US1237061A - Method of mining coal. - Google Patents

Description

H. 4/\\.KUlN. NII-:IIIoII'oF MINING coAL.. v j APPLICATION FILED IIIAYIa, Ism. l A

Patented'Aug. 14, A1917..

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H. A. KUHN.. METHOD or M ;NIN'G coAL. APPLICATION FILED'MAY 18. 1914.

Patented Aug. '14, 1917.

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Learner Hanny A. KUHN, or PITTSBURGH, Pennisi/'Lirama l Iiinrnoio or Miniere coiBT Specification of Letters Patent.

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)Application filed May 18, 1914. i Serial No. 839,326.

Y' Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveJ invented a new and useful Improvements in Methods of Mining Coal; and I do hereby declare the following to be'a full, clear,- and exact description thereof. I

My invention relates to methodof mining coal. y

' In an application led' by me October 21, 1913, `Serial No. 796,497, I described and claimed a method of mining coal which consists essentially in making an undercut in the bodyl ofthe coal, expanding the coal along its lines of cleavage by shooting, whereby the coal settles down into the undercut, undermining this mass of coal and convey ing it away.

The present invention is included within the broad claims of the above application and in addition to undermining the coal and conveying it away, by the present method 1 apply a pressure at an angle to the undermining cut and simultaneously therewith so that the expanded'coal is subjected to a pressure which tends to'release the coal of its' adhesions along the lines of cleavage, and at the same time breaking up any band or' bands in the wall of coalvwhich would have a tendency to bridge the coal above said bands and prevent its dislodgment during the undermining or undercutting process.

In the accompanying drawings l have illustrated apparatus suitable for carrying out my invention in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation;rFig. 3 is a like View partly in section showing the machine in its raised position; Fig. e is a detail, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 Fig. 4C.

The -apparatus which I am aboutl to describe forms the subject of a separate application tiled of even date herewith, SerialNo. 839,327.

The numeral 2 designates asuitable frame which may be composed of beams, anglebars, etc., united to form a rigid construction. This frame is supported normally in an inclined position, its rear end being carried by the truck 3, which is provided with the axle l -on which the traction `wheels 5 are mounted. The wheels 5 and the mechanism for driving same are housed in the box The other end to the crank arniA 'the clutch bon 33 square end of the shaft 34 of the motor 35.

the frame 2. f Channels 41 are secured to the `by the friction sheave 8 on the shaft 9. This shaft 9 is suspended from the bars 10 which are pivoted to the bracket 11. rlhe toggle member 12 is connected to the lshaft 9 and said toggle is pivoted at 13 to the link 14 which ismpivoted to the lug 15 on the casing of thetoggle is connected 16 on the stud shaft 17 which is mounted on the bracket 18. To the outer end of the stud shaft 17 is connected the operating lever 19. It is apparent that by operating the lever 19, the toggle mem-A er 12 is operated to move the friction niember' into or out of contact with the friction sha've 7 to transmit power to the driving as es.

Mounted on the shaft 9A is a sprocket wheel 20, the chain 21 passing around the sprocket wheel 2O and around the sprocket wheel 22 of the shaft 23 mounted in the frame. li'iounted on the shaft 23 is the worm wheel 24 which ,is connected with the Worm 25 on the shaft 2G. This shaft 26 has the gearwheel which is engaged bythe pinion 28 on the counter shaft 29. The gear wheel 30 on the shaft 29 is engaged by 'the driving pinion 31 on-the shaft 32. The shaft32 has adapted to receive the This motor, which in the present ease is an electric motor` is the driving power for the soV undercutting mechanism 36, which may be of the ordinary construction9 comprising a cutter chain which is driven by power transmitted from the motor 35. Vih'en the undercutting mechanism is mounted on the frame 2, the inotorshaft 34 engages the clutch 33, and power is transmitted fromthe motor to the mechanism for connecting the traction' Wheels 5 to the other parts of the mechanism to be hereafter described.

In front of the truck 3 are the steering wheels fl() which support the forward end of frame 2, said channels being inclined and the flanges of said channels forming a track for the rollers Ll2 of the buggy 4:3. The buggy 43has the threaded nut i with which the threaded bar 45 engages. The upper end of' the threaded bar has the pinion 15a which meshes with the pinion i6 on the shaft 171W This shaft Ai7 has the gear wheel 48 whic l" meshes lwith the gear wheel/#27. By the rota, .110

,tion of the threaded bar 45 the buggy is advanced ,with its rollers l2 moving in the channel bars 41, and in this way the front end of the frame 2 is lifted, as indicated in Fig. 3.

To operate the steering wheels 40, hand Wheels 49 are provided inounted on the shaft 50, said shaft carrying the worm 51 which engages the toothed sector 52 on the swivel plate 53 of the truck a3. In this manner, the steering wheels are properly directed to move the machine in the direction desired.

At the rear end of the trarne 2 is the vsprocket wheel 55, and at the forward end of said frame are the sprocket wheels 5d The chain 57 passes around said sprocket wheels and said chain carries the flights 58 at intervals. The outer ends of the lights 58 are formed with integral cutters or diggers 58a, or if desired, said cutters or diggers may be made detachable and are adapted to cut or dig under the body `of coal Y dicated in Fig. 3.

which has been lowered by shooting, as fully hereinafter set forth. The cutters on the liights are preferably arranged alternately extending upwardly and downwardly so as to make a wider cut.

The front edges of the flights are preferably beveled to an edge as indicated at 59, to enable them to pass more readily through the 'mass of coal.

Thel pan 60 is secured to the frame 2 below the flights and said lights are adapted to travel along the said pan and convey the fcoal which is dislodged onto said pan by the action of the diggers or cutters. The coal is discharged at the rear into the pit wagon 61. In carrying out my improved method with the above described apparatus, it would be assumed that the undercut has been made in the solid wall of coal, and that the coal has been expanded along its lines of cleavage by shooting, all as clearly set forth in fthe application Serial No. 796,497, above reerred to, I then proceed to undermine this expanded body of coal by advancing the machine along the floor of the mine and digging under the coal as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings to form a crevice like opening. After the cutters and flights have advanced the proper distance under the mass of coal, I then apply the pressure at an angle thereto, or upwardly as in the present case, and this is accomplished by putting in operation the mechanism to raise the. forward end oi? the machine" simultaneously with the undermining or ,dislodging mechanism. Accordingly the feed screw a5 is rotated and the buggy 43 moved along the guides 4l in the frame and as said buggy moves forwardly the frame is gradually raised as in- 'Ihis raising of the frame creates the upward pressure on the mass of coal and where there are any bands, as at 6'5, these bands will be broken and the coal which has been expanded along its lines of cleavage will be dislodged in lumps so as to be deposited on the panv and carried oriy bythe flights to the pit wagon in the rear.

In this manner, II provide for the dislodging of the coal which has been expanded along its lines of cleavage and not disturbed by the shooting so as to break up the mass oi coal into slack or small lumps. The coal is released ot its adhesions partially along l its lines of cleavage and when the support is dislodged from underneath by the forces acting'in the out the coal is removed in large lumps. Furthermore, where bands are present, which cause a bridge of the coal above said bands, by my improved method said bands are disrupted and the coal above the seam removed without difficulty. The

-mere undermining of the coal which has been expanded along its lines of cleavage where bands are present may only act to dislodge Vthe coal below the bands, while by the above method the removal of all the coal above the bands is assured. If desired, the bands of slate may be removed by the cutters or front end of the machine could be cuz-vated andthe coal above the slnaounding solid, released or cracked alongits lines oi. cleavage, and settled substantially as a mass or' cracked coal in place, subsequently forming a crevicelike opening 1n the mass or" loosened coal by the application of continuous horizontally travelingforces. and simultaneously therewith applying' a force traveling continuously at an angle to the plane of the crevicelike opening, thereby dislodging the coal with the traveling forces, and simultaneously carrying away the dislodged coal. l

2. The method of mining coal7 consistling in making a cut in the solid of a seam o coal, expanding and disrupting the solid coal along lines of its cleavage, whereby the coal acted upon is loosened from the surrounding solid and cracked along lines of its cleavage, subsequently forming a crevicelike .opening in the loosened mass of coal by means of traveling forces, and simultaneously there-` with applyinfr a torce traveling continuouslyy at an cngle to the direction of the traveling fo ces within the crevicelike opening, dislod ing the coal, and conveying it away.

3. The /method of mining coal, consisting/ in malriulg a out in the solid ofa seam o, l/BD coul, expanding and disrupting the solid coal along lines of its cleavage, whereby the coal acted upon is loosened from the surrounding solid and cracked along lines of its cleavage, subsequently forming a crevicelike opening in the loosened mass 1f-coul, applying a force traveling continuously at an angle to the plane of operation of the first traveling forces, simultaneously *here-l with dislodging the coal, anni conveying it :w

. HARRY'A. if

Witnesses:

JOHN F. Wim, Ronan. D. To'rmN.

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