US583409A - slade - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1. P. N. SLADE.

MINING MACHINE.

No. 583,409. Patented May 25,1897.

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MINING MACHINE.

No. 583,409. I Patented May 25,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

FRANK N. SL'ADE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE INDEPENDENT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MINING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,409, dat ed May 25, 1897. Application filed January 2,1895- Serial No. 533,662. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: worm-gear G on the shaft G Said shaft is Be it known that I, FRANK N. SLADE, a citiprovided at one end with the stationary clutch zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, member G adapted to be engaged by the in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, sliding clutch member G on the shaft G to 5 have invented certain new and useful Imwhich the sprocket-wheel E is fastened. A

provements in Mining-Machines, of which the pinion G6 at the other end of said shaft G enfollowing is a specification. gages the gear-wheel G on the short shaft G My invention relates to mining-machines, A pinion G on the end of said shaft G meshes and has for its object to produce a miningwith the gear-wheel H on the shaft H. By 6: 10 machine provided with a flexible feeding dethis construction the shaft H is driven at a vice, of which the following is a description, much slower speed than the shaft G The reference being had to the accompanying shaft H is provided with the stationary drawings, Whereinclutch member H adapted to be engaged by Figure 1 is an elevation showing machine in the sliding clutch member H feathered to I 5 operation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. the shaft H to which the sprocket-wheel F Fig. 3is aview with the motor removed, showis attached. A shifting bar I, pivoted at 1, ing the feeding mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enengages the sliding clutch members G and larged side elevation. Fig. 5 is a section on H in the usual manner and is provided with line 5 5, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail. the controlling-handle 1 7o 20 Like letters refer to like parts throughout Since the sprocket-wheels E and F run at the several figures. different speeds, the sprocket-wheel F can- I have shown in the drawings a miningnot be placed directly on the shaft H, it bemachine that undermines the body of maing necessary to divide such shaft, as shown, terial by means of cutting-tools A A on the so that said sprocket wheel may be discon- 7 5 2 5 endless belt A. Said endless belt works in nected therefrom when the sprocket-wheel E a groove in the guides A A which are supis operatively connected with the motor. ported by the pieces A A attached to the It will be seen that by this construction the frame of the motor B. Said belt receives its sprocket-wheels E and F may be alternately motion from the sprocket-wheel B. The connected with the armature-shaft, so as to 0 frame of the motor B is adapted to move he revolved in the same direction, but at difalong the stationary guides C C as the cutferent speeds, and since the flexible chain or ting-tools are fed forward. Said guides are rack D passes below the sprocket-wheel F and connected together by the cross-pieces C C. above the sprocket-wheel E, so as to be en- A flexible belt or chain D is fastened at gaged by both, it is evident that the motor- 3 5 both ends to one of the guides C and is adaptframe can be moved back and forward along ed to engage the sprocket-wheels E F, assothe stationary guides C C. ciatedwith the motor-frame. Saidsprocket The sprocket B, that drives the belt A, wheels are adapted to be connected with the carrying the cutting-tools A, is rigidly conarmature-shaft B of the motor, so that they nected to the vertical shaft A The shaft A 40 may be alternately rotated. is driven by the beveled pinion B, which en- Referring to Figs. 3 and at, which show in gages the beveled gear-wheel A on said shaft. detail the connection between the motor-ar- The stationary guides C 0 rest upon the mature'and the sprocket-wheels E F, a pinloose cross-pieces J J and are held in place ion B on the end of said motor-shaft engages by the jack-screws K K. The rivets or cross- 5 5 a gear B on the short shaft B Said short pieces of the flexible rack or chain are reshaft is provided at one end with the bevelmoved at the ends, as indicated atD D and gear 13 and at the other end with the pinion the driving-sprocketsE and F are so arranged B both of which are rigidly connected to that they engage the chain at different posisaid shaft. The pinion B meshes with the tions along the length thereof, so that when 50 gear B keyed to the shaft B Said shaft is one sprocket-wheel reaches the place where provided with the worm G, which engages the the rivets are broken out and becomes disengaged from the rack, soas to stop the motion of the machine, the other sprocket-wheel will still be in engagement with the rack, and hence when it is connected with the motor the motor and accompanying parts may be moved in an opposite direction.

I have described these several parts in detail, but it is evident that they may be varied in form, construction, and arrangement and that the connection between the motor and the flexible rack may be made in a manner different to that herein described without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the construction shown.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

In operating the mining-machine I have shown and described it is the common practice to place the cross-pieces J J beneath the guides O C and then jack said guides down by means of the jack-screws K K at each end. It often happens, on account of the unevenness of the floor or the carelessness of the operator, that the guides O O are bent or sprung after they are jacked down, as shown in Fig. 1. As mining-machines are ordinarily constructed the motor-frame and accompanying parts are moved along the guides CC by the engagement of a pinion on said motor-frame with a rigid rack or the like fastened to the guides G C. It is evident that when the guides C O are sprung out of line, as in the case of Fig. 1, for example, the machine would not feed in a satisfactory manner. l\fining-machines, as a rule, are handled very roughly, and hence a rigid rack is very likely to be sprung so as to cause an uneven mesh of the pinion along the entire length, the inevitable result of which is excessive breakage of the pinion or rack or of both. These evils are all overcome by the use of my flexible rack, as the machine will be fed regardless of the position of the guides O C, and the chain is not likely to be broken or injured when the frame is sprung out of line.

\Vhen the clutch members H and II are in engagement and the motor running, the sprocket-wheel F will be rotated in the direction of the arrow, (see Fig. 4,) and since it is in engagement with the flexible belt D the motor-frame and the belt carrying the cutting-tools will be moved forward, and as the chain carrying the cutting-tools is in motion the material against which they bear will be cut away, as shown in Fig. 1. The motorframe will continue to move forward until the sprocket-wheel F reaches the point D, where the rivets or eross'pieces of the flexible rack are removed. IVhen this point is reached, the forward motion of the motorframe ceases, although the motor'armature is still running and the sprocket-wheel E is still in engagement with the rack. If now the shifting lever I be moved so as to disengage the clutch members II II and bring the clutch members G G into engagement, the

sprocket-wheel E will be rotated in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 4-) and the motor-frame and associated parts will be moved in a direction opposite to that of its former motion. The motor-frame will be stopped, as described above, when the sprocket-wheel E reaches the point D where the rivets or crosspieces of the rack are removed and may be moved forward again by moving the shifting bar I.

I consider one of the essential features of my invention to embrace the stationary frame adapted to be fixed in position for a definite period and a moving cutter-carrying frame adapted to move along the stationary frame, the two frames operatively connected by means of a flexible rack on one and the traveling device on theother, said traveling device adapted to engage the flexible rack, and when actuated to creep or travel therealong, and thus move the cuttercarrying frame along the stationary frame regardless of the position of the stationary frame.

I claim- 1. The combination in a miningnnachine of a stationary frame having substantially rigid guides, a cutter-carrying frame supported by such guides and adapted to move therealong, a motor on said cutter-carrying frame, a flexible rack attached at both ends to one frame and a traveling device on the other frame adapted to engage said flexible rack when actuated so as to travel or creep backward and forward along the rack, thus moving one frame upon the other, the several parts so constructed and connected together that a complete, self-contained machine is produced substantially as described.

2. The combination in a mining-machine of a cutter-carrying frame, a motor mounted upon such frame, a stationary frame upon which said cutter-carrying frame is supported and along which it is adapted to move, a flexible rack fastened at each end to the said stationary frame and a connection between said motor and the flexible rack by which said cutter-carrying frame may be moved backward and forward along the stationary frame, said connection so constructed that said cutter-carrying frame may be moved backward and forward while the motor is running continuously in one direction, whereby a self-contained machine is produced.

3. The combination in a mining-machine of a cutter-carrying frame, a motor mounted upon said frame, a two-part shaft operatively connected with said motor and provided at one end with a sprocket-wheel, a second two-part shaft operatively connected with the first shaft and provided at one end with a sprocket-wheel, a clutch associated with each shaft and adapted to connect the two parts of each shaft together, a stationary frame upon which said cutter-carrying frame is adapted to move, and a flexible rack connected at each end to said stationary frame and adapted to engage the sprocket-wheels 5. The combination of a stationary frame having substantially rigid guides with a cutter-carrying frame supported by such guides, and adapted to move therealong, a motor on said cutter-carrying-frame, a flexible rack at tached at both ends to one frame, and a traveling device on the other frame, said traveling device adapted to engage the flexible rack when actuated so as to travel or creep backward or forward along the rack, thus moving one frame upon the other, said flexible rack having the cross-pieces removed at its ends, the traveling device on the cutter-carrying frame having two members adapted to engage said rack in such a manner that one of said members will always be in engagement with the rack while the other will be moved out of 0 engagement therewith when the on tter-carrying frame has reached either end of the stationary frame.

FRANK N. SLADE.

Witnesses:

DONALD M. CARTER, FRANCIS W. PARKER.

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