US2596670A - Dust collector - Google Patents

Description

y 1952 G. c. FRANCIS ET AL 2,596,670 7 DUST COLLECTOR Filed March 6, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ATTORNEY y 31 G. c. FRANCIS ETAL 7 DUST COLLECTOR Filed March 6, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1NVENTOR$ ATTORNEYS y 13, 1952 G. c. FRANCIS ET AL 2,

DUST COLLECTOR Filed March 6, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet s WW 44W ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 13, 1952 OFFICE 2,596,670 DUST COLLECTOR George Clinton Francis and Roscoe Browning, Hampden, W. Va.

Application March 6, 195i), Serial No. 147,826

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to dust collecting machines and more particularly to a machine for collecting the dust during various mining and drilling operations.

An object of this invention is to secure a dust free atmosphere when drilling into the roof of a mining shaft by operating a suction apparatus adjacent the drill hole to remove the dust from the vicinity of its creation and transferring the same to a collecting bag.

Another object is to outfit the apparatus with a specially adapted dust collecting cup through which the drill is placed, the cup being provided with a resilient lip which is adapted to seal it to the roof as mentioned above and being further provided with a thin rubber membrane having an aperture or slit therein through which the drill is adapted to pass.

A further object of the invention is to furnish a standard for resiliently holding the dust collecting cup in a roof engaging position by means of compressed air.

Still other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the apparatus in operating position and showing a portion thereof broken away;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus show in Fi ure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lower end of the piston seal;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the cup taken on line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the yoke which swivelly mounts the cup to the standard, parts of the yoke being shown in cross section;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on lines of Figure 1.

' Figure 8 is an elevation view of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 9 is an enlarged view of the control means for permitting the use of compressed air in the modified form of the invention.

Similar reference characters represent similar parts in the several figures.

At the present time the standard method of providing supports for roofs of coal mines and the like is by the use of timber posts and headers. Headers are provided transversely of the shaft and at the roof thereof and vertical posts are utilized to support the said headers. In this manner the roof is supported and the structuretends to prevent cave-ins.

The present invention is directed to an apparatus which is used in preparing the shafts for what is commonly known'as pin timbering. This latter method of roof supiportis accomplished by drill ing a hole into the roof of a tunnel and inserting therein a wedge and steel rod, this rod being about 1" in diameter and 3 to 4' long. These rods are adapted to provide support for the roof.

In providing the drilled hole in the roof by means of standard stopping machines a very dusty condition occurs in the shaft. This condition is especially injurious to the miners if the roof of the shaft consists of silicious rock. Therefore, in order to protect the health of mining personnel the present invention has been devised to remove dust, chips, etc. from the drilled hole before this matter has a chance to come out into the mine tunnel; 7

It has been further kept in mind to provide a device which can be easily held in position on the roofwhile the drilling is taking place since it is desirable that this dust removing process be accomplished with the least possible man power in order to reduce the cost thereof. The present invention .is comprised generally of a dust collecting cup II], a suction fan and its motor II and a vertical standard l2 which provides support for the cup and suction fan. The dust collecting cup, as best seen in Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5, is comprised generally of a sleeve-like member i3, open at one of. its ends, and provided with an apertured end wall M at the other end thereof. The diameter of the aperture IS in the end wall is preferably approximately /2 the diameter of sleeve l3. As will be later explained it is this aperture [5 through which a drill I6 is passed when the device is assembled in a working position. 7 It will be noted that a stub pipe I! projects outwardly and downwardly from the dust collecting cup to enable the end of the pipe to be connected to a flexible hose l1.

As will be seen from Fig. 1 it is necessary to provide a closed seal adjacent to the open end of the cup where it meets the surface of the roof. This seal is accomplished by the use of the rubber ring l8 secured to the upper end of the cup. As will be noted both the upper end and the peripheral surface of the cup are then protected during operation of the device. Since the function of the suction fan II is to draw the dust out of the cup it is necessary to secure a seal between the'drill I6 and the cylinder end wall H. To do this I have provided a thin circular rubber membrane l9, provided with a slit 20, which fits tightly around the drill. The peripheral edge of membrane I9 is adapted to extend vertically along the cup wall I3 and a steel ring 2| is fitted over the lower end of the cup and is adapted to hold the thin membrane in position.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a dust collecting cup which is adapted to fit against the roof 22 where it is desired to drill a hole, illustrated by the numeral 23. It is then but necessary to insert the drill through 3 the aperture 25 in the thin membrane l9, positioned at the lower end of the cup, and com mence drilling. This drilling can be accomplished by conventional means, such as by the use of an ordinary jack hammer or stoker, both operated by air, or by an electric twist auger.

It will therefore be seen that dust generated in the drilling hole 23 will be collected in the cup.

The next step is to remove the dust from the cup into a larger receptacle such as the bag 24'. The suction fan I I is rigidly mounted on a vertical piston-like member 25, which forms a part of the supporting means l2. Member 25 is furnished with a lateral extension 26 spaced from the upper end thereof. The outer end of the lateral extension, is provided with a turned portion 21 having secured thereto a U-shaped cradle member 28 which acts as a. bed for the apparatus motor. Member '28 extends towards the upper end of member 25, but terminates a short distance therefrom. A motor 29 having a centrifugal fan 30 mounted on. the forward: end thereof is positioned in the motor bed and is held thereon by means of a metal band 3| which surrounds the motor andthe. motor bed. A handle 32 is mounted on the, upper sideof the motor for purposes of exercising control over the device. As will be. seen a heavy duty electric cord 33 extends from one end of the handle andis adapted to be plugged into an electric circuit to provide currentto the unit motor.

Connecting the dust collecting cup and the upper end of. member 25 is a yoke-like member 34, said yoke comprising. a pair of elongated arms 35 and 35 which diverge outwardly away from the upper end of. the standard and extend upwardly at an obtuse angle with respect thereto. As will be seen from Fig. 6' these arms are welded to one end of the member 25'. The free ends of the arms are provided with apertures 35* and 35 respectively, these apertures being in transverse alinement with each other. To mount the dust collecting cup to thisyoke we provide a pair 1 of oppositely extending studs 31 and 33 which extend laterally from the wall |3 of the cup; These studs-31 and 3B areexteriorl-y threaded and are adapted to be-rec'eived by apertures 35' and 35 respectively. Then it is" but necessary to thread. the nuts 31 and 38 in their respective studs thereby swivelly mounting thecupon the yoke. Connecting the suction fan 30'- and the lateral extension pipe is a flexible hose Il With this type of connection-the dust collecting cup is still capable of swiveling orrthe yoke. The suction fan draws the dust from the collecting cup through the pipe I1 and the flexible'hose lland discharges the dust through a suitable sleeve 40 into the bag 24 which isremovably connectedby any conventional means to the lower end of the sleeve. The supporting means I2 which, as already stated, includes the piston-like member 25 and furtherincludes a hollow shaft cylinderlike member 4| in which the member 25 is adapted to be slidably mounted to permit vertical movement of the collecting apparatus. The lower end 25 of the piston tapers inwardly and downwardlyfrom flange 42 to form .a neck portion 43 and. later emerges into a second. flared out portion 44'. Athreaded opening 45 isrprovided centrally of the flared portion 44. V

In. the present invention we desire to.have the member 25 vertically movable and'held'inacentainposition by means ofv compressed air. For this purposea petcock 46. is. tapped into the lower end or base portion. cylinder 4|. The pet cock 45 may, if desired, be provided with a bleed port. By connecting an air hose to this petcock th opening of the same allows compressed air to pass therethrough into the cylinder" 4| and creating a tendency to push the'piston 25 vertically as the compressed air meets the lower end of the piston. In order that a more efiective seal can be provided between the lower end 25 of the piston, a frusto conical shaped rubber seal member 41 is provided and is mounted in an inverted position between the lower surface of the outwardly flared portion 44. To secure the rubber seal 41 to the said outwardly flared portion we incorporate a plate 48 which is provided with a threaded stud 49 centrally thereof. It is adapted, to extend through. thecentral portion of seal 41' and 'tobethreadinglyreceived by the opening 45 in thelower-endof the-piston;- Therefore, as the compressed air enters; the. chamber formed in the lower end. of pipe 4|- there: will. be a constant tendency to push. the: piston vertically, the vertical movement being limited. only by the abutment. of. the rubber seal. t8: of "thead'ust collecting cup against the roofi22.

The operation of the device is aszfollowsiz When the location of a proposed pin. timber: is; determined the petcock. 46: is connected to the: compressed airline and thereby vertically raises. the piston. 25. and all the: elements supported; thereon until the dust collecting. cup abuts; the. roof 22; As will be. seen the dust.collecting cup,v the supporting yoke, the suction fan. and its moton and the motor bed are all rigidly fastened. to the upper portion of piston member 251-. Therefore, they movevertically upwardly: as" a. unit. Thus; as the. piston is raised, the dust collectingicup is forced tightly against the root and: is held in that. position. during the: drilling process. Next the drill member I6 is inserted: throughaperture 20 in the thin membrane I9 mounted at the lower end of the cup and drilling commences As the dust fallsinto' the cup the suction f'an draws it downwardly into the collecting bag 24'. After the desired depth is reached for the hole 23 -iti's'but necessary to remove the drill, disconnect; the compressed air line from the petcockflfi orbleed the chamber in the lower end of the pipe-4|-. The device is then ready to move to anew drilling position- The modified form of the invention sli'cwrrin Figs. 8 and 9 is seen to comprise vertically extending standard 50, including a' piston-like member 5| and a cylinder-like member" 52; the piston 5| being slidably received by the cylinder 52. A nut 53 is provided adjacent the'lower end of the cylinder and having-sufli'cient packing material therein so as to surround thepiston'5l'. Mounted at the upper endof piston 5|" is'a'sealing member 5| the latter beingthe same as" the sealing member 25 in the preferred form of the invention.

A yoke 53 is rigidiysecuredat"itsilowenendto the upper end of the cylinder as" by means of welding or the like, this yoke being similar: to yoke 34 in the preferred former theinvention. A- dust collecting cup' I'll is'swivellymounted on the upper end of the" yoke. It is not believed that the details: of the operation of this part of the structure. is necessary since it has beenfully disclosed inv the. description of Figs; L through 7'. An extension pipe 54 is mounted .on the. cup to extend from one side thereof and is adapted to be received at the outer end thereofbyj a rubber hose 56.1 Between the connection of" the rubber hose 56 and the: surface" of the dust; collecting cup a short length of copper tubing illustrated by the numeral 55, is mounted. The end of the tubing 55 which is within the pipe 54 is adapted to extend in a direction longitudinally of the pipe away from the dust collecting cup. Hose 55 extends parallel to the yoke 53 and is supported thereby.

A pipe member 51 is adapted to be secured to the lower end of the yoke and extends a short distance along the surface thereof, the upper end of the pipe being received in the rubber hose 56. The lower portion of the pipe 51 is curved so as to provide a handle grip 5! and at the lower end thereof a bag connecting member 58 is provided. The bag 59 may be mounted to the member 53 in any desired conventional manner.

This form of the invention differs further from the preferred form in that here the petcock is mounted in the upper end of the cylinder. It will be seen that cylinder 52 is provided at the upper end thereof with a tapped bore 69 which is adapted to receive portion Bl of a petcock 62. Connected into the petcock 62 is one end of a nipple 63, the other end being comiected to a compressed air line 64 by means of a clamp 64. In order to get the compressed air into the copper tubing 55 from the nipple a valve 65 is furnished, the latter being tapped into the nipple intermediate its ends.

Extending upwardly from valve 65 is a length of copper tubing 66 and connecting this length 66 with the tubing 55 is a rubber hose 67. The necessity for rubber hose 67 and rubber hose 56 is readily apparent since it will be seen that the dust receiving cup IE! is swivelly mounted on the upper ends of yoke 53.

The operation of this form of the invention with the petcock 62 and the valve 55 in closed position is as follows: First, the cup I0 is positioned on the surface into which a hole is to be drilled. To aid in fixing this cup against the surface, petcock 62 may be partially opened so that the compressed air will flow into the upper end of the cylinder 52 to slowly urge the cup upwardly. Once the position of the cup is found then the petcock may be fully opened. After the drill is placed in the cup and is in readiness for operation, valve 65 may be opened so that compressed air will be discharged from the copper tubing 55 into the extension pipe 54. The discharge of this air sets up a suction action within the dust receiving cup, and therefore quickly conveys the dust from the cup through the hose 56 and the pipe length 51 into the bag 59.

From the foregoing description of the present invention it will be seen that we have devised an apparatus which though simple in design will effectively remove one of the hazards of present day mining. This apparatus is more than a mere advancement in mine construction. It is a step forward in the protection of the health and lives of mine workers.

While We have shown and described a preferred form of our invention, it will be understood that variations in details of form may be made without departure from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for collecting dust generated when drilling a hole in the roof of a mining tunnel including a cylindrical dust-receiving cup mounted adjacent the roof surface in a position with relation to said hole so as to receive said dust, the bottom of said cup being covered by a flexible member having an aperture for receiving a drill, a yoke supporting said cup adjacent the roof surface comprising a pair of spaced arms each having an end pivotally connected to the cup, each arm having a second inner end mounted on a separate adjustable telescoping standard means for supporting the inner end of said arms, the inner ends of said arms being rigidly secured to said standard, said yoke arms outwardly diverging from said standard and extending upwardly at an obtuse angle with respect to said standard, and suction means mounted on said standard for removing dust from the cup and depositing the same in a receptacle, said last named means including a hollow member providing communication with the interior of said cup and said receptacle, said hollow member comprising a hose extending substantially parallel to said yoke and supported thereon, a length of tubing mounted in said hollow member in such a manner that when compressed air is discharged from said tubing the direction of discharge will be away from said cup.

/ 2. In a dust collecting apparatus, a vertical standard comprising a plate adapted to rest on the floor of a mine tunnel, a vertical shaft integral with said plate and having an upper end forming a piston, a sleeve member in telescoping relation with said shaft, an inclined yoke having its lower end rigidly connected to the upper end of said sleeve member and comprising a pair of spaced arms, a cup pivotally carried between the arms of said yoke at the upper free end of the yoke, said yoke arms outwardly diverging from said sleeve member and extending upwardly at an obtuse angle with respect thereto, an apertured diaphragm of elastic material in the bottom of said cup to permit the cup to receive the end of a drill, a tube secured to the periphery of the cup extending substantially parallel to said yoke and supported thereon, said tube having an end adjacent the top of said standard and having its interior communicating with the interior of the cup, a dust receiving receptacle carried by the end of said tube adjacent the top of said vertical standard, a compressed air line communicating with the interior of said sleeve member above said piston end of the shaft to permit said sleeve to be raised in order to position the cup in contact with the mine tunnel roof, an auxiliary line leadin from said compressed air line exteriorly of said sleeve, the remote end of said auxiliary line communicating with the interior of said metallic tube adjacent its point of connection with the cup, a nozzle formed on said line remote end whereby compressed air will be directed by said nozzle within the tube so as to cause drilled particles in the cup to be deposited in said receptacle.

GEORGE CLINTON FRANCIS. ROSCOE BROWNING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,223,027 Brackett Apr. 17, 1917 1,930,099 Kelley Oct. 10,1933 2,079,417 Markley May 4, 1937 2,107,552 Smith Feb. 8, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 133,960 Great Britain Oct. 14, 1920 338,730 Germany June 30, 1921

Images