US3104751A - Mining machine - Google Patents

Description

p 1963 A. B. JACKSON ETAL 3,104,751

MINING MACHINE Filed April 29, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet l M 6, W? awe n. 9

Sept. 24, 1963 A. B. JACKSON ETAL MINING MACHINE Filed April 29, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 24, 1963 A. B. JACKSON ETAL MINING MACHINE s Sheets-Shed :s

FilecI April 29. 1960 9 Q a i United States Patent Oflice 3,104,751 MINING MACHINE Allton B. Jackson, Nashville, and Earl C. Michael, Hoyleton, 111., assignors to National Mine Service Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of West Virginia Filed Apr. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 25,688 8 Claims. (Cl. 198-1) This invention relates to mining machines, and with regard to certain more specific features, to improved supporting means therein for hydraulic pump assemblies.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a mining machine of the type having an overhead conveyor boom under which is normally located a hydraulic pump assembly, adapted by means of the invention conveniently to be reached for cleaning and removal of stray material and fines which fall upon the assembly; the provision of apparatus of the class described incorporating a swingab-le bumper for supporting said pump assembly in such a way that it is not required to be lifted against gravity during movement required for cleaning; and the provision of apparatus of this class which is of low cost and rugged construction. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible .embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the rear end of a mining machine in which the invention is used, showing a swingable bumper in closed position;

FIG. 2 isa fragmentary horizontal section viewed on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing said swingab-le bumper in open position; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The type of mining machine to which the invention is applied is generally known, having a bed carried upon endless tracks, the bed at the front carrying boring equipment which delivers broken material to a conveyor. The conveyor passes from a low point at the front of the machine and over rearward bumper portions to effect rearward delivery of coal, mineral or other material to suitable transport equipment.

Referring to the drawings, the pertinent rearward parts of such a mining machine are illustrated, the frame being shown at numeral 1, mounted on endless tracks, one of which is shown at 3. At 5 is shown the overhead conveyor boom in which conveyor 7 operates to deliver broken material rearwa-rdly.

Ordinarily, a frame such as 1 has a heavy rigid bumper part extending transversely across the back of the machine between side portions such as shown at 9 and 10. Within such a conventional bumper part is ordinarily located its motorized hydraulic pump assembly, being bolted upon the rearward bed of the machine in a position under the boom 5. As is the case with the usual conveyor, broken material such as coal, fines and the like will sift through and drop upon the pump assembly, from which it is thereafter difficult to remove. This is in View of the (fact that the pump assembly is of intricate external form and inconveniently located in the well formed by the usual immovable bumper of the machine. The

Patented Sept. 24, 1963 fact that the boom 5 closely overlies the well makes more difiicult the required cleaning operations. It is to the problem of simplifying the cleaning out and removal of such undesirable material from the motorized pump assembly parts that the present invention is addressed.

Referring again to the drawings, the rearward portion of the frame l is formed with a transom 11 provided with a stiffening post 15 and located behind main bed portions 13. On one side of the bed portions 16 are carried supporting pads 17. This construction leaves certain openings l9 through-which some of the material escaping from the conveyor 7 may drop. It also provides means for supporting an oil tank 21 to one side of the frame 1.

At numeral 23 is shown a swingable rear bumper of gate form, which by means of a pin 25 is vertically pivoted at one end to side portion 9. Its other fireely swingable end is provided with lugs 29 having vertical holes 27. The upper lug 29 is designed to swing to align the upper hole 27 above a hole 31 in part 10 while the lower lug 29 locates the lower hole 27 above a hole 33 in a lug 35 of part 10, so that the bumper 23- may be swung open (FIGS. 3 and 4) and shut (FIGS. 1 and 2). When shut, the holes 27, 31 and 33 are in alignment for reception of a locking pin 37.

Mounted on the swingable bumper 23 is the motorized hydraulic pump assembly 39, which was heretofore fixedly mounted on parts of the bed portions 13. Mounting on the bumper 23 is accomplished by means of a plate 41 extending inward as a shelf from the bumper and on which the base of motor 43 of the assembly is bolted. This plate is braced as shown at 45. Portions 46'of the plate 41 are adapted when the bumper 23 is swung shut to ride upon the supporting pads 17. To facilitate this, the pads are formed with slight rearward slopes for freely receiving the corner portions 4 6 as they swing into position, and thereafter supporting them. Thus while the plate 41 acts as a cantilever when the gate 23* is open, it acts as a four-corner supported plate when the gate 23 is closed.

The motorized pump assembly carried on the shelf plate 41 is constituted by a gear box 47 forming a drive between the motor 43 and various hydraulic pumps such as shown, for example, at 49, 5-1, 53, carried on the gear box 4 7. Such pumps are supplied with flexible hoses 55 for circulating hydraulic fluid to and from various devices on the mining machine which require hydraulic operation.

At numeral 57 is shown a junction box attached to the bumper 23, to one side of which is attached an electric supply cable 59 and to the other side of which is attached a flexible electric control cable 61, leading to appropriate control means in the machine. In order properly to support the supply cable 59 on the bumper 23, there is provided an inlet born 63 for the cable. This horn is carried on the upper lug 29 of the bumper 23. Adjacent the lower lug 29' is carried a chain anchor 65 for a drag chain 67 which extends to a clamping block 69 on the supply cable 59. The supply lines 55 for the assembly 39 and the cable 61 are flexible and have sufficient slack when in the closed position such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 so that they may be drawn out freely when the apparatus is in the open position, such as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Operation is as follows:

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the bumper 23 is shown as being shut and locked by means of pin 37. Under these conditions, the assembly 39 is supported between the bumper 23 and the pads 17. In this position of the parts, the flexible hoses 55 are pushed back into position above the bed portions 13. As above made clear, broken fines and material from the conveyor 7 may fall on the assembly 39, some of it falling through the openings 19. When it is desired to clean the parts, the pin 37 is removed and the bumper 23 swung back, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. This brings the assembly 39 into accessible position by an operator standing at or near a point such 'as X, from which foreign material may be removed conveniently by suitable cleaning tools such as brushes and the like, the material freely falling away rather than, as heretofore, being required to be scooped out of a pocket within arrigid bumper. When the bumper 23 isin open position, the hoses 55 become withdrawn from their locations over the bed portions 13, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

It will be noted that the amount of slack in the flexible members 55 and 61 is minimized by having the mounting shelf 41 located close to the pivot 25, thus minimizing swinging movement of the assembly 39. Also, since the bumper 23 preferably swings horizontally, so does the motorized pump assembly 39, which means that there is no lifting action applied against the gravitational Weight of this assembly when it is swung. This weight is substantial, since the motor 43 may be on the order of 50 hp. capacity or so and the bumper gate 23 must be heavily constructed for ruggedness. Thus the force required for opening the bumper 23 is only that needed to overcome friction at the pivot 25 and forces needed to bend and snake the flexible hoses 55 and cable 61.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advan tageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. In a mining machine having a motorized pump assembly; the improvement comprising a main frame with rearward frame portions transversely spaced from one another to provide a rear opening between them,a swingable bumper gate pivoted to the frame on one side of the opening and having a freely swingable end for opening and closing movements of said gate with respect to said opening, means adapted to lock the gate in closed position, and shelf-like means projecting from the inside of said bumper gate adapted to support the motorized pump assembly for svvingingmovement into said opening when the gate is swung in its closing movement.

2. In a mining machine having a main frame bed and an overhead conveyor boom extending from the rear end of the bed, a motorized pump assembly below said boom; the improvement comprising rear sidevvard upright frame portions on the bed transversely spaced from one another to provide a rear opening between them, a horizontally swirl-gable bumper gate pivoted to one sideW-ard portion and adapted to open and close said opening, means {adapted to lock the swingable end of the gate to the other sideward portion of the opening, and supporting means extending from the inside of said bumper gate into the bed adapted to support the motorized pump assembly for withdrawal through said opening when the gate is swung t open.

3. A mining machine according to claim 2, including supporting means on said bed spaced inwardly from its 7 zontally freely swingable end engageable with the other I side of the opening, means adapted to lock said gateya motorized pump assembly, a cantilever bracket extending from the inside of the gate adjacent its pivoted end adapted to support said motorized pump assembly for movement through said opening.

6. A mining machine according to'claim 5, wherein said rear end portion spaced inwardly from the opening includes supporting means adapted to be engaged by said cantilever bracket for support thereof when said gate is closed.

7. A mining machine having a rear end portion provided with a transverse opening, a horizontally swingable bumper gate pivoted at one end'to one side of the opening and having a freely swingable end, means adapted to lock said swingable end to the opposite side of the opening, a motorized pump assembly, a bracket extending from the inside of the gate adjacent its pivoted end adapted to support said motorized pump assembly for movement through said opening adjacent said pivoted end, said rear end portion including supporting means spaced a substantial distance from said opening and adapted to be engaged by the extended part of said bracket for support when said gate is closed, and flexible hydraulic lines and flexible control cable means extending from said assembly into the mining machine at the swinging end of the bumper gate of suflicient slack to accommodate opening gate movement.

8. In a mining machine, a main frame with rear portions spaced apart transversely of the frame and providing a rear opening between them, a bumper gate pivoted to the firame at one side of said opening and having a freely swinging end toropening and closing movements of said gate with respect to said opening, means for locking the gate in closed position, a shelf-like structure projecting from the inside of said gate, and a motorized pump assembly mounted on said shelf-like structure and movable therewith through said opening when the gate is swung away from and toward the frame rear portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Feb. 27, 1957

Claims (1)

1. IN A MINING MACHINE HAVING A MOTORIZED PUMP ASSEMBLY; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A MAIN FRAME WITH REARWARD FRAME PORTIONS TRANSVERSELY SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER TO PROVIDE A REAR OPENING BETWEEN THEM, A SWINGABLE BUMPER GATE PIVOTED TO THE FRAME ON ONE SIDE OF THE OPENING AND HAVING A FREELY SWINGABLE END FOR OPENING AND CLOSING MOVEMENTS OF SAID GATE WITH RESPECT TO SAID OPENING, MEANS ADAPTED TO LOCK THE GATE IN CLOSED POSITION, AND SHELF-LIKE MEANS PROJECTING FROM THE INSIDE OF SAID BUMPER GATE ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE MOTORIZED PUMP ASSEMBLY FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT INTO SAID OPENING WHEN THE GATE IS SWUNG IN ITS CLOSING MOVEMENT.

Images