US3190699A - Material feeder means for continuous mining machine - Google Patents

Description

D. A. WARD 3,190,699

2 Sheets-Sheet l June 22, 1965 MATERIAL FEEDER MEANS FOR CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE Filed Dec. 14,` 1962' June 22, 1965 D. A. WARD 3,190,699

MATERIAL FEEDER MEANS FOR CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE Filed Dec. 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. P L @00a/004. A/IpSr/a/ y ATTO S United States Patent O 3,199,699 MATERIAL FEEDER MEANS FOR CNIINUUS MINING MACHINE Donald A. Ward, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 244,612 8 Claims. (Cl. 299-64) This invention relates to improvements in continuous mining machines and more particularly relatesto an improved means for collecting and feeding the material mined by the machine to the conveyor of the machine.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form of cuttings collecting and feeding means for a continuous mining machine, collecting and feeding the material mined onto the conveyor of the machine, and arranged with a view toward utmost simplicity in construction and eiciency in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of loading device particularly adapted for continuous mining machines and the like, bulldozng the material mined from the floor upon advance of the machine during sumping into the mine face and feeding the mined material laterally onto the elevating conveyor of the machine in a continuous feeding operation.

A further object of the invention is to improve upon the continuous mining machines of the ripper type heretofore in use having a vertically movable rotatable mining head, by providing a widened rooting or bulldozer blade extending across the forward end of the machine substantial distances beyond the inclined elevating conveyor of the machine and of substantially the width of the mining head, and by providing feeders spaced upwardly of the bulldozer blade and feeding the mined material onto the inclined elevating conveyor of the machine in a continuous feeding operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of continuous mining machine having a transversely pivoted boom extending in advance of the main frame of the machine over an inclined elevating conveyor, and having a transversely extending mining head supported at its forward end and extending laterally beyond opposite sides of the conveyor, to mine by rotational movement of the mining head and upward feeding movement thereof, in which aprons extend laterally beyond opposite sides of the conveyor to substantially the lateral margins of theworking place and have feeder conveyors extending therealong from opposite sides thereof, in the plane of the material carrying plate of the elevating conveyor, and driven from the elevating conveyor for feeding the mined material thereonto in a continuous operation.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following speciiication proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: A FIGURE l is a partial fragmentary View in side elevation of the forward end portion of a continuous mining machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention, with certain parts of the elevating conveyor shown in longitudinal sections; Y

v FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view of the forward end portion of the machine, with the boom and mining head broken away and with certain parts of the feeder conveyor shown in horizontal section in order to show the drive thereto; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines 3 3 of FIGURE 2.

In FIGURE 1 of the drawings I have shown the forward end portion of a continuous mining machine mounted on laterally spaced continuous traction tread devices 11. The traction tread devices 11 serve to transport the machine from working place to Working place and to sump a rotary mining head 12 supported in advance of a main frame 13 of the machine and extending transversely thereof, into the working face of a mine. The mining head 12 is shown as being a drum type of mining head having cutter bits 14 projecting from the periphery thereof. A boom 15 supports the mining head at its forward end a substantial distance in advance of the forward end of the main frame 13 and is transversely pivoted to the main frame 13 on laterally spaced transverse pivot pins 16.

The continuous mining machine 10 is of a type commonly called a ripper continuous mining machine, and operates on principles similar to those shown and described in an application, Serial No. 277,540, a continuation-in-part of abandoned application Serial No. 67,267, led November 4, 1960, by Richard C. Lundquist. Application Serial No. 277,540 is assigned to the assignee of the present application and issued as Patent No. 3,157,438 on November 17, 1964. The Lundquist application relates to the support and drive for the cutter drum while the present application relates particularly to the cuttings collecting and feeding mechanism so the support and drive to the cutter drum need only be shown and described generally herein.

The boom arm 15 is transversely pivoted to the main frame of the machine along opposite sides of the conveyor 17 and extends over the top of said conveyor in advance of the forward end thereof and supports the rotary mining head 12 at its forward end for rotation about an axis extending transversely of the main frame of the machine.

Motors 19 extend along opposite sides of the boom 15 and have speed reducer housings 20 at the forward ends thereof, forming continuations of the motor housings. The speed reducer housings ,20 contain conventional speed r-eduction gearing (not shown) therein.

The speed reduction gearing contained in the housings 26 forms the means for driving flexible and universal drive connections 21, driving the mining head 12 through beveled gear drive connections (not shown) in a manner similar to that shown and described in the aforementioned application of Richard C. Lundquist, Serial No. 277,540,

now Patent No. 3,157,438, and forms no part of theV present invention so not herein shown or described further.

The boom 15 and mining head 12 are elevated by hydraulic jacks 22, extending along opposite sides of an inclined elevating frame structure 23, and pivotally connected between the forward end portion of the main frame 13 and the boom 15 to elevate and lower said boom and hold said boom in position, in a conventional manner.

The inclined elevating frame structure 23 of the conveyor 17, includes parallel spaced side plates 25 transversely pivoted at their rear ends to the main frame 13 on transverse pivot pins 26, shown in FIGURE l as being disposed above the pivot pins 16 and in advance thereof. The side plates 2S are connected together at their lower ends by a bottom plate 27 extending therebetween and conforming to the path of travel of the lower run of an endless chain 29, having flights 30 connected thereto and extending laterally from opposite sides thereof, and forming the material carrying means for the conveyor. As shown in FIGURE l, the bottom plate 27 has an upwardly curved forward end portion 31, conforming to the path of travel ofthe endless chain 29 and flights 3d, as they pass about a direction changing sprocket 32, at the forward end portion of the inclined elevating frame structure 23. The sprocket 32 is keyed or `otherwise secured to a transverse shaft 33, forming a drive shaft for two feeders 35, shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 as being apron types of feeder conveyors.

The plate 31 terminates at its upper end at the intermediate portion of a scraper or bulldozer blade 36. The

bulldozer blade 36 extends laterally beyond opposite sides of the elevating frame structure 23 for substantially 4the width of the mining head 12, and is inclined downwardly from the upper end of the upwardly curved portion 31 of the plate 27 to the ground. A ground engaging shoe 37 connects the lower end portion of the scraper blade 36 with the plate 27 and forms the support for the inclined elevating `frame structure of the conveyor, accommodating said frame structure to be slidably moved along the ground by the continuous traction tread devices 11, and scrape or bulldoze the material from the ground to be loaded onto the conveyor 17 during advance of the machine as the mining head 12 is sumped into the working face of a mine. An inclined material carrying plate 39 extends between the side plates 25 and is welded or otherwise secured thereto, and forms a support for the upper run of the chain 29 and ights 30. The plate 39 is turned downwardly around the shaft 33 at its lower end and extends backwardly along the lower run of the conveyor and has an upwardly turned wall portion 42 extending between the runs of the chain 29, to the bottom of the plate 39. The downwardly and backwardly turned portion of the plate 39 together with the upright wall 42 forms a housing 40, housing bevel gears 41 keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 33 and meshing with bevel gears 43 on the lower ends of drive shafts 44 for driving the feeder conveyors 35, as will hereinafter more clearly appear as this specification proceeds.

Inclined aprons 45 extend upwardly along and laterally of the side plates 25 and form upward continuations of the scraper blade 36 along opposite sides of the conveyor at a flatter angle than the angle of said scraper blade. The aprons 45 have top surfaces in the plane of the material carrying plate 39, and have cutaway portions 46 along which the feeder conveyors travel to feed material onto the conveyor 17. The material carrying plate 39 also has cut-away portions 47 at opposite sides thereof, to enable the feeder conveyors 35 to move into intersecting relation with respect to the ights 30 on the level of the top surface of the material carrying plate 39.

The aprons 45 have depending side walls 4S extending along opposite sides thereof and extending along said apron and the outer sides of the scraper blade 36 and welded or otherwise secured to said scraper blade and to the ground engaging shoes 37.

Forward transversely extending plates 49 connect the side walls 48 with the housing 40 and terminate at opposite ends of the upwardly turned wall portion 42 of said housing. Said upturned wall portion forms a support for bearing supports for the forward or lower ends of the drive shafts 44. Idler shafts 50 adjacent the outer or lateral ends of the apron 45 are journalled at one end in the plates 49 and at their opposite ends in parallel upwardly spaced plates 51. The plates 51 extend from the side walls 4S within the inclined elevating frame structure 25, between the upper and lower runs of the chain 29, and form a support for bearing supports for the rear bearings for the drive shafts 44 and the idler shafts 50.

The portions of the side walls 25 of the inclined elevating section of the conveyor 17 extending above the material carrying plate 39 terminate into forwardly facing shoulders 52 at the upper margins of the aprons 45. The portions of the side walls 25 extending beneath the aprons 45 also have cut-away portions 53 to accommodate the feeder conveyors 35 to extend in the space between the upper and lower runs of the conveyor chain 29 and ights 30. Back boards 52a abut the shoulders 52 and extend from said shoulders outwardly along the rear end portions of the aprons 45. Bottom plates 54 extend between the front and rear side plates 49 and 51 andare shown as being welded or otherwise secured to the bottoms of said plates for supporting the lower runs of the conveyor feeders 35. The bottom plates 54 stop short of the side plates 48 and provide discharge openings 55, accommodating slack carried laterally beyond the conveyor 17 to be discharged onto the ground along the outer sides of the aprons 48.

The feeder conveyors 35 are shown in FGURES 1, 2 and 3 as being of the apron type including spaced endless chains 56 having flights 57 extending across the outer sides thereof and forwardly and rearwardly of said chains into juxtaposition with the front and rear walls 49 and 51 respectively. The flights 57 on the upper runs of the chains 56 have top surfaces flush with the top surfaces of the aprons 45 and iush with the top surface of the material carrying plate 39 of the inclined elevating section of the conveyor 17. The flights 57 may thus travel within the lateral limits of the conveyor 17 without interfering with the flights 30.

The upper runs of the endless chains 56 of each feeder conveyor 35 are supported for movement along a plate 59 connected between the front wall 49 and rear wall 51 and forming a material carrying surface for carrying fines falling between the liights 57 onto the plate 59 and moved along said plate by the feeder conveyor into the space between the upper and lower runs of the conveyor chain 29 and flights 30, to be carried forwardly by the lower run of the conveyor chain 29 and ights 30 around the plate portion 31, to be carried upwardly along the material carrying plate 39 by the conveyor 17.

The endless chains 56 mesh with drive sprockets 60 on the shafts 44 within the confines of the path of travel of the flights 30. The endless chains 56 change their directions of travel adjacent the outer sides of the aprons 45 about idler sprockets 61 on the idler shafts 50.

As has previously been mentioned, the shafts 44 are driven by the bevel gears 41 on the idler shaft 33, driven from the conveyor chain 29 and meshing with the bevel gears 43 keyed or otherwise secured to the forward ends of the -shafts 44, for driving the apron feeders to progress loose material inwardly along the aprons 45 to the material carrying plate 39 of the conveyor 17, to be carried away by the conveyor 17 and loaded onto .a suitable material carrying means.

The inclined elevating frame structure 23 of the couveyor 17 and the aprons 48 and scraper blade 36 are raised and lowered about the coaxial axes of the shafts 26 by hydraulic jacks 63. As partially shown in FIGURE 1, the hydraulic jacks 63 are connected to the main frame 13 and have pivotal connection with the undersurface of the plate 27 to raise and lower the inclined elevating frame structure and aprons 48, and to retain said frame structure and aprons in position when desired or necessary, it being understood that the shoe 37 usually has floating engagement with the ground during operation of the machine.

During the operation of sumping the mining head 12 into the working face of a mine, the shoe 37 rests on the ground and the continuous traction tread devices 11 force the mining head 12 into the mine face and also crowd or bulldoze the material on the ground upwardly along the scraper blade 36 onto the receiving end of the conveyor 17, and onto the aprons 45, into the paths of the apron feeders 35, feeding the loose material to the conveyor 17.

As the mining head 12 -is fed upwardly, the material mined thereby will be carried backwardly and drop onto the apron feeders 35 and aprons 45 to be continually progressed toward the conveyor 17, to be carried away by said conveyor for loading.

1t may be seen from the foregoing that an improved form of cuttings collecting and loading means has been provided for collecting the material mined by the mining lhead 12 and loading this material in a continuous flow toward the conveyor 17, and that the cuttings collecting means not only progresses the material discharged thereonto by the mining head 12 toward the center of the machine, but also progresses the material bulldozed from the ground toward the center of the machine in a continuous How.

It should further be understood that the loading means of the invention may be used directly as a loader when it is'desired to clean up a working place after a mining operation.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodided, it may readily be understood that various variations and modifications 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 boom transversely pivoted to said mainframe and extending in advance thereof, a rotary mining head supported on said boom for rotation about an :axis extending transversely of said main frame, a conveyor extending along said main frame beneath said boom and having an inclined elevating forward end portion extending in advance of said main frame into engagement with the ground, said inclined elevating forward end por-tion of said conveyor having an inclined material carrying plate having an endless chain and flight :conveyor movable upwa-rdly therealong, and feeder means extending laterally from opposite sides of said material carrying plate and upwardly therealong into the space between the upper and lower runs of said chain and ight conveyor and having material feeding surfaces in the plane of the ytop surface of said material carrying plate.

2. In a continuous mining machine, a main frame, a boom transversely pivoted to said main frame and extending in advance thereof, a rotary mining head supported on said boom for rotation about an axis extending transversely of said main frame, means for vertically moving said boom with respect to said main frame and feeding said mining head vertically along a mine face, a conveyor eX- -tending along said main frame beneath `said boom and having .an inclined elevating forward end portion extending in advance of said main frame int-o engagement with the ground, having an inclined material carrying plate and an endless chain and flight conveyor movable upwardly therealong, .a scraper blade extending across the front of said conveyor and laterally beyond opposite :sides thereof, and feeder means extending along said conveyoiand later- .ally beyond opposite sides thereof, including inclined aprons extending upwardly from said :scraper blade along opposite sides of .said conveyor in the plane `of said material carrying plate, and apron feeders recessed beneath said aprons and having material carrying surfaces ush with the tops of said aprons for feeding the mined material toward the center of the machine onto `said inclined elevat-ing conveyor.

3. In a continuous mining machine, a main frame, a boom transversely pivoted to said main frame and extending in advance thereof, a rotary mining head supported on said boom for rotation about an axis extending transversely of .said main frame, means for vertically moving said boom with respect to lsaid main frame and feeding said mining head vertically along a mine face, other means for feeding said mining head into a mine face, a conveyor extending along said main frame and having an inclined elevating forward end portion exten-ding in advance of `said main frame into engagement with the ground and including an inclined material carrying plate having an endless chain and nights movable upwardly'therealong, an idler for said chain and flights at the forward end of said material carrying plate, a shaft for said idler and driven thereby, apron-s extending along opposite sides of said material carrying plate in the plane of said plate, feeder means extending along said aprons from the youter sides thereof into the space between the runs of said conveyor and having material carrying portions in the plane of said material carrying plate, and drive means for said feeder means driven from said idler shaft and extending between the upper and lower runs of said conveyor.

4. In a continuous mining machine, a main frame, a

boom transversely pivoted to 'said main frame and extending in advance thereof, a rotary mining head supported on said boom for rotation about an axis extending transversely of said main frame, means for vertically moving said boom and mining head, means advancing said main frame and boom to sump said mining head into a working face of a mine, a conveyor extending along said main frame beneath said boom and having an inclined elevating forward end frame structure extending in advance of said main frame into engagement with the ground, a scraper blade extending across the forward end of said elevating conveyor frame structure and laterally beyond opposite sides thereof, said inclined elevating frame structure including a material carrying plate, a chain and ight conveyor movable upwardly along said plate, an idler at the forward end of said frame structure about which said chain and flights change their direction of travel, inclined aprons extending along said material carrying plate in the plane of said plate and laterally bey-ond opposite sides thereof, feeder conveyors extending along said aprons from the outer sides thereof in the planes of said aprons and into the space between the upper and lower runs of -said chain and iiight conveyor, means driven from said idler within the vertical limits of said chain and iiight conveyor for d-riving said feeder conveyors, bottom plates for Said feeder conveyors extending outwardly of said frame structure and stopping short of the -outer sides of said aprons to provide discharge openings accommodating the lower runs of said conveyor to discharge tine material 4through said openings, and the bottom of said inclined frame structure being closed and generally conforming to the path of travel of said chain and flights they change their direction of travel about said idler, to progress fine material conveyed by said feeder conveyor :and passing in the space between said conveyors and said material carrying plate, to the front of said conveyor to be loaded thereonto.

'5. A combined mining and loading machine in accordance with claim t wherein the feeder conveyors are apron conveyors having material carrying surfaces on the level of said aprons and said material carrying plate.

6. In a conveyor having an inclined elevating frame structure having engagement with the ground at its forward end and having a scraper blade extending across the forward end thereof and beyond opposite sides thereof, a chain having flights extending laterally beyond opposite sides thereof, a direction changing idler at the forward end fof said frame structure rearwardly of said scraper blade and changing the direction of travel of said chain and nights, a material carrying plate along which said chain and flights move, and feeder means for said chain and flights including aprons extending upwardly along opposite sides Iof said material carrying plate in the plane thereof and including feeder conveyors extending along said aprons from the outer sides thereof and having material carrying surfaces in the planes of said aprons and said material carrying plate, said feeder conveyors changing their direction of travel at their discharge ends in the space between the upper and lower runs of said chain and flights.

7, A conveyor in accordance with claim 6 wherein the feeder conveyors are driven from said idler sprocket within the contines of the upper and lower runs of said conveyor and comprise apron conveyors having material carrying flights in the plane of said aprons and said material carrying plate.

8. In a continuous mining machine, a main frame, a boom transversely pivoted to said main frame and extending in advance thereof, a rotary mining head supported on said boom for rotation about an axis extending transversely tof said main frame, means for vertically moving said boom :and mining head, other means for advancing said frame and sumping said mining head into a working face, an endless chain and flight conveyor extending along said main frame and having an inclined material carrying surface extending in advance of said main frame in a downwardly inclined direction toward the ground, an inclined scraper blade extending across the forward end of said conveyor and laterally beyond opposite sides thereof, and feeder means forming upward continuatfions of said scraper blade for feeding the mined material laterally onto the inclined material carrying surface of said endless chain and ilight conveyor comprising aprons extending along opposite sides of the inclined matenial carrying surface of said endless chain and flight conveyor in the plane of said inclined material carrying surface, apron conveyors extending along said aprons from the outer sides thereof into the space between the upper yand lower runs of said endless chain and flight conveyor and having material carrying surfaces in the plane of said apron conveyors and References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,788,202. 4/57 Barrett. 2,792,204 5/57 Cartlidge. 3,044,753 7/ 62 Wilcox.

BENJAMlN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

Claims (2)

1. IN A CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE, A MAIN FRAME, A BOOM TRANSVERSELY PIVOTED TO SAID MAIN FRAME AND EXTENDING IN ADVANCE THEREOF, A ROTARY MINING HEAD SUPPORTED ON SAID BOOM FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID MAIN FRAME, A CONVEYOR EXTENDING ALONG SAID MAIN FRAME BENEATH SAID BOOM AND HAVING AN INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION EXTENDING IN ADVANCE OF SAID MAIN FRAME INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GROUND, SAID INCLINED ELEVATING FORWARD END PORTION OF SAID CONVEYOR HAVING AN INCLINED MATERIAL CARRYING PLATE HAVING AN ENDLESS CHAIN AND FLIGHT CONVEYOR MOVABLE UPWARDLY THEREALONG, AND FEEDER MEANS EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MATERIAL CARRYING PLATE AND UPWARDLY THEREALONG INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER RUNS OF SAID CHAIN AND FLIGHT CONVEYOR AND HAVING MATERIAL FEEDING SURFACES IN THE PLANE OF THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID MATERIAL CARRYING PLATE.

6. IN A CONVEYOR HAVING AN INCLINED ELEVATING FRAME STRUCTURE HAVING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GROUND AT ITS FORWARD END AND HAVING A SCRAPER BLADE EXTENDING ACROSS THE FORWARD END THEREOF AND BEYOND OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, A CHAIN HAVING FLIGHTS EXTENDING LATERALLY BEYOND OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, A DIRECTION CHANGING IDLER AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID FRAME STRUCTURE REARWARDLY OF SAID SCRAPER BLADE AND CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID CHAIN AND FLIGHTS, A MATERIAL CARRYING PLATE ALONG WHICH SAID CHAIN AND FLIGHTS MOVE, AND FEEDER MEANS FOR SAID CHAIN AND FLIGHTS INCLUDING APRONS EXTENDING UPWARDLY ALONG OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MATERIAL CONVEYORS EXTENDING ALONG SAID APRONS AND INCLUDING FEEDER CONVEYORS EXTENDING ALONG SAID APRONS FROM THE OUTER SIDES THEREOF AND HAVING MATERIAL CARRYING SURFACES IN THE PLANES OF SAID APRONS AND SAID MATERIAL CARRYING PLATE, SAID FEEDER CONVEYORS CHANGING THEIR DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AT THEIR DISCHARGE ENDS IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER RUNS OF SAID CHAIN AND FLIGHTS.

Images