US2949201A - Mucking machine - Google Patents

Description

Aug. '16, 1960 Filed July 30, 1957 R. T. M ALPlNE ETAL MUCKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors RODERICK 7. MACALP/NE LAWRENCE A. JAMES Attys. v

Au 16, 1960 R. T. MacALpl E Em 2,949,201

MUCKING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 50, 195'? Inventors RODERICK 71 MA (ALP/NE LA WRENCE A. JAMES United States Patent I MUCKING MACHINE Roderick T. MacAlpine, Fenelon Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Lawrence A. James, Wallace, Idaho, assignors to Shaft Machines Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed July 30,1957, Ser. No. 67 5,138

6 Claims. (Cl. 214'657) This invention relates to, an excavator ormucking'machine'of the type in Whichmater-ial i s collected in a clam or bucket, moved to a point ofqdischarge and discharged therefrom. I 'It is particularly directed to. providing improvements in. an excavator,- or mucking machine, which can be employed inqsinking'. inclined mine shafts and caissons.

. 1A mucking machine.orexcavator:whichhas proved to a -be very satisfactory in sinking mineshafts isdisclosed in application No. 541,690, filed October 20, 1955, now Patent No. 781,140, issued February 12, 1957. This patent discloses the combination of a swingable, telescopic -boom with a clam mounted on the free end and. operator actuated means for swinging, extendingand retracting the boom and for opening and closing the clam. This device is particularly suitable for sinking vertical ornear vertical shafts or caissons. It has. been found, however,

that it is not entirely satisfactoryv in sinking inclined shafts,

that is, in sinking shafts or caissons *which are-atan angle between the horizontal and vertical, for example,;i'nclines' up to 45 to the horizontal.

A principal object of this invention is to provide-an improved excavator of the swingable, telescopic boom type --which can be employed to collect, carry. and discharge material-in inclined shafts or caissons.

Generally speaking, the boom can be raised or lowered with respect to a turntable that is free to swing in an are on a cage whereby the boom canbe universally moved with respect to the cage. Piston and cylinder assemblies are employed for swinging the turntable and'for raising the boom within-the turntable. In thislatter con- 1 nec'tion, it might be pointed out thatthe point of application of the force of the cylinder between the boom and Y the turntable is substantially removed from thepoint. of

pivotal mounting of the boom in the turntable whereby a good mechanical advantage is'achieved. This is essential for the flatter inclines of the boom because it will be apparent that greater lifting power is required in such cases.

With mucking at the flatter-inclines by means of amachine having a clam, one often encounters difiiculty in discharging adhesive muck from the clam and, to overcome this we have developed sweep plates that are secured to a free end of the boom and 'haveside edges that boom with respect to. the rigid section must be prevented, otherwise. the control of the clam at the end of the boom is difficult. .ing acarria'gexon the heady of. the telescoping section of .We have; overcome this difficulty by provid- .the:boom that co-operates with tracks'in the stationary section to maintain thetwo from'rotating with respect to Patented Aug.,1.6,; 1960 12 erence to-the following detailed specification read in conjunction with thedrawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view of a-mucking machine according to 6' the-invention in operationin an inclined shaft.

Figure 2 is a detail of the boom turntable.

Figure 3 is an enlargedview of the clam.

Figure4 is a view showing the mounting of a sweep plate.

4 Figure 5 is a sectional view illustrating the boom.

Figure 6 is'a section taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a section taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, the, numeral 10 generally indicates a mucking machine constructed according to the present, invention. It comprises a cage 11 adapted to ride on an inclined track 12 in amine shaft and having a platform 13 upon which the control valves Maud 15 are mounted for operation by an; operator.

'It mightbeaddedthat the wheels of the cage 11 that engage with the track 12 can be blocked so that the cage can not move along the track and that means on the top ofthe cage such as a suitable jack are provided to engage with the roof of a mine shaft to hold the cage down on the track in the blocked position when the boom is operating to lift muck as will be referred to in greater detail later.

The telescoping boom generally indicated by the numeral and to be morefully described later is pivotally mounted between the brackets 22 of the boom turntable 24. Boom turntable 24 is in turn pivotally mounted on the cage 11 by means of pins such as the pin 26 thatenter into appropriate bearings in the cage as at 28 and 30.

It will be noted that a series of rollers 32 are arranged in :an are on the cage adjacent its forward end 11 to underlie the turntable 24 as it swings in an arc Within-its mounting in the cage 11.

It will be apparent that the boom 20 is mounted for universal movement with respect to the cage 11 since the turntable 24 can be swung in an arc about an axis through the aligned pins 26 and the boom can be swung in an are about its mounting in the brackets 22 and therefore an axis that is substantially at right angles to thevaxis of swing of the boom turntable.

' Means are provided for moving the boom 20 in different directions Within its mounting to perform mucking operations and in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, this means includes the cylinders 34, 36, 33 and 40 together with their cooperating pistons.

The cylinders 34 and 36 each pivotally connectrwith lugs on the cage 11 as at 42 and the rods of their respective pistons pivotally connect with the lugs in the turntable 24 as shown at 48, to permit the turntable to turn as the pistons reciprocate. It. will be apparent that cylinder 36 and its piston rod connect with the cage and the turntable respectively in a similar manner to cylinder 34 and its piston rod.

Cylinders 38 and 40 pivotally connect with the forward end of the boom turntable :24 as at and 52 respectively and their respective pistons pivotally connect with a bar 58 as at 60 and 62 respectively.- Bar58 is carried bythe posts 64 that extend upwardly from the upper side of the boom 20.

The cylinders34 and 36 are adapted to swing the boom turntable 24 about the axes of the pins 26 and the cylinders 38 and 40 are adapted to lift the boom with respect to the turntable by swingingit: about itsmounting in the brackets 22.

0 Each of the cylinders 34, 36,.3'8and 40 and theirrespective pistons, are-similar. :The pistons are double acting and an e pe d by c mpr ss a r or hy aul eflu forced into either end of the cylinder. The air or fluid connection to the two ends of the cylinders have been indicated by the numerals 34A, 3413; 36A, 36B; 38A, 38B; and 49A and 403, where they can be appropriately shown on the drawings. The operation and construction of double acting piston and cylinder arrangements is well known and it is not our intention to burden this application with further detail of them.

The clam on the lower end of the telescoping boom 20 comprises two co-operating buckets 70 and 72 which are operated in an are about their pivotal mounting in the bucket pin sleeve 74 by means of the double acting cylinders 76 and 78 and their respective pistons.

Cylinders 76 and 78 are each pivotally mounted between the clam brackets 86 as at 82 and 84 respectively at one end, and their respective piston rods pivotally connect in a suitable manner (not shown), with the clam buckets 70 and 72 respectively, whereby the clam buckets can be caused to move between an open position as illustrated in Figure 3 and a closed position as illustrated in Figure l by operation of the pistons in the cylinders. Clam brackets 86 are suitably welded to the free end of the boom.

The pistons within cylinders 78 and 76 are double acting and provision is made at the two ends of each of the cylinders for admitting and exhausting air as the pistons are caused to be moved within the cylinders.

The air supply for operating the clam unit comes through the sets of valves 14 and mounted on the control platform 13 and we provide for a telescoping air supply tube 77 to supply air to these cylinders 76 and 78. The telescoping air supply line 77 is suitably secured close to the boom and extends and retracts as the boom telescopes to remain close to the boom and not drop to become fouled with muck and the like on the bottom of the mine shaft.

With a clam comprised of co-operating buckets 70 and 72, means are necessary for clearing the muck from the clam as it opens because in most cases the boom is not sufficiently vertical to cause the contents that are often of an adhesive nature to fall from the clam by gravity as it opens. in this connection, we provide similar bucket sweeps generally indicated by the numeral 88 and 90. The sweep 90 comprises a sweep plate 92 rigidly bolted to the end of the boom by bolts that pass through the mounting flanges 94 and 96. As is best seen in Figure 3, the edges of the sweep plates are in close proximity to the sides and bottoms of the clam buckets whereby they force muck from the clam as the buckets open. In some cases, depending on the muck, it may be desirable to provide a resilient skirt of rubber or the like on the edges of the sweep plates that cooperate with the buckets. Sweep plate 88 is the same as sweep plate 90.

In Figure 3, the clam is illustrated in an open position. When the piston rods of the pistons of the cylinders 76 and 78 extend from their respective pistons, the clam closes to pick up a load of muck in the usual fashion. The sweep plates, however, remain rigid and, in effect, form a back for the clam when it is in the closed position. When it is desired to dump the load from the clam, the pistons are redrawn into their respective cylinders and the buckets separate. As they do so, their bottoms and sides sweep past the edges of the sweep plates whereby the sweep plates operate in conjunction with the buckets to positively eject muck from the clam in spite of a near horizontal position of the boom.

The boom generally indicated by the numeral has two sections. A first section 100 is pivotally mounted within the bracket 22 of the turntable as described above and a second section 102 which telescopes therewithin. The first section 100 is formed from side plates 103 and 104, a top plate 106 and a bottom plate 108 suitably welded as shown. The side plates 103 and 104 each have opposed top and bottom longitudinally extending flanges 110 and 112 respectively that form diametrically opposed tracks for a boom head assembly carriage of the telescoping section 102 of the boom.

The boom head assembly carriage comprises a head 117 carried by the plate 118 that is in turn secured by means of cap screws 119 that engage with a bolting ring 121 welded on the upper end of the telescoping boom section 102 to seal it. Stub shafts extend from each side of the head 117 and carry the bushings 122 upon which the rollers 114 and 116 are mounted. A packing gland is provided comprised of bronze bushings 124 and 125 and air sealing packing 130. This gland is adapted for sliding relation with the tube 128 as the boom section 102 telescopes.

The tracks formed by the flanges 110 and 112 of the side members of the rigid section of the boom 182 engage with the rollers or wheels 114 and 116 of the boom head carriage to prevent the telescoping section of the boom from rotating about its longitudinal axis in use.

The telescoping boom section 102 also bears in a bronze bushing 132 adjacent the outer extremity of the fixed boom section 100.

A double acting piston head generally indicated by the numeral 134 having leather cups for cooperation with the round inside walls of the telescoping boom section 102 is secured by means of a jam and lock nut combination as at 136 on the end of tube 128. Tube 128 is rigidly mounted with respect to the head of the rigid boom section 100 as indicated at 138 by a collar 140 on one side of the plate 142 and a boom manifold nut 144 that threadedly engages with the upper end of the tube 128. Within the tube 128, a second tube 146 is concentrically mounted to supply air to the interior of the second boom section as will be explained later. Numeral 139 is a rubber gasket seal.

A reinforcing tube 141 is mounted within the outer end of the .telescoping section 102 of the boom by means of press fit and welding.

The telescoping movement of the telescoping section 102 of the boom is controlled by the fixed double acting piston at 134, the surface 148 of which together with the plate 150 of the telescoping boom section defines a. first chamber, and the surface 152 of which together with the inside of the plate 118 forms a second chamber.

While this boom is capable of operation by any fluid, we prefer air because of its cushioning effect. In operation, air is admitted to the first chamber by means of the tube 146 which at its lower end communicates with the said chamber.

As air is admitted to the first chamber, it builds up a pressure and forces the end 150 thereof away from the rigid surface 148 of the piston 134 to telescope the boom section 102 outwardly of the rigid boom section 100. It will be apparent that as the telescoping action takes place, it will be necessary to evacuate air from the second chamber. The escape of this air takes place through the openings 154 in tube 128, through the annular space between tube 128 and 146, and out the opening 156 to a suitable exhaust pipe (not shown).

Means are provided for cushioning the telescoping section 102 of the boom as it approaches the full outward extent of its travel. In this connection, the bushing 126 is adapted to slide over the openings 154 of the tube 128 to substantially close off the escape of air therethrough just prior to when the second section 102 of the boom reaches the full extent of its travel. This causes a buildup of air pressure in the second chamber and avoids a stopping of an outward travel of the section 102 by an abrupt mechanical locking of the two sections of the boom. When it is desired to cause the boom section 102 to retract, air under pressure is forced into the opening 156 and downwardly through the annular space between the tubes 128 and 146 and outwardly through a check valve 158 into the second chamber. This causes a build-up of pressure in this chamber to move the boom section 102 inwardly. At the same time air is evacuated from the first chamber referred to through the tube 138 which has been disconnected from the supply that previously caused the build-up of pressure therein and is now connected to an exhaust. Once the bushing 126 has been caused to uncover the openings 154 as the boom section 102 moves inwardly, air will enter the second chamber through the openings 154.

In order to cushion the upward travel of the section 102 as it approaches the limits of its upward travel, we provide a closed cylindrical bumper 160 on the end of the spring 162 that is normally compressed as shown between the bearing plate 164 and the inside of the bumper by the stern 166 that extends through the rigidly welded plate 168. Plate 164 is held in place by threaded engagement with the bolts 170.

As the boom approaches the inward limit of its travel the end of bumper 160 engages with the nut .136 whereby spring 162 is compressed as the bumper moves towards the bearing plate 164. The spring has a stifiness that prevents the sudden metal to metal contact between the sections as they approach the limit of their inward travel.

In operation the unit is lowered down an inclined mine shaft or the like and blocked to the track so that operation of the boom will not force it back up the track. Further, as indicated above, it is desirable to provide jacks (not shown) on top of the casing that will engage with the top of the mine shaft to maintain the cage down on the tracks in use.

With the cage. blocked at a suitable distance from the muck so that the clam can engage with the muck, the operator operates the control levers to cause the buckets of the clam to open and then forces the telescopic section of the boom into the muck. With practice, he can close the bucket to pick up a load of muck with the bucket. The boom is then retracted and swung to overlie one of two skips 180. The buckets are opened to drop the muck into the skip, and when the skip is full it is raised on its tracks to the top of the mine shaft.

As indicated above, the valves 14 and 15 for controlling the supply of air for the operation of the cylinders that telescope the boom, move the boom within its mounting, and open the clam buckets, are now known and it is not believed to be necessary to provide herein a detailed description of them or of their operation.

It will be understood that in Figure 1, the top portion of the mine shaft has been cut away in order to illustrate the mucking machine more clearly.

It will be understood that modifications can be made in the preferred embodiment described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a mucking machine having a telescopic boom which comprises a first section connected at one end to a fixed member by a universal joint, a telescopic section slidably carried by said first section and mounted for retraction into and extension from said first section, a material collecting, carrying and receiving bucket carried by the free end of said telescopic section, and operator controlled pneumatic means for actuating said boom and bucket into material collecting, carrying'and discharging positions,-the improvement which comprises the combination of spaced tracks provided longitudinally along opposing inner walls of said first section and a carriage carried by the inner end of said telescopic section, said carriage having wheels in rotative engagement with said tracks, the combination of the tracks and carriage retaining said telescopic boom section against rotation about its longitudinal axis.

2. A mucking machine according to claim 1 in which the exterior shell of the first section of the telescopic boom is in the form of a rectangle .and the telescopic section is supported on a wheeled carriage mounted on spaced tracks extended :along opposing interior walls thereof.

3. A mucking machine according to claim .1 in which the material collecting bucket is of the clam type formed of two pivotally connected, mating half sections, and a pair of plates fixedly secured to the free end of said telescopic boom section and extending therefrom, each plate overlying the inner wall of a half section of said clam when in closed position.

4. A mucking machine according to claim 1 in which air outlets are provided adjacent to the outer end of the first section of said boom and means are carried by the inner end of said telescopic section for closing said openings as the said telescopic section advances towards its point of maximum extension.

5. A mucking machine according to claim 1 in which spring loaded stop means are mounted in the inner end of the first boom section for engaging the inner end of said telescopic boom section as it is withdrawn into said first section towards its maximum point of retraction.

6. In :a mucking machine having a telescopic boom which comprises a first section connected to a fixed memher by a universal joint, a telescopic section carried by said first section and mounted for retraction into and extension from said first section, a material collecting, carrying and discharging bucket of the clam type formed of two co-operating half sections pivotally mounted on the free end of said telescopic section and operator controlled pneumatic means for actuating said boom and said bucket into material collecting, carrying and discharging positions, the improvement which comprises a pair of plates fixedly secured to the free'end of said telescopic boom section and extending therefrom, each plate overlying the inner wall of a half section of said clam when in closed position and remaining in fixed position when the half sections are opened, and co-operating means carried by the first and telescopic boom sections to retain said telescopic boom section against rotation on its longitudinal axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 198,957 Symonds Jan. 8, 1878 Vest .i-- Aug. 30, 1,611,326 Abbe Dec. 21, 1926 2,538,711 Tapper Jan. 16, 1951 2,649,189 Schmidt Aug. 18, 1953 2,679,922 Everett June 1, 1954 2,684,159 Oldenkamp -4 July 20, 1954 2,781,140 Cryderman Feb. 12, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF "CORRECTION Patent No 2,949,201 August 16, 1960 Roderick T MacAlpine et a1,

It is hereby certified that error appears in the-printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column l line 25, for "Patent N00 78l l40" read Patent No 2,781 l4O y (SEAL) A ERNEST W. SWIDER XXXXXPQX Attesting Ofliccr ARTHUR W. CROCKER A ti Commissioner of Patents

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