GB2472799A

GB2472799A - Mineral breaker between two perpendicularly arranged conveyors

Info

Publication number: GB2472799A
Application number: GB0914426A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bernard Fogharty
Original assignee: Joy MM Delaware Inc
Current assignee: Joy MM Delaware Inc
Priority date: 2009-08-18
Filing date: 2009-08-18
Publication date: 2011-02-23
Also published as: AU2010206107A1; CN102139801A; GB0914426D0; RU2010134013A

Abstract

A mineral breaker 26 comprising a breaker drum rotatably mounted in a casing which extends about a portion of the periphery of the drum to partially envelope the drum, the breaker being adapted for connection to the delivery end of a conveyor 10 so as to be capable of breaking large lumps of mineral being delivered from the conveyor and deposit the broken material to a position below the conveyor onto a second conveyor 13 which is perpendicular to the first conveyor. The first conveyor can be a longwall armoured face conveyor and the second conveyor a beam stage loader cross feed conveyor. The mineral breaker may include a breaker drum that is movably mounted above the conveyor for movement toward or away from the conveyor.

Description

LUMP BREAKER BETWEEN A LONGWALL AUTOMATED FACE CONVEYOR AND A

BEAM STAGE LOADER CROSS FEED CONVEYOR

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to mineral breakers and is primarily, but not exclusively, concerned with mineral breakers for use in coal mining for sizing coal being delivered from the coalface.

The present disclosure also relates to a longwall automated face conveyor and a beam stage loader cross feed conveyor. And, more particularly, to a mechanism for improving material transfer from the longwall automated face conveyor to the beam stage loader cross feed conveyor.

The armored face conveyor carries the extracted coal from the longwall face to the beam stage loader at the end of the face. The beam stage loader transfers the extracted coal from the armored face conveyor to the belt conveyor. Once the coal is transported onto the belt conveyor it is then transported to the surface for processing.

When the coal is transported by the AFC along the longwall face it reaches the beam stage loader at the end of the face.

The beam stage loader is simply a chain conveyor that transport coal from the AFC to the main belt conveyor. Also incorporated into the beam stage loader is a small crusher to reduce the particle size of the coal for easier transportation. There are two discharge configurations for the beam stage loader, an end discharge and a side discharge. The end discharge arrangement allows the AFC to overlap the beam stage loader so that coal falls down onto it. This configuration is used for coal that is very slabby, especially in the case of high capacity longwall operations. The side discharge arrangement pushes the coal directly onto the beam stage loader. Most modern design AFC utilizes a side discharge arrangement. This design is most suited to coal with large lumps. This design can also transport a higher capacity of coal. The p�cture opposite shows a side discharge design beam stage loader.

Very large lumps are a feature of especially high output longwall mining. The lumps can be many meters long and fill the overall cross-section of the main longwall automated face conveyor (AFC) and beam stage loader cross feed conveyor (BSL) On occasion, some such large lumps travel along the AFC to the BSL.

At the transfer point between the AFC and BSL, the two conveyors are perpendicular to each other. When very large lumps reach this point at the conveyor, blockages can occur, which can impact the ability of the longwall mining operation to continue producing coal.

Removing the blockage is very time consuming and involves a lot of manual labor, with a lot of time spent with men operating on top of the AFC conveyor. This is not a good area in which to work, since it is not under the full protection of the roof shields, and since it is not behind the AFC spill plate.

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a conventional armored face conveyor transporting coal to a beam stage loader.

Adjacent the end of the armored face conveyor is a side discharge chute that causes the coal to change direction and leave the armored face conveyor and fall onto the beam stage loader. After the coal falls on the beam stage loader, it travels through a crusher, which reduces the size of the coal lumps down to a more manageable size for the conveyor system.

I

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SUMMARY

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the improved conveying system according to th�s disclosure. In this disclosure, the end of the armored face conveyor includes the mineral breaker incorporated into the conveyor at the location of the side discharge chute. This mineral breaker helps reduce the size of very large lumps of coal to approve passage of the coal from the armored face conveyor to the beam stage loader.

More particularly, this disclosure provides a longwall mining machine with a power lump breaker mounted on top of the AFC conveyor just prior to the transfer point to the BSL. The lump breaker of the disclosure breaks very large lumps of material down to a more manageable size.

One object is to provide a longwall with improved continuous operation and improved throughput.

Another object is to provide better control of very large mining material lumps prior to entering the discharge area, thus reducing resulting blockages and improving coal flow.

Another object is to reduce loading and wear on the BSL and in the BSL crusher.

A mineral breaker is disclosed which comprises a breaker drum rotatably mounted in a shroud at the delivery end of a longwall automated face conveyor. The mineral lump breaker reduces the size of lumps capable of blockage to a size of no significant consequence.

A mineral lump breaker is d�sclosed that comprises a breaker drum rotatably mounted in a casing which extends about a portion of the periphery of the drum to partially envelope the drum, the breaker being adapted for connection to the delivery end of a conveyor so as to be capable of breaking lumps of mineral being delivered from the conveyor and deposit the broken material to a position below the conveyor.

The mineral lump breaker of this disclosure also includes a breaker drum that is movably mounted above the conveyor for movement toward or away from the conveyor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a conventional armored face conveyor with a side discharge chute transporting coal to a beam stage loader.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of an armored face conveyor with a side discharge chute and mineral breaker according to this disclosure for transporting coal to a beam stage loader.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a single drum transfer breaker shown in situ from the rear gob side.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a transfer breaker similar to the one shown in Figure 3, but shown from the front face side.

Figure 5 is a right side perspective view of the lump breaker end of the transfer breaker shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a left side exploded perspective view of the transfer breaker shown in Figure 4.

Before one embodiment of the disclosure is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of "including" and "comprising" and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of "consisting of" and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Further, it is to be understood that such terms as "forward", "rearward", "left", "right", "upward" and "downward", etc., are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the improved conveying system according to th�s disclosure. In this disclosure, the end of an armored face conveyor 10 includes a mineral breaker 26 incorporated �nto the conveyor 10 at the location of a discharge chute 17. This mineral breaker 26 helps reduce the size of very large lumps of coal to approve passage of the coal from the armored face conveyor to the beam stage loader.

The longwall armored face conveyor (AFC) 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is used to transport mined material from the mining face to the BSL (Beam Stage Loader) cross feed conveyor 13. The transfer point between the AFC 10 and BSL conveyors are at approximately 90° to one another. Given the size of the material being transported along the AFC 10, blockages can occur at a side discharge location at a delivery end 22 of a conveyor 18, which is located at the AFC head frame 14. At this blockage point on the conveyor 18, the lump breaker 26 is provided and comprises a drum 30 driven by an internal drive motor (not shown) . The drum 30 has mounted thereon a plurality of spaced apart bit holders 38 each including a bit 34. Bolts 50 at one end 42 to a sliding frame 54 rotatably mount the drum 30.

Besides being bolted, the drum 30 is also keyed 46 to the sliding frame 54 in order to ensure rigidity and proper orientation of the drum 30 relat�ve to the conveyor 18.

The lump breaker 26 is installed in addition to the normal crusher 51, which is mounted on the BSL conveyor 13. The sliding frame 54 is doweled 58 and bolted 62 to the plough structure 66. The sliding frame 54 has two positions that ensure optimal clearance height �s obtained during mining. The plough structure 66 comprises a plough face 70 that channels mineral from the AFC 10 to the BSL cross feed conveyor 13. A shroud 74 to attempt to keep the material on the conveyor 18 covers the entire plough structure 66, sliding frame 54, and lump breaker 26. It also acts as a safety shield. The shroud 74 is mounted to the plough structure 66 with bolts and pins 78.

The plough structure 66 is secured with a pin 82 through a pinned joint 86 that is designed to take vertical and side loading.

Various other features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A mineral breaker comprising a breaker drum rotatably mounted in a casing which extends about a portion of the periphery of the drum to partially envelope the drum, the breaker being adapted for connection to the delivery end of a conveyor accepting lumps of a mineral from a first direction so as to be capable of breaking lumps of mineral being delivered from the conveyor and deposit the broken material in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to a position below the conveyor.
2. A mineral breaker according to Claim 1 and further including a breaker drum that is movably mounted above the conveyor for movement toward or away from the conveyor.
3. An armored face conveyor including a mineral breaker comprising a breaker drum rotatably mounted in a casing which extends about a portion of the periphery of the drum to partially envelope the drum, the breaker being connected to the delivery end of a conveyor accepting lumps of a mineral from a first direction so as to be capable of breaking lumps of mineral being delivered from the conveyor and deposit the broken material in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to a position below the conveyor.
4. An armored face conveyor according to Claim 3 and further including a breaker drum that is movably mounted above the conveyor for movement toward or away from the conveyor.