaged by the central drum 4when cutting the bottom mineral band 6 and is delivered togethertherewith onto the face conveyor 17.

Consequently, the floorwill have been cut free and cleared behind the central drum 4 over a width determined by the position ofthe ramp 19 oftheface conveyor 17 and by the mineral face. Consequently, thetrailing drum 2can deal with that partofthedirt band 7 which is now open and exposed upwards towards the roof, the drum 2 breaking up the band7 and discharging it into the area cleared by the central drum 4. To this end,the height ofthe drum 2 is adjusted by means of its arm 8 to a level which ensures that the mineral band 6 left beneath it is cut clear cleanly to leave behind the machine 1 a stepped mineral face distinguished in that only the bottom mineral band 6 projects from ittowardstheface conveyor 17.Consequently, as the machine moves on a winning run only the valuable mineral reaches the face conveyor 17 and is removed thereby, whereas the dirt initially remains between the mineral face and the face conveyor 17.

At the end of the machine's travel the face conveyor 17 first discharges all its contents and is then advanced over its whole length by means ofthe advancing cylinders 25 to the new mineral face. The dirt present between the face conveyor 17 and the mineral face is thus lifted up onto the conveyor 17 by way of the ramp 19 and is conveyed away. Atthe end of this advancing movementtheface conveyor 17 has moved towards the new mineral face by an amount corresponding to the width of the central drum 4 and, acted upon by its cylinders 25, its ramp 19 bears againstthe bottom mineral band 6. This advancing operation starts atthe end of the face conveyor 17 and progresses continuously along the whole length of the face as far as where the machine 1 is positioned at the end of its winning run.

In the embodiments of Figures 5 and 6 the leading roof-cutting drum 2 ofthe machine has at the end of its travel moved into the road 26. During the clearing operation, i.e.,whilethefaceconveyor 17 is advancing, the front drum 2 of the machine is already cutting the dirt presented below the road, plus the mineral band below the dirt, completely and as far as the central drum 4, the machine reciprocating and finally moving to that part oftheface conveyor 17 which has meanwhile advanced. The machine therefore leaves the previous winning area and entersthe new mineral face with all three drums 2,3,4, the leading drum 3 cutting the roof and the trailing drum 2 cutting the dirt band 7, while the central drum 4 enters the mineral band 6 presented on the floor.

All three drums 2,3,4 are now in their new working area, and so that part of the face conveyor 17 which has not yet been advanced and has been left by the machine 1, can now also be advanced uptothe new mineral face by means of the cylinders 25. The party of the bottom mineral band 6which the central drum 4 could not engage upon first entry into the newface is cut bythe drum 4whenthe machine 1 returns so far on the advanced part of the face conveyor 17 that the drum 2, which is leading in this return movement, cuts the dirt band and reaches the road 26 again. On the winning run which then starts in the opposite direction the machine 1 leaves a gap 27 at the end of the face between the face conveyor 17 and the mineral face, the width ofthe gap 27 corresponding to the width ofthe drums 2,3,4while the length of the gap 27 from the road 26 is determined by the distance between the road 26 and the position of the central drum at the end ofthe machine run.

Claims

1. A process for cutting and loading mineral and dirtfrom a mineral seam containing a dirt band, by means of a shearer loader machine which travels on a face conveyor and cuts out the seam face by means of a numberofverticallyadjustableshearerdrums, in which the leading shearer drum cuts outthetop mineral band oversubstantiallyitsfull height and discharges it laterally onto the bottom mineral band, which projects on the floor from the mineral face towards the face conveyor for a width corresponding to the depth of the top seam cut, and which is later cut out together with the mineral above it by another shearer drum following the leading drum and cutting adjacentthefloor, all this material being loaded onto the face conveyor before a trailing shearer drum cuts out the dirt band and dischargesthedirt behindthe second drum into the gap between the face conveyor and the mineral face, this dirt being later loaded onto the face conveyor.

2. A process according to claim 1, in which at both ends of the face the leading drum ofthe machine moves into the respective road and is lowered and reciprocated to cut the face zone presented between the road and the central drum of the machine before the machine reverses, with the leading drum raised up to the roof and with the trailing drum adjusted down to the level of the dirt band, towards the part of theface conveyorwhich has meanwhile been advanced, and returns before the next winning run to the end part of the face conveyorwhich has also been advanced meanwhile.

3. A shearer loader machine for performing the process according to claims 1 or 2, comprising three shearer drums of the same width which are vertically adjustable independently of one another, the two end drums having the same diameter as one another but a different diameter from that ofthe drum between them, in which the two end drums project towards the face beyond the intermediate drum by an amount corresponding to drum width and have a diameter corresponding to the height ofthetop mineral band, and each ofthe three drums has a plough pivotable around the respective drum axis, and the central drum hasa diameter corresponding at least to the height of the bottom mineral band, and all three drums have helical material delivery means.

4. A shearer loader according to claim 3, in which the central drum extends laterally close uptothe machine body and is supported by a pivoted support arm located in a recess in the machine body.

5. A shearer loader according to claim 4, in which the recess is only slightlywiderthan the part ofthe support arm received in it, and the pivot of the support arm is located in a side region ofthe recess.

6. A shearer loader according to claim 3, in which the two end drums can rotate in opposite directions and the hand of rotation of whichever isthetrailing drum is suchthatwhichever cutting tools thereof are nearthe bottom of the drum periphery enter the dirt.

7. A shearer loader according to any ofthe previous claims 3 to 6, in which reduction gears four the two end drums are located between the respective support arm and the drum body, and are so dimensioned as to exceed the pitch circle of the cutting tools of the drums only nearthe support arm.