US3866781A

US3866781A - Underground mining machine

Info

Publication number: US3866781A
Application number: US409623A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert N Stedman; Jay J Murphy; Everette M Volle
Original assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co
Current assignee: Caterpillar Inc
Priority date: 1973-10-25
Filing date: 1973-10-25
Publication date: 1975-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-18
Also published as: CA1007600A; SE399030B; JPS5073403A; SE7412487L

Abstract

A mining machine includes front and rear sections connected together for pivotal movement about a vertical axis. The front section is made up of a unitary frame which includes a lower frame portion, upwardly extending legs, and a roof portion. The roof portion defines an opening, and a door is associated therewith to selectively block and unblock such opening. A power unit is associated with the rear section, and is easily detachable therefrom.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Stedman et al.

[451 Feb. 18, 1975 UNDERGROUND MINING MACHINE [75] Inventors: Robert N. Stedman, Chillicothe; Jay J. Murphy; Everette M. Volle, both of Morton, all of I11.

[73] Assignee: Caterpillar Tractor Co., Peoria, Ill.

[22] Filed: Oct. 25, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 409,623

[52] U.S. Cl. 214/778, 180/54 F, 180/77 MC [51] Int. Cl B661 9/00 [58] Field of Search 214/778, 773, 775, 140; 296/137 E; 180/77 MC, 64 R, 54 F, 54 R, 64

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1942 Stoltz 180/77 MC 3/1960 Rothweiler et al 180/64 L 11/1961 Mathew et al.

Fleming et al. 214/773 X 3,734,223 5/1973 Anderson 180/64 L FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 212,679 5/1967 Sweden 296/137 E Primary ExaminerDrayton E. Hoffman Assistant ExaminerHadd Lane Attorney, Agent, or FirmPhillips, Moore, Weissenberger, Lempio & Strabala [57] ABSTRACT A mining machine includes front and rear sections connected together for pivotal movement about a vertical axis. The front section is made up of a unitary frame which includes a lower frame portion, upwardly extending legs, and a roof portion. The roof portion defines an opening, and a door is associated therewith to selectively block and unblock such opening. A power unit is associated with the rear section, and is easily detachable therefrom.

12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEU FEB 1 8 I975 sum 2 BF 3 on \{m m mm 09 m mm m sum 30H;

FATENTED FEB] 8 I975 UNDERGROUND MINING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to loader vehicles, and more particularly, to a low profile wheel type loader vehicle which is particularly adapted for working in mines where overhead clearance is low.

Typically, loader vehicles used in underground mining are constructed in a conventional manner similar to loader vehicles used above ground. Because the mine shafts leading to the mines are generally smaller than such a vehicle, such prior art mining loaders must be taken apart piece by piece to be placed into or removed from the mine. Such dismantling and assembly of the vehicle require an excessive amount of time and therefore reduces overall productivity of the vehicle. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,038,619 to Wagner.

Another disadvantage of known prior art loaders is that little or no consideration is given to the protection of the operator during the operation of the vehicle in the mine. In addition to the above-mentioned patent, see US. Pat. No. 3,115,259 to Wagner in this regard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a loader vehicle which is particularly adapted for working in mines.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a loader vehicle which, while fulfilling the above object, allows relatively rapid disassembly thereof into compo-v nents to permit easier transport through mine shafts and later assembly thereof.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a loader which, while fulfilling the above objects, provides for proper protection for the operator of the vehicle during operation of such vehicle in the mine.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a loader vehicle which, while fulfilling the above objects, is relatively simple in design, and can utilize a large number of standard production components.

Broadly stated, the invention comprises a material handling vehicle comprising a rear section having a pair of supporting wheels, and a front section having a pair of supporting wheels, the rear and front sections being connected together for pivotal movement about a vertical axis. The front section comprises a unitary frame comprising a lower frame portion, an upwardly extending frame portion extending therefrom, and a roof portion at the upper portion of the upwardly extending frame portion. A material handling implement is disposed adjacent the front of the front section, and means interconnect the implement and unitary frame of the front section forraising and lowering the implement relative thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a motor vehicle incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the motor vehicle of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the loader vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a low profile material handling vehicle for mines is generally indicated at 10, and includes a front section 12 and a rear section 14. The front section 12 includes a unitary frame 16 including a pair of laterally spaced sidewalls 18 having upwardly extending front legs 20. A bottom portion 22 extends between and interconnects the sidewalls 18. A lower upstanding rear wall 24 extends between and interconnects the rearward edges of the sidewalls 18. The lower edge of the rear wall 24 is connected to the rearward edge of the bottom portion 22 to complete an enclosure for a sideways oriented operator station 26. A pair of laterally spaced upwardly extending rear legs 28 have their lower ends connected to the upper end of the rear wall 24. The

portions

18, 22, 24 make up a lower frame portion, and the

legs

20, 28 form an upwardly extending frame portion 30. A roof 32 is fixed to and interconnects the upper portions of these

legs

20, 28. The roof 32 defines an opening 34 therethrough and a slidably mounted door 36 is provided in the roof 32 which, when open, unblocks the opeing 34, to permit the operator to stand up therethrough for better visibility during critical manuevering operations. The door 36 may also be selectively closed to block such opening 34.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a pair of vertically disposed side plates 38 have opposite upper and lower ends connected to the front edges of the roof 32 and the bottom portion 22 respectively.

First and second laterally spaced lift arms 40 have their rear ends disposed between respective pairs of front legs 20 and side plates 38, these rear ends being section 12, and is pivotally mounted on the front ends of the lift arms 40 and is adapted to be selectively tilted thereon by mechanical tilt linkage partially shown at 48.

The front section 12 is supported at its forward end by a rigidly mounted front axle housing 50 which in turn is supported by laterally spaced wheels 52. The rear section is supported by a trunnion mounted rear housing 54 as shown in FIG. 2, which, in turn, is supported by a pair of laterally spaced rear wheels 56.

The front section 12 is articulately connected to the rear section 14 about a vertically disposed pivot axis by means of a pair of vertically spaced hitch connections 58. Steering of the vehicle 10 is accomplished by pivoting the

section

12, 14 about such an axis in the usual manner by a pair of hydraulic jacks 60 mounted between the front and rearsections.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the rear section 14 includes a frame 62 which in turn includes a pair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending

side members

63, 64 which are interconnected at their forward ends by a pair of elevationally spaced cross members 68 disposed adjacent and forming a part of the hitch connections 58. An upstanding support structure 70 is formed integrally with the rear frame 62 and extends transversely between

side members

63, 64 intermediate the forward and rearward ends thereof. The support structure 70 includes a pair of horizontally disposed

plates

72, 74 extending rearwardly therefrom.

A pin-on power unit, generally indicated at 76, is removably mounted to the rear section 14, and includes an integrally formed frame structure 78. The power unit also includes a prime mover 80 in the form of an engine, a radiator 82, a torque converter 84, a transfer box 86, and other related components which are all mounted on the prime mover frame structure 78.

The frame structure 78 includes a pair of laterally spaced side plates 88 extending upwardly and forwardly therefrom. The upward forward ends of the side plates 88 are connected by a horizontally disposed cross plate 90 which is disposed between the plates 88 of the support structure 78. A pair of laterally spaced upstanding brackets, only one of which is shown at 92, are mounted to the frame structure 78 and are individually disposed outwardly from the rearward ends of the side plates 88 for individually receiving therebetween the rear end of each of the spaced rear

frame side members

63 and 64.

The pin-on power unit 76 is removably or detachably mounted to the rear section 14 by a three-pin mounting arrangement consisting of

pins

94, 96, 98. The pin 94 is disposable through an aperture defined by the side member 63 of the rear frame 62 and apertures defined by side plate 88 and bracket 92 of frame structure 78, such pin 94 being disposed generally transversely of the rear section 14. Likewise, pin 96 is disposable through an aperture defined by the side member 64 of the frame 62 and apertures defined by the other side plate and bracket (not shown) of the prime mover frame structure 78, this pin 96 also being disposed generally transversely of the rear section 14. The third pin 98 is disposable through apertures defined by the

plates

72, 74 of the support structure 70, and an aperture defined by cross plate 90 of the prime mover frame structure 78, this pin 98 being diposed generally vertically relative to the rear section 14. The

pins

94, 96 are positioned adjashaft 102 is mounted at the transfer box 86 by a slipspline coupling 104 so that the power unit 76 can be easily disconnected therefrom. A forwardly extending drive shaft 106 and a rearwardly extending drive shaft 108 extend from opposite sides of the lower end of the transmission 100 for transmitting power to the front and rear axle housing 50, 54 respectively.

A tank unit 110, including a water tank 112 and

opposite saddle tanks

114, 116 for fuel and oil respectively, is detachably mounted on the forward position of the rear section 14 by fasteners secured to the

side members

63, 64. The water tank 112 serves as a water supply for a water scrubber, partially at 118 in FIG. 3, for cleaning the exhaust gases from the engine 80. The upper portion of the water tank 112 is beveled to provide the operator with greater rearward visibility. A combination radiator guard and hood assembly 120 is detachably mounted to the frame structure 78 and the tank unit 110 by fasteners for enclosing the engine 80 and its related components.

1 cent either side of the rear section 14 and the pin 98 is It will be seen that unitary construction of the front frame 16 of the vehicle 10 provides for great strength thereof, and provides proper and safe operator protection during mining operations. The vehicle 10 has a very low overall profile, and the sliding door 36 in the roof 32 permits the operator to stand up when necessary to obtain greater visibility during critical maneuvering operations.

The lift arms 40, it should be noted, are attached to the unitary frame 16 between the upper and lower ends of the legs 20, instead of at the upper ends thereof. Such mounting arrangement provides great strength and divides the loader forces more equally between the upper and lower hitch connections 58. The use of a pinon power unit 76 in accordance with the above description allows the rapid disassembly and assembly of the vehicle 10 into components to permit relatively easy transport through mine shafts. Such design also permits a quick change in the power unit if so desired, and permits quick and easy dynomometer testing of the power unit. Such design also permits easy disassembly and removal of the power unit for above ground repairs.

What is claimed is:

1. A material handling vehicle comprising:

a rear section having a pair of supporting wheels;

3 front'section having a pair of supporting wheels, the rear and front sections being connected together for pivotal movement about a vertical axis;

said front section comprising a unitary frame comprising a lower frame portion, an upwardly extending frame portion extending therefrom and comprising front leg means, and a roof portion at the upper portion of the upwardly extending frame portion;

a material handling implement adjacent the front of the front section; and

means on said front leg means and'in front of said roof interconnecting the implement and the unitary frame of thefront section for raising and lowering the implement relative thereto. I

2. The material handling vehicle of claim 1 wherein the roof portion defines an opening therethrough, and further comprising openable and closable door means connected to the roof portion for selectively unblocking and blocking said opening.

3. The material handling vehicle of claim 2 wherein the means interconnecting the implement and front leg means of the unitary frame comprise arm means connected to the implement and pivotally connected to the front leg means between the lower portion and roof portion, and cylinder means interconnecting the unitary frame and arm means.

4. The material handling vehicle of claim 3 wherein the front leg means comprises first and second leg members, and wherein the arm means comprise first and second arms pivotally connected to the first and second leg members respectively.

5. The material handling vehicle of claim 4 and further comprising a prime mover, and a prime mover frame structure to which the prime mover is mounted, and means for removably securing the prime mover frame structure to the rear section, comprising pin means, and means interconnecting the prime mover with at least one of the support wheels, with the prime mover frame structure so secured, for driving the vehicle.

6. The material handling vehicle of claim 5 wherein the means for removably securing the prime mover frame structure to the rear section comprise a first pin disposable through a first aperture defined by the rear section and a first aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, said first pin being disposed generally transversely of said rear section,a second pin disposable through a second aperture defined by the rear section and a second aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, said second pin'being disposed generally transversely of said rear section, and a third pin disposable through a third aperture defined by the rear section and a third aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, and disposed generally vertically relative to the rear section.

7. The material handling vehicle of claim 6 wherein the first and second pins are positioned adjacent either side of the rear section, and wherein the third pin is positioned forwardly of and intermediate the first and second pins.

8. The material handling vehicle of claim 1 wherein the means interconnecting the implement and front leg means of the unitary frame comprise arm means connected to the implement and pivotally connected to the front leg means between the lower portion and roof portion, and cylinder means interconnecting the unitary frame and arm means.

9. The material handling vehicle of claim 8 wherein the front leg means comprises first and second leg members, and wherein the arm means comprise first and second arms pivotally connected to the first and second leg members respectively.

10. The material handling vehicle of claim 1 and further comprising a primemover, and a prime mover frame structure to which the prime mover is mounted, and means for removably securing the prime mover frame structure to the rear section, comprising pin means, and means interconnecting the prime mover with at least one of the support wheels, with the prime mover frame structure so secured, for driving the vehicle.

11. The material handling vehicle of claim 10 wherein the means for removably securing the prime mover frame structure to the rear section comprise a first pin disposable through a first aperture defined by the rear section and a first aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, said first pin being disposed generally transversely on said rear section, a second pin disposable through a second aperture defined by the rear section and a second aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, said second pin being disposed generally transversely of said rear section, and a third pin disposable through a third aperture defined by the rear section and a third aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, said third pin being disposed generally vertically relative to the rear section.

12. The material handling vehicle of claim .11 wherein the first and second pins are positioned adjacent either side of the rear section, and wherein the third pin is positioned forwardly of and intermediate the first and second pins.

Claims

1. A material handling vehicle comprising: a rear section having a pair of supporting wheels; a front section having a pair of supporting wheels, the rear and front sections being connected together for pivotal movement about a vertical axis; said front section comprising a unitary frame comprising a lower frame portion, an upwardly extending frame portion extending therefrom and comprising front leg means, and a roof portion at the upper portion of the upwardly extending frame portion; a material handling implement adjacent the front of the front section; and means on said front leg means and in front of said roof interconnecting the implement and the unitary frame of the front section for raising and lowering the implement relative thereto.

6. The material handling vehicle of claim 5 wherein the means for removably securing the prime mover frame structure to the rear section comprise a first pin disposable through a first aperture defined by the rear section and a first aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, said first pin being disposed generally transversely of said rear section, a second pin disposable through a second aperture defined by the rear section and a second aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, said second pin being disposed generally transversely of said rear section, and a third pin disposable through a third aperture defined by the rear section and a third aperture defined by the prime mover frame structure, and disposed generally vertically relative to the rear section.

10. The material handling vehicle of claim 1 and further comprising a prime mover, and a prime mover framE structure to which the prime mover is mounted, and means for removably securing the prime mover frame structure to the rear section, comprising pin means, and means interconnecting the prime mover with at least one of the support wheels, with the prime mover frame structure so secured, for driving the vehicle.

12. The material handling vehicle of claim 11 wherein the first and second pins are positioned adjacent either side of the rear section, and wherein the third pin is positioned forwardly of and intermediate the first and second pins.