US1979694A

US1979694A - Mining machine

Info

Publication number: US1979694A
Application number: US715821A
Authority: US
Inventors: Logan William Archibald
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1933-03-18
Filing date: 1934-03-16
Publication date: 1934-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 1951-11-06

Description

W. A. LOGAN MINING MACHINE Nov. 6, 1934.

Filed March 16, 1934 =3 Sheets-Sheet l FIQE.

FIGS.

W. A. LOGAN MINING MACHINE Nov. 6, 1934.

Filed March 16, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Illulllk -W. A. LOGAN MINING MACHINE Filed March 16, 1934 Nov. 6, 193%.,

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FI S.

Patented Nov. 6, 1934 UETD TATES PATENT ()FFICE MINING MACHINE William Archibald Logan, Kinghorn, Fife,

Scotland Application March 16, 1934, Serial No. 715,821 In Great Britain March 18, 1933 4 Claims.

,. This invention relates to long wall mining machines of the type including two main jibs, namely, an upper jib and a lowerjib, swingable in horizontal planes and so arranged as to form in the coal seam two vertically spaced incisions.

In mining machines of this type it is usual to arrange the jibs in vertical alignment so that they may swivel about a single axis.

The present invention consists in an improved mining machine incorporating two main jibs of ,whichone jib is, with reference to the direction of feed, located in advance'of the other.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a plan .view and Fig. 2 a side elevation of a coal-cutting machine constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a coal seam showing the cuts made therein by the cutting jibs of :the machine. Figs. 4 and 5 are a fragmentary elevation and a plan view, respectively, showing the gear-box and cutter chain and conveyor drives. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the gears.

The coal-cutting machine shown is equipped at its forward end with two vertically spaced gear heads, namely, a lower gear head 1 and an upper gear head 2, the lower gear head 1 being positioned, with reference to the direction of feed of the machine, in advance of the upper gear head 2, so that a lower cutting jib 3 fitted to the gear head 1 is positioned correspondingly in advance of an upper cutting jib 4 fitted to the gear head 2.

Both cutting jibs 3, 4 are swingable in horizontal planes through 180 about vertical pivots in the

gear heads

1, 2 so that they may be swung from the operative position shown in Fig. 1 at one side of the machine to a corresponding operative position at the opposite side of the machine, the jibs extending at right angles to the line of feed in either limiting operative position.

In addition, the cutting jib 4 is angularly adjustable in a vertical plane so that it may form in the coal seam 5 a horizontally inclined cut 6 (Fig. 3) which may slope upwards in the direction away from the coal face 5, as shown, or may slope downwards in the direction away from the coal face 5'. The leading cutting jib 3 cuts at floor level as shown at 7 (Fig. 3)

The cutter chains 3', 4 of the jibs 3, 4, respectively, circulate in counter-clockwise direction and in clockwise direction, respectively, as viewed from above, so that the thrust of one chain counteracts the thrust of the other chain and so that the chain 4 discharges its cuttings on to a conveyor 8 extending rearwardly from the jib 4 and incorporating a detachable shearing jib 9 adapted to form in the coal seam, at the inner ends of the cuts 6, 7, a vertical cut 10. The conveyor 8 and cutter chain 9' of the jib 9 are adapted to be driven from a transverse shaft 11 of the machine through the medium of a shaft 12 extending 6t transversely beneath the conveyor 8 and adapted at each end for operative connection with one end of the shaft 11 or with the driving sprocket of the cutter chain 9', depending on which side of the machine the jibs 3, 4 and the conveyor 8 are operating. Secured on each end of the shaft 12 is a gear wheel 13 meshing with a gear wheel 14 housed together with the gear wheel 13 in a casing 15 forming part of the frame of the conveyor 8. Each gear Wheel 14 is secured on a short shaft 16 adapted to be coupled to one end of the shaft 11 or to the driving sprocket of the cutter chain 9. The conveyor 8 is driven from the shaft 12 through chain-and-sprocket gearing 8.

Cuttings from the cutter chain 3' of the lead- Z5 ing jib 3 are gathered up by a scraper conveyor chain 17 carrying laterally projecting sweeps 18 and arranged to circulate in a plane parallel with the floor within the hollow soleplate 19 of the machine. At its forward end the scraper chain 17 is trained around two sprockets 20, 20' rotatable on vertical axes so that the chain 17 is spread in the path of the cuttings from the cutter chain 3. At its rear end the scraper chain 17 is trained around a sprocket which is shiftable to permit tensioning of the scraper chain 17. The cuttings from the cutter chain 3 are discharged by the scraper chain 17 through openings 17' in the rear end of the soleplate l9 and must be shovelled on to a face conveyor 22 arranged in series with the conveyor 8, or thrown into the waste. A sloping face 23 at the forward end of the machine is adapted to guide the cuttings from the cutter chains on to the conveyors.

The cutters on the leading cutter chain 3 can be readily changed by removal of a fender 24 acting also as a chain guard at the front of the machine.

The frame 25 of the conveyor 8 is adapted for attachment to either side of the machine by means of T-headed bolts.

The rotor shaft 26 of the driving motor which is housed within the central section 27 of the main case of the machine is operatively connectible through change-speed gears housed within a withdrawable gear-frame 28 to drive

shafts

29, 30 for the cutting jibs 3, 4, respectively, and to the transverse shaft 11. A worm 31 unitary with the shaft 29 meshes witha worm-wheel 32 on a short vertical shaft 33 on the lower end of which is mounted the drive sprocket 20 of the scraper conveyor chain 17.

To permit the jib 4 to be adjusted angularly in a vertical plane the respective gear head 2 is spigoted at 34 (Fig. 4), concentrically with the shaft 30, into the main case of the machine. Studs fitted in the main case around the spigot 34 penetrate elongated slots in a spigot flange 36 of the gear head 2 and are fitted with nuts 35 (Fig. 1) which when tightened up hold the jib 4 against angular shift in a vertical plane. Preferably, also, a withdrawable locating pin is passed through an aperture in the flange 36 into a registering aperture in the main case.

Apertured bosses 37, 38 on each side of the

gear heads

1, 2, respectively, "are adapted to receive jib-locking pins 39, 40, respectively, which enter registering apertures in the jibs 3 and '4.

In cases where there is no top parting between the coal and the roof the top portion of the coal seam may be brought down by a breaking-out device in the form of a short cutting jib 41 at the rear end of the machine.

42 denotes the haulage drum at the rear end of the machine.

In operation, the machine, without the conveyor 8 attached thereto, is pulled inagainst the coal face 5. and the jibs 3, 4 swung, one at a time, under the coal in the usual manner.

After both jibs 3, 4 are in cutting position with the-locking pins 39, 40 inserted the haulage system is operated to cause the machine to cut away for a distance of 10 feet or so. The cut coal is then filled on to the face conveyor to make room for bringing in the conveyor 8 which is attached to the main case of the machine by the aforesaid T- bolts and incorporates the shearing jib 9. The adjacent ends of the shafts l1 and 16 are then interconnected by means of a universal coupling 43.- The machine is now ready to perform normal cutting.

I claim:-

1. In a long wall mining machine, in combination, an upper cutting jib, a lower cutting jib, one of said jibs being located in advance of the other of said jibs with reference to the direction of feed of the machine, a hollow soleplate on the machine, a conveyor adapted for attachment to either side of the machine, a second conveyor incorporated within said hollow soleplate, and means for driving said conveyors.

2. In a long wall mining machine, in combination, an upper cutting jib, a lower cutting jib located in advance of said upper cutting jib with reference to the direction of feed of the machine, a hollow soleplate on the machine, a conveyor adapted for attachment to either side ofthe machine, a second conveyor incorporated within said hollow soleplate, and means for driving said'conveyors.

reference to the direction of feed of the machine,

a conveyor adapted for attachment to either side of the machine, a shearing jib adapted for attachment to either side of said conveyor, and means for-driving said conveyor and shearing jib.

4. In a long wall mining machine, in combination, an upper cutting jib, a lower cutting jib located in advance of said upper cutting jib with reference to the direction of feed of the machine, a hollow. soleplate on the machine, a conveyor adapted for attachment to either side of the machine, a shearing jib adapted for attachment to either side of said conveyor, means for driving said conveyor and shearing jib, a second conveyor incorporated within said hollow soleplate, and driving means for said second conveyor.

WILLIAM ARCHIBALD LOGAN.