US2738179A - Mobile brattice machine and ramp for mines - Google Patents

Description

March 13, 1956 1 F, JY 2,738,179

MOBILE BRATTICE MACHINE AND RAMP FOR MINES ATTORNEY J. F. JoY

Mmh 1s, 195e MOBILE BRATTICE MACHINE AND RAMP PQR MINES Filed March 10, 1953 5 Sneets-Sheet 2 o Y o o O O O s m Q INVENTOR JOSEPH F. JOY

ATTORNEY March 13, 1956 J. F. JOY 2,738,179

MOBILE BRATTICE MACHINE AND RAMPFOR MINES Filed March 10, 1955 3 S'neecs-Shexef, 3

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ATTORNEYl United States Patent O MOBILE BRATTICE MACHINE AND RAMP FR MINES Joseph F. Joy, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner to Joy Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 10, 1953, Serial No. 341,538

4 Claims. (CI. 262-34) This invention relates to mining equipment and particularly to a combined ventilator or brattice curtain and ramp mechanism especially designed for use in underground coal mines. v

in my copending application Serial No. 296,323, tiled I une 30, 1952, a Ibore and sprag method of mining is disclosed wherein special brattice machines and stoppings are employed to control the ventilation in the mines, and the present invention resides particularly in the brattice machine which herein embodies a ventilator or 'brattice curtain and ramp mounted on a mobile base. The present invention contemplates improvements over known types of brattice equipment in that the brattice curtain is readily mobile and is power operated and adjusted and has associated therewith a ramp providing a trackway whereby other portable mining equipment may pass over the ramp across the brattice machine without the need of 'bodily maneuvering or repositioning of the machine.

An object of this invent-ion is to provide an improved brattice machine especially designed for use in controlling the ventilation in an underground coal mine. Another object is `to provide an improved brattice curtain mechanism which is readily mobile and power operated and adjusted. Yet another object is to provide an improved brattice machine having a ramp associated therewith whereby other pieces of portable mining equipment may pas-s across the machine without need for bodily removing or repositioning of the latter. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved mobile brattice machine, showing `the same in operating position in a mine passageway.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged central longitudinal vertical section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2, showing a portion of the crawler base and the ramp plate pivot.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3, showing one of the tilting cylinders for the chamber plate.

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3, showing the pivot for the swingable curtain frame.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 7 7 of Fig. l, showing a portion of the curtain drive.

Fig. 8 is a detail section taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 9, and cutting through the curtain with the latter in lowered position.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 2, illustrating a portion of the curtain structure and its guide.

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Fig. l0 is a diagrammatic view illustrating `the hydraulic fluid system of the machine.

The bore and sprag method of mining disclosed in the copending application Serial No. 296,323 'above referred to embodies parallel horizontal bores extending inside of and parallel with the coal face and connected to a right angle panel entry or passageway and one of these bores is designated 1 while the panel entry or passageway is designated 2. To maintain the necessary rate of air flow at the working face of the mine certain of the parallel bores may be blocked oil or obstructed as by the brattice curtains of the special lbrattice machine of the present invention. The parallel horizontal 'bores 1 may have their bottoms 3 at a slightly higher level than the lloor 4 of the panel entry, and a shoulderlike vertical surface 5 is provided at the juncture of a bore with the entry, as shown in Fig. 1. In order to permit auxiliary mining or service equipment to move from the entry past the brattice machine into the bore and vice versa, the brattice machine may have a ramp embodied therein providing a trackway to permit ready passage of such equipment over the machine base between the bore Vand entry.

The Ibrattice machine and ramp comprises a mobile unit generally designated 6 and includes a mobile base herein desirably a crawler base 7 having a frame 8 mounted on endless crawler treads 9 of a conventional design. Pivotally mounted at 10 to swing about a horizontal transverse axis on the crawler frame is a swingable curtain frame 11 on which a brattice curtain 12 is guided for raising and lowering movements, and extending between the crawler treads on the frame 8 is an inclined ramp 13 provided with a tiltable ramp plate 14 pivoted at 15 on the base frame. Reversible power jacks 16, desirably in the form of hydraulic cylinders, extend between the sides ofthe base frame and the sides of the curtain frame 11 for swinging the latter in vertical planes about its pivot between its raised operative position shown in full lines in Fig. l and its lowered transport position shown in broken lines in that ligure. Similar reversible power jacks 17, likewise in the form ot hydraulic cylinders, are connected between the sides of the base and the pivoted ramp plate 14 for tilting the latter in vertical planes a'bout its pivot 15. The ramp plate 14 is swingable downwardly into engagement with the iloor of the entry. The power jacks 16 and 17 are operable to hold the curtain frame and ramp plate firmly in adjusted positions.

The curtain frame 11 is swingable upwardly about its pivot on the crawler base into an upright position wherein it abuts the shoulder 5 of the juncture of the bore with the entry and the curtain frame is desirably curved or outwardly bulged at 18 to fit closely against the `adjacent curved sidewall ot' the entry, as shown in Fig. l. lournalled in bearings 19 (Fig. 7) at the upper portion of the curtain frame 11 is a horizontal transversely extending shaft Ztl to which a curtain roller 21 (see also Figures 3 and 9) is secured. Mounted at the sides of the curtain frame are reversible motors 22, lherein desirably conventional hydraulic motors, having worms 23 fixed to their power shafts and these worms mesh with worm wheels 24 respectively secured to the opposite ends of the roller shaft 20. The curtain is of exible, articulated, metal strip construction composed of a series of pivotally connected or hinged metal interlocking plates or strips and is secured at its upper end at 25 (Fig. 9) to the roller 21 and at its lower end to a weighted guide 26 which is slidingly guided at its ends in suitable guides 27 (see also Fig. 8) provided by the side frames 28 of the curtain frame 11. Thus the motors 22 may be operated in unison to drive the curtain roller in either direction to eiect raising and lowering of the brattice curtain.

Now referring to the hydraulic uid system shown diagrammatically in Fig. 10, it will be noted that a motor 30, desirably an electric motor carried by one of the tread frames, may effect drive of a conventional liquid pump 31 which has its suction side connected by a conduit 32 to a liquid tank 33 and its discharge side connected by conduit 34 to the pressure passage of a valve box 35 of a conventional control valve mechanism. The discharge passage of the valve box is connected by a conduit 36 back to the tank. The valve box has usual parallel bores receiving control valves 37, 38 and 39 each having an operating handle. The bore containing the valve 37 is connected by branched conduits 40 and 41 to the opposite ends of the swing cylinders 16 for the curtain frame, while the bore containing the valve 38 is connected lby branched conduits 4Z and 43 to the opposite sides of the reversible hydraulic motors Z2. The bore containing the valve 39 is connected by branched conduits 44 and 45 to the opposite ends of the hydraulic tilt -cylinders 17 for the ramp plate. Thus by properly operating the control valves the curtain frame and the ramp plate may be swung in opposite directions about their pivots and the curtain drive motors 22 may be operated in either of opposite directions to raise and lower the curtain as desired. The valve may be positioned to trap liquid within the hydraulic cylinders and the motors tirn'xly to lock the parts in adjusted position, in a well known manner.

The auxiliary service or mining equipment which may travel between the `bore and the panel entry may assume various forms such as a mine or service car indicated in dotted lines at 50 in Fig. 1 and this car may have its wheels 51 travel along the curved bottom wall of the bore 1, as shown in Fig. 1. It desired, a conventional electronic control device or control switch designated 52 in Fig. 1 may be mounted on the curtain trame, on the bore wall or otherwise mounted, so that when it is actuated by the approaching car 50 or other equipment the control valve for the curtain drive motors 22 may be actuated to effect automatic raising of the brattice curtain to permit the mine or service car or other equipment to pass through the then open center of the curtain frame and along the trackway provided by the ramp 13 of the crawler base. As the auxiliary mining equipment passes over the ramp the curtain may be automatically lowered. Thus the mining equipment which passes through the bore between the latter and the panel entry may move across the 'brattice machine without the need of bodily maneuvering or repositioning of the machine. A control device 53 on the base controls the pump motor. sired to move the brattice machine from one place to another about the mine the curtain frame may vbe swung downwardly into its lowered transport position on the crawler base and the crawler treads may be operated in a known manner to effect propulsion and steering of the machine.

As a result of this invention an improved brattice machine especially designated for use in controlling the ventilation of an underground coal mine is provided which is not only readily mobile but which is also power operated and controlled. By the provision of the swingable frame for the brattice curtain and the power adjusting means therefor, the curtain frame may be quickly adjusted into upright operating position, and the curtain When it is dedrive motors may be operated to raise and lower the 'brattice curtain as desired. By incorporating the ramp within the brattice machine it is possible for the mining equipment to pass between the bore and the panel entry without needed bodily repositioning of the machine, simply by raising the brattice curtain to permit the equipment to pass through the open center of the frame and over the ramp. These and other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modied and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What l claim as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. in a mobile brattice machine for use in a mine passageway, comprising a mobile base adapted to travel over the tloor of the mine, an upright open centered frame arranged transversely of said base and having a surface about its margin engageable with an end wall surrounding the passageway in relatively tight contact therewith, and a brattice curtain guided for raising and lowering on said upright frame to open and close the open center of said frame, said frame cooperating with said curtain when the latter is closed to provide a closure for said passageway to obstruct any flow of air through said passageway, `and means for adjusting said curtain relative to said frame partially or completely to open the center of said frame to regulate air flow through said passageway.

2. A brattice machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said curtain frame is adjustably mounted on said base and means is provided for adjusting said frame from its upright operating position downwardly into a lowered transport position with respect to said base.

3. A brattice machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base has a frame over which equipment traveling through the mine passageway may pass when said curtain is adjusted to open the center of said upright frame while the latter remains in tight contact with the end wall of said passageway.

4. A 'brattice machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein control means is provided actuated by such equipment traveling in the mine passageway so that as the equipment approaches the machine said adjusting means for said curtain is automatically operated to effect opening of said curtain to permit passage of such equipment through the open center of said upright frame and over said base frame.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 160,436 Johnson Mar. 2, 1875 284,454 Mallory Sept. 4, 1883 1,419,357 Carter June 13, 1922 1,442,769 Jackson et al. Jan. 16, 1923 2,462,868 Ives Mar. 1, 1949 2,513,152 Delivuk June 27, 1950 2,564,067 Karp Aug. 14, 1951

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