US3141703A

US3141703A - Continuous mining machine of the ripper type

Info

Publication number: US3141703A
Application number: US201990A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gonski Joseph
Original assignee: Goodman Manufacturing Co LP
Current assignee: Goodman Manufacturing Co LP
Priority date: 1962-06-12
Filing date: 1962-06-12
Publication date: 1964-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 1981-07-21

Description

July 21, 1964 J. GONSKI 3,141,703

CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE OF THE RIPPER TYPE Filed June 12, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Joseph Gonsk/ July 21, 1964 J. GONSKI CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE OF THE RIPPER TYPE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 12, 1962 INVENTOR- Jose ah Gar/ski P BY July 21, 1964 J. GONSKI CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE OF THE RIPPER TYPE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 12, 1962 w w @VM July 21, 1964 J. GONSKI 3,141,703

' coNTINpous MINING MACHINE OF THE RIPPER TYPE INVENTOR. Joseph onskl 374d M M United States Patent 3,141,703 CONTINIUQUE MiNlNG MACHINE OF THE REFER TYPE Joseph Gonski, Chicago, 111., assignor to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Ghicago, iii a corporation of Illinois Filed June 12, 1962, Ser. No. Ziilfidii 10 Claims. ((31. 2997 1) This invention relates to improvements in mining ma-- chines and more particularly relates to an improved form of continuous mining machine mining by the feeding of a rotary mining head into and vertically along the working face of a mine and commonly known as a ripper type of mining machine.

A principal object of the present invention is to reduce the power consumption of continuous mining machines of the ripper type, by oscillatibly driving the mining head of the machine along its axis as it rotates and by stabilizing oscillatory movement of the mining head by nonoscillatory mining heads at each end thereof.

Another object of the invention is to improve upon ripper mining heads heretofore in use by oscillatibly moving the head along its axis during rotation thereof, and by providing stabilizing mining heads at each end of the rotary mining head arranged to cut along the ribs and face of the working place and to convey the mined material inwardly toward the center of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to stabilize rotary and oscillatory movement of a rotary mining head of the ripper type by mounting non-oscillatible stabilizing mining heads at each end of the rotary mining head for rotation with the rotary mining head, and by providing conveying spirals on the stabilizing mining heads having cutter bits projecting therefrom and pitched to exert axial inward forces on the frame of the machine, and to progress the mined material toward the center of the machine for gathering.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of ripper type continuous mining machine having a rotary mining head rotatably driven and oscillatibly movable along its axis, and having end nonoscillating rotary mining heads forming a support for the oscillatory movable mining head and a drive means therefor.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a ripper type of continuous mining machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation of the forward end portion of the machine shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the front end portion of the machine shown in FIGURE 1 showing one half of the mining head in horizontal section;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken through the oscillatory rotary mining head; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the machine showing the stabilizing mining heads in retracted positions for tramming.

In FIGURE 1 of the drawings I have shown a continuous mining machine of the ripper type having a central oscillatory mining head 11 oscillatibly movable along its axis as it rotates and having outer stabilizing mining heads 12 at opposite ends of the oscillatible mining head and rotatable about an axis coaxial with the axis of rotation of the oscillatory mining head, but held from oscillatory movement during the mining operation.

The mining machine 10 also includes a main frame 13 aouuted on laterally spaced continuous traction tread 3,1413% Patented July 21, 1964.

N'Ce

devices 15, propelling the machine along the ground from working place to working place at a high tramming speed, and advancing the machine at a relatively low feeding speed, to feed the mining heads 11 and 12 into the working face of a mine.

The mining heads 11 and 12 are supported in advance of a cross frame structure 16, spaced in advance of the main frame 13 and extending across the forward end thereof, and supported on the forward end of a boom structure including parallel spaced boom arms 17, extending along opposite sides of a conveyor 19. The arms 17 are pivoted to the main frame 13 on transverse pivot pins 20. The boom structure also includes a pan 21 extending across the tops of the arms 17 and serving as a reinforcing structure for said arms. The pan 21 has a central open portion 23 formed therein and extending along opposite sides of the conveyor 19 to accommodate said pan to move beneath the top of said conveyor.

The conveyor 19' is shown as being a conventional laterally flexible single strand chain and flight conveyor and extends from a position adjacent the ground in advance of the forward end of the main frame 13 in an upwardly inclined direction along an inclined ground engaging boom 24 and horizontally along the top of the main frame 13 beyond the rear end thereof, for discharging the mined material into shuttle cars or other material transporting means.

The inclined boom 24 has a ground engaging shoe 25 extending across the forward end portion thereof and sup- 1 porting said boom on the ground during the loading operation. The boom 24 also has an inclined apron 26 ex' shown or described further. The apron 26 also has angu-- larly outwardly and upwardly flared cuttings collector pans 30 mounted thereon for lateral movement with the stabilizing mining heads 12, as said heads are laterally adjusted to extend for the width of the working place and to be retracted with the stabilizing mining heads 12.

The boom 24, apron 26 and gathering devices 27 and collector pans 30 may be raised above the ground when tramming the machine from working place to working place in a suitable manner, well known to those skilled in the art so not herein shown or described.

The

boom arms

17, 17 and mining heads 11 and 12 are raised and lowered by hydraulic cylinders 31 having piston rods 32 extensible therefrom. The hydraulic cylin ders 31 are trunnioned on each side of the inclined boom 24 on trunnion pins 33. Said trunnion pins are trunnioned in the outer wall of said inclined boom and in a strap or bracket 35 extending about the cylinder and suitably mounted at its inner ends to the outer wall of said boom 24. Each piston rod 32 is pivotally connected to a bracket 36 by a pin 37. The bracket 36 is mounted on the outer side of a lower extension 39 of the associated boom arm 17, in advance of the forward end of the main frame 13, as shown in FIGURE 2.

The mining heads 11 and 12 may thus be elevated to positions to cut along the mine roof by the admission of fluid under pressure to the head ends of the cylinders 31 and by the holding of fluid under pressure in said, cylinders under the control of suitable valves (not shown) The admission of fluid under pressure to the piston rod. ends of the cylinders 31 will move the mining heads 11 and 12 downwardly along the working place, to mine the;

3 working face. In many cases, however, since the mining heads are cutting while moving from the roof to floor of the mine, the weight of the mining heads will be sufiicient to advance the mining heads toward the ground, While being rotatably driven.

Referring now to the mining heads 11 and 12, the stabilizing mining heads 12 each comprise a cutter drum 40 having a scroll 41 extending along the face thereof in a helical path and projecting radially outwardly therefrom. Cutter bits 47 are mounted in and project radially outwardly from said scroll, certain of said cutter bits being angularly pitched to cut clearance for said scroll, and the outermost cutter bits 43 being positioned to cut alongthe ribs of the working place.

The helical scrolls 41 on the cutter drums 40 are pitched to exert inward'forces on said mining heads, and to progress the material mined toward the center of the machine.

The cutter drum 40 is shown in FIGURE 3 as being journalled on a stationary drum 44 on spaced anti-friction bearings 45. The stationary drum 44 has an arm 46 extending radially therefrom toward the cross frame structure 16'and welded or otherwise secured at its rear end to a plate 47 extending inwardly of said arm. The arm 46 has a slot 48 extending therealong intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof and receiving a drive shaft 49 for driving the mining heads from a motor 56, it being understood from FIGURES 1 and that an individual motor 50 is provided for driving each mining head. The shaft'49 is shown as having a bevel pinnion 51 splined to its inner end, meshing with and driving a bevel gear 53 formed integrally with an internally splined sleeve 54.

The outer end of the internally splined sleeve 54 has an annular flange 55 extendingradially outwardly therefrom abutting the inner end of an end wall 56 of the drum 40 and secured thereto as by machine screws 57. The sleeve 54 is journalled at its end opposite the flange 55 in the stationary drum 44' on ananti-friction bearing 59.

The two mining heads 12 are constructed in a similar manner so one only need herein be shown and described in detail. The internally splined sleeve 54 has a splined end 61 of a drive shaft 63 splined thereto. The drive shaft 63 has a central externally splined portion 65 meshing with an internally splined portion 66 of the oscillatory mining head 11 and forming a drive and support for said oscillatory mining head.

Each drive shaft 49 extends rearwardly along the arm 46 in the slot 48 through a laterally overhanging portion 66'of the plate 47 and is driven from a universal joint indicated generally by reference character 67. The universal joint 67 may be of a conventional form and preferably maybe a constant velocity type of universal joint 67. The universal joint 67 is driven from an extensible drive shaft '69 driven from a universal coupling 70 at its rear end, which may also be a conventional form of constant velocity universal joint. The universal coupling 70 is in turn driven from'the motor 50 through suitable reduction gearing contained within a gear housing 71 secured to and extending forwardly of a front end plate 72 of the motor 50.

Each motor 50 is mounted on and extends outwardly of and forwardly along the outer side of a horizontally swingable mounting plate 73 mounted beneath the pan 21 for slidable movement therealong. As shown in FIG- URE 1 each mounting plate 73 has an ear 74 extending inwardly therefrom adjacent the rear end portion thereof along the underside of the pan 21 and pivotally connected thereto as. by a pivot pin 75. The mounting plate 73 has a slot 76 extending longitudinally along its outer end portion having a block 77 slidably guided therein. The block 77 is secured to a connector plate 79 and is retained thereto by gibs 78 slidably engaging the inner side of the mounting plate 73. The connector plate 79 has spaced ears 81 extending along opposite sides of a connector 82 and pivotally connected thereto as by a pivot pin 83. The connector 82 extends rearwardly of a rear plate 85 of a generally box like support and guide structure 86 for the mining head 12 and moves the associated mounting plate 73 and motor 50 about the axis of the pivot pin 75 to follow the support and guide structure 86 and cutter drum 40 upon lateral adjustment of said cutter drum.

The box like support and guide structure 86 includes the front plate 47, a rear plate 85, parallel spaced plates 87 and 88 connecting the plate 47 to the plate 85, and top and bottom plates 89 closing opposite ends of said plates and with the plates 47, 85, 87 and 88 forming a rigid box like support for the arm 46 and the mining head 12. The support and guide structure 86 is slidably guided for adjustable movement along the outer side of the cross frame structure 16. As shown in FIGURE 3 the cross frame structure 16 has slots 91 opening to opposite ends thereof through which extend the connectors 82 to accommodate adjustable movement of the mining heads 12 along the cross frame structure 16. The support and guide structures 86 are slidably supported on the cross frame structure 16 on guide members 93 secured to the top and bottom plates 89 as by machine screws 94. The guide members 93 extended rearwardly of the plates 89 and have facing channelled guides 95 formed therein, having slidable guiding engagement with the upper and lower sides of the cross frame structure 16, and retaining the support and guide structure 86 thereto for adjustable movement therealong.

The mining heads 12 and support and guide structures 86 are moved along the cross frame structure 16 by hydraulic cylinders 96 having piston rods 97 extensible therefrom. The cylinders 96 are shown in FIGURE 3 as being pivotally connected to a connector 99 extending forwardly of the cross frame structure 16, at the transverse center thereof, on pivot pins 108. The piston rods 97 extend through open portions of the plates 88 within the support and guide structures 86 and are pivotally connected at their free ends to connectors 101 extending inwardly of the plates 85, on pivot pins 103.

The hydraulic cylinders 96 may thus adjust the positions of the stabilizing mining heads 12 and may retain said stabilizing mining heads in position during the cutting operation, to cut along the ribs of the working place and to cut downwardly along the face of the working place. The hydraulic cylinders 96 may also retractibly movethe stabilizing mining heads 12 into telescopic relation with respect to the oscillatory mining head 11, to the positions shown in FIGURE 5, when it isdesired to tram the machine from one working place to another.

It should here be understood that the mounting plates 73 supporting the motors 50, and gear reduction housing 71 are angularly moved about the axes of the pivot pins 75 by their connections to the support structure 86 as the stabilizing mining heads are moved to their various positions of adjustment with respect to the oscillatory mining head 11, to effect a drive to said stabilizing mining heads and to the oscillatory mining head 11 in all positions of adjustment of said stabilizing mining heads with respect to said oscillatory mining head.

The oscillatory mining head 11 comprises two spaced drums 105, shown as having cylindrical peripheries having radial flanges 186, 106 extending radially from opposite ends thereof. Cutter bits 107 are mounted on and extend radially from said radial flanges and are pitched at varying angles with respect to said flanges, to cut clearance therefor.

.The drums 185 are connected together by a central reduced diameter inner end portion 109 having a central recess 110 formed therein. The central recess 110 forms a mounting for a bearing 111 carried on the outer end of an arm 112 extending radially inwardly of said hearing toward the transverse frame structure 16, and shown in FIGURE 3 as having a cylinder 113 formed integrally with the rear end portion of said arm, and extending laterally therefrom in opposite directions. The arm 112 has a split bearing support 115 at its forward end, to accommodate the mounting of said arm on the bearing 111 and to enable said arm to move the mining head 11 back and forth along the shaft 63, during rotation of said mining head. The reduced diameter portion 109 has a sleeve 116 spaced inwardly therefrom and shown in FIGURE 3 as being formed integrally therewith, the central outer periphery of the central portion of said sleeve forming the inner margin of the bearing recess 110. The sleeve 116 has internal splines 64 formed therein, and provides a drive from the shaft 63 to the cutter drums 195 as said mining head moves back and forth along the shaft 63.

Each cutter drum 105 also has a central partition 117 extending radially inwardly therefrom having a central open portion 118. The central partition 117 has an annular bearing support 119 mounted thereon as by machine screws 120 and extending within the central open portion 118. The bearing support 119 carries a bearing 121, forming a bearing for the drive shaft 63, and forming a support for the cutter drum 105 on said drive shaft.

The cylinder 113 extends to opposite sides of the arm 112 and is slidably guided at its ends in cylindrical casings 123 extending inwardly of the end plates 88 of the support and guide structures 86. A piston 124 is slidably mounted within the cylinder 113 and has a piston rod 125 extending therefrom through a head 126. The piston rod 125 is connected at its outer end between vertically spaced connector ears 127 on a pivot pin 129. The connector ears 127 extend forwardly of the cross frame structure 16.

It may thus be seen that when fluid under pressure is admitted to one end of the cylinder 113, the mining head 11 will be moved along its drive shaft 63 in one direction and when fluid under pressure is admitted to the opposite end of said cylinder, the direction of movement of said mining head along the drive shaft 63 will be reversed. Suitable valve means (not shown) may be provided which may be alternately operated by a suitable operating and control means (not shown), to first supply fluid under pressure to one end of the cylinder 113 and to then supply fluid under pressure to the opposite end of said cylinder, to oscillatibly move the mining head 11 along the drive shaft 63 as said mining head is rotatably driven by said drive shaft.

In operation of the machine, the machine is moved up to the working face by operation of the continuous traction tread devices 15. The inclined boom 24 is then lowered to engage the shoe 25 with the ground. The boom arms 17 are also raised by the admission of fluid under pressure to the head ends of the cylinders 31, to position the mining heads 11 and 12 to cut along the roof of the working place. The stabilizing mining heads 12 are then moved outwardly by operation of the cylinders 96, to position the outermost cutter bits 43 to out along the ribs of the working place and define the width of the Working place.

The motors 50 are then started to rotatably drive the mining heads 11 and 12 and power is alternately supplied to one end or the other of the cylinder 113, to oscillatibly drive the oscillatory mining head 11 back and forth along the shaft 63 as the shaft rotatably drives said mining head. During rotational and oscillatory movement of the mining head 11 and rotational movement of the mining heads 12, the continuous traction tread devices 15 feed the mining heads 11 and 12 into the working face to the required depth. The boom arms 17 and mining heads 11 and 12 are then lowered under the control of the cylinders 31 and the piston rods 32 retractibly movable within said cylinders to feed said mining heads downwardly towards the mine floor, all while the mining head 11 is rotating and oscillatibly moving along its axis and the stabilizing mining heads are rotating at the speed of rotation of the mining head 11 to stabilize the forward 6 end of the machine and hold the machine from moving back and forth with the mining head 11.

As the mining heads 11 and 12 have advanced downwardly to the floor line, rotation and oscillatible movement of the mining heads 11 and 12 is stopped and the boom arms 17 are elevated a distance sufficient to raise the mining heads 11 and 12 above the floor. The machine may then be moved backwardly a slight distance by operation of the traction tread devices 15, and the boom arms 17 and mining heads are then again raised to the roof line to continue the mining operation in the manner just described.

It should here be understood that as the mining head 11 rotates and is oscillatibly driven along the shaft 63 that the cutter bits 107 moving back and forth as they rotate and are fed vertically along the working place, will cut a diamond like pattern, weakening the coal between the portions that have been out until the coal is broken or cut down and thereby mining the face without leaving the usual cores impeding progress of the mining head.

The mining head 11 by being moved back and forth as it rotates and is advanced vertically along the working face to effect a cutting operation, makes it possible to cut with far less bits than heretofore, and in addition to reducing the number of bits and the resultant time and expense required to change to bits, also cuts the coal away sufficiently to leave no large coresto retard the advance of the mining head, and thereby reduces the power required to rotatably drive the mining head.

The cutter bits 43 of the stabilizing mining heads 12 extending from the scrolls 41, the helixes of which are pitched to exert forces inwardly toward the center of the machine and to convey the mined material toward the center of the machine, retain the machine for moving back and forth with the mining head 11 and thereby stabilize said mining head and the machine, making it possible to cut straight ribs during downward feeding movement of the mining heads.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it may be readily understood that various modifications and variations in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof, as defined by the claims appended hereto.,

I claim as my invention:

1. In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

a rotary mining head supported in advance of said main frame and mounted thereon for vertical movemerit with respect thereto about an axis extending transversely of said main frame,

said mining head including an oscillatory rotatable cutter drum having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof,

a horizontal transverse shaft supporting and driving said cutter drum,

a motor and a geared drive connection from said motor to said shaft,

a hydraulic cylinder and piston connected with said cutter drum for reciprocably moving said cutter drum back and forth along said shaft,

and support means for said shaft including rotatable stabilizing cutter drums mounted at opposite ends of said shaft coaxial with and held from reciprocable movement along said shaft,

and cutting along the ribs of the working place and driven by said shaft.

2. In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame, 7

a boom structure transversely pivoted on said main frame and extending beyond the forward end therei of,

means for angularly moving said boom structure in vertical directions and retaining said boom structure in fixed relation with respect to said main frame,

a rotary mining head mounted on said boom structure in advance of the forward end of said main frame for rotation about a horizontal transverse axis and including an oscillatory rotatable cutter drum reciprocably movable along said horizontal transverse axis and having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof in widely spaced rows, and a stabilizing cutter drum at each end of said oscillatory cutter drum rotatable about said horizontal transverse axis and spaced,

from opposite ends of said oscillatory cutter drum, said stabilizing cutter drums at opposite ends of said oscillatory cutter drum having cutter bits projecting from the'pen'phery thereof and arranged in right and left helical paths to progress the cuttings toward the center of said main frame and to cut alongthe ribs of the working place and thereby stabilize said boom structure and main frame,

means for supporting said stabilizing cutter drums for adjustment towards and from said oscillatory cutter drum and for holding said stabilizing cutter drums in fixed relation with respect thereto, comprising a transverse drive shaft supported on said stabilizing drums and forming a mounting for said oscillatory drum,

a motor, and drive connections from said motor to said drive shaft for rotatably driving said stabilizing and oscillatory cutter drums.

3. In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

rotatable oscillatory cutter means supported in advance of said main frame and mounted thereon for rotation about an axis extending transversely of said main frame and for angular movement with respect to said main frame about a parallel axis disposed rearwardly of said axis of rotation,

a motor for rotatably driving said cutter means,

power means for moving said cutter means back and forth along the axis of rotation of said cutter means,

stabilizing cutter means at each end of said oscillatory cutter means,

mounted for rotation about an axis coaxial with the axis of rotation of said oscillatory cutter means and defining the ribs of a working place,

and means holding said stabilizing cutter means from reciprocable movement along their axes of rotation.

4. In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

a rotary mining head supported in advance of said main frame and mounted thereon for vertical movement with respect thereto, said mining head including a central rotatable oscillatory cutter drum supported and rotatably driven about a horizontal axis extending transversely of said main frame and reciprocably movable along said axis,

and also including stabilizing cutter drums coaxial with and spaced from opposite ends of said oscillatory cutter drum and held from reciprocable movement along their axes of rotation,

one stabilizing cutter drum having a right hand helical scroll extending thereabout having cutter bits projecting outwardly therefrom and the other stabilizing cutter drum having a left hand helical scroll extending thereabout having cutter bits projecting outwardly therefrom,

the pitches of said scrolls progressing the mined material toward said oscillatory cutter drum and exerting inwardly stabilizing forces on said main frame.

5. In a continuous mining machine,

.a main frame,

a rotary mining head supported in advance of said main frame and mounted thereon for angular movement with respect thereto about an axis extending transversely of said main frame,

said mining head including an oscillatory rotatable cutter drum supported for rotatable movement about its axis and for reciprocable movement back and forth along its axis of rotation and having widely spaced rows of cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof,

said mining head also including outer coaxial stabilizing cutter drums mounted at opposite ends of said oscillatory cutter drum and retained from movement along their axes of rotation during the cutting operation,

each stabilizing cutter drum having a conveying spiral extending therealong having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof,

.said conveying spiral on one stabilizing cutter drum a boom structure transversely pivoted to said main frame and extending forwardly of the forward end thereof,

a rotary mining head mounted on said boom structure in advance thereof for rotation about a horizontal axis parallel to the axis of pivotal connection of said boom structure to said main frame,

means for angularly moving said boom structure and said mining head with respect to said main frame in a vertical direction,

said rotary mining head including an oscillatory rotary cutter drum having annular rows of widely spaced cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof,

means reciprocably moving said oscillatory rotary cutter drum back and forth along its axis of rotation during rotation thereof,

said rotary mining head also including a stabilizing rotary cutter drum at each end of said oscillatory rotary cutter drum coaxial with the axis of rotation of said oscillatory cutter drum and having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof,

and means holding said stabilizing cutter drums from reciprocable movement along their axes to exert forces on said holding means and said boom structure tending to hold said boom structure from back and forth movement with said oscillatory cutter drum.

7. In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

a boom structure transversely pivoted to said main frame and extending beyond the forward end thereof,

means for angularly moving said boom structure in vertical directions,

a rotary mining head supported on said boom structure in advance of the forward end of said main frame for rotation about a horizontal axis extending transversely of said main frame and including an oscillatory rotatable cutter drum mounted on said boom structure for reciprocable movement along its axis of rotation and having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof in widely spaced rows,

a stabilizing cutter drum at each end of said oscillatory cutter drum and coaxial therewith,

said stabilizing cutter drums having helical scrolls ex- 3; tending thereabout having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof,

the respective scrolls on opposite stabilizing cutter drums having right and left hand pitches to progress the cuttings toward the center of said main frame,

and means for supporting said stabilizing cutter drums for adjustable movement toward and from said oscillatory cutter drum and for holding said stabilizing cutter drums in fixed relation with respect to said oscillatory cutter drum and from reciprocable movement with respect to said main frame.

In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

a boom structure transversely pivoted to said main frame and extending beyond the forward end thereof, 1

a rotary mining head mounted on said boom structure in advance of the forward end of said main frame for rotation about a horizontal transverse axis,

means for angularly moving said boom structure vertically and feeding said rotary mining head in a vertical direction,

said rotary mining head including an oscillatory rotatable cutter drum mounted on said boom structure for reciprocable movement along its axis of rotation and having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof in widely spaced rows,

and having a stabilizing cutter drum mounted on said boom structure at each end of said oscillatory cutter drum and spaced therefrom,

and rotatable about an axis coaxial with the axis of rotation of said oscillatory cutter drum,

said stabilizing cutter drums having oppositely pitched helical scrolls projecting from the periphery thereof arranged to progress the cuttings toward the center of said main frame during the cutting operation,

support structures for said stabilizing cutter drums holding said stabilizing cutter drums from reciprocable movement along their axes during the cutting operation,

said support structures being mounted for adjustable movement across the front end of said boom structure,

and means for adjustably moving said support structures and stabilizing cutter drums across the forward end of said boom structure to telescope said stabilizing cutter drums with respect to said oscillatory cutter drum for tramming.

9. In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

means for vertically moving said boom structure relative to said main frame about the axis of connection of said boom structure to said main frame,

a cross frame structure extending across the forward end of said boom structure,

cutter supports mounted on said cross frame structure for adjustable movement therealong toward and from each other,

means holding said cutter supports in position with respect to said cross frame structure and adjustably moving said cutter supports along said cross frame structure,

each cutter support having an arm projecting forwardly therefrom having a stabilizing rotary cutter drum mounted thereon for rotation about a horizontal axis extending transversely of said main frame,

said cutter drums being retained from movement along said horizontal axis and having cutter bits projecting from the peripheries thereof,

a shaft supported at its ends on said stabilizing cutter drums,

an oscillatory cutter drum having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof supported on said shaft between said stabilizing cutter drums and rotatably driven by said shaft,

and means mounted on said support structure for moving said oscillatory cutter drum back and forth along said shaft between said stabilizing cutter drums during rotation thereof.

It). In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

a boom arm extending in advance of said main frame,

pivotal support means transversely pivoting said boom arm to said main frame,

means for vertically moving said boom arm about the axis of said pivotal support means,

a support structure extending across the forward end of said boom arm,

cutter supports mounted on said support structure adjacent opposite ends thereof for slidable movement therealong,

hydraulic cylinder and piston means mounted on said support structure for adjustably moving said cutter supports along said support structure toward and from each other,

each cutter support having an arm projecting forwardly therefrom,

a stabilizing cutter drum rotatably mounted on each arm and extending laterally outwardly therefrom and having cutter bits projecting from the peripheries thereof,

a horizontal transverse shaft supported at its ends on said stabilizing cutter drums,

an oscillatory cutter drum having cutter bits projecting from the periphery thereof,

said oscillatory cutter drum being mounted on said shaft between said supports and stabilizing cutter drums and being rotatably driven from said shaft,

means holding said stabilizing cutter drums from movement along their axes during oscillatory movement of said oscillatory cutter drum,

and means for moving said oscillatory cutter drum back and forth along said shaft between said stabilizing cutter drums during rotation thereof including,

an arm journalled on said cutter drum intermediate the ends thereof and projecting toward said support structure,

and fluid pressure cylinder and piston means on said support structure connected with said arm for oscillatory moving said arm and oscillatory cutter drum back and forth along said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,695,164 Arentzen Nov. 23, 1954 2,770,448 Miller Nov. 13, 1956 3,044,753 Wilcox July 17, 1962 3,062,518 Osgood Nov. 6, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 316,292 Germany Nov. 24, 1919

Claims

3. IN A CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE, A MAIN FRAME, ROTATABLE OSCILLATORY CUTTER MEANS SUPPORTED IN ADVANCE OF SAID MAIN FRAME AND MOUNTED THEREON FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID MAIN FRAME AND FOR ANGULAR MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID MAIN FRAME ABOUT A PARALLEL AXIS DISPOSED REARWARDLY OF SAID AXIS OF ROTATION, A MOTOR FOR ROTATABLY DRIVING SAID CUTTE MEANS, POWER MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CUTTER MEANS BACK AND FORTH ALONG THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID CUTTER MEANS, STABILIZING CUTTER MEANS AT EACH END OF SAID OSCILLATORY CUTTER MEANS, MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS COAXIAL WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID OSCILLATORY CUTTER MEANS AND DEFINING THE RIBS OF A WORKING PLACE, AND MEANS HOLDING SAID STABILIZING CUTTER MEANS FROM RECIPROCABLE MOVEMENT ALONG THEIR AXES OF ROTATION.