US3290094A

US3290094A - Continuous mining machine

Info

Publication number: US3290094A
Application number: US340361A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gonski Joseph
Original assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Co
Current assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Co
Priority date: 1964-01-27
Filing date: 1964-01-27
Publication date: 1966-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-06

Description

Dec. 6, 1966 .1. GONSKI CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JOSEPH GO/VSK/ Filed Jan. 27, 1964 Dec. 6, 1966 J. GONSKI commuous MINING MACHINE Filed Jan. 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOSEPH GO/VSK/ Ji 3,290,094 Patented Dec. 6, 1966 United States Patent ()fiflce This invention relates to improvements in continuous mining machines of the rotary boring type having a plunality of rotary boring heads advanced into the working face of a mine by the traction devices supporting the machine.

A principal object of the invention is to improve upon the multiple rotary boring head continuous mining machines heretofore in use by providing a novel form of mining head ararngement, so. arrangedthat all of the mining heads may rotate to feed material toward the center oft-he machine, without interfering with each other.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of continuous mining machine arranged with a view toward more efiic-ient loading and maneuverability of the machine, by providing two inner boring heads and two outer boring heads on opposite sides of the inner boring heads, in which the outer boring heads project laterally beyond opposite sides of the machine and are so arranged with respect to the inner boring heads, as toenable the outer boring heads to be used as pivots for the machine, when mining breakthroughs, butt entries and the like, and to eliminate side cutting by the inner boring I heads.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of continuous mining'machine of the multiple boring type having at least four boring heads extending across the front of the machine, in which the outermost boring heads are spaced ahead of the innermost boring heads to thereby make it possible for all of the boring heads to rotate in directions to feed the mined material along the floor toward the center of the machine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved form of continuous mining machine having four boring heads, and by so arranging the boring heads as to accommodate the use of non-eccentric boring heads all of which bore and progress the material along the floor. toward the center of'the machine, by positioning the outermost heads in front of the innermost boring heads.

These androther objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings where- FIGURE 1. is atop plan View of a continuous mining machine constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial fragmentry longitudinal sectional view taken through the forward end portion of the machine shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic end view, illustrating the cutting paths anddirections of rotation of the mining heads.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, I have shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, a continuous mining m-achine of the rotary boring type having a main frame supported on laterally spaced continuous traction tread, devices 11, which serve to tram the machine from working place to working place and to feed .zontal plane.

advance

boring heads

12, 12 and trailing

boring heads

13, 13 int-o the working face of a mine. The continuous traction tread devices 11 are of-a conventional form and are driven from individual motors and speed reducers (not shown), in a manner well known to those skilled in the art, so not herein shown or described further.

The mining machine also includes a cutter frame structure 15 supported. on and extending ahead of the main frame 10. The cutter frame structure 15 is supported on the main frame 10, by the usual hydraulic

elevating jacks

16, 16, and is tilted about an axis extending transversely of the main frame by hydraulic jacks 17, 17 transversely pivoted to the main frame and pivotally connected with arms 18, 18 secured to and extending rearwardly of the cutter frame structure 15, along opposite sides of a conveyor 19.

The conveyor 19 extends along the main frame 10 from a position adjacent the ground in advance of the forward end of the main frame, in an upwardly inclined direction and .over the top of the main frame in a generally hori- The conveyor 19 extends beneath and along a throat 20, formed in the underside of the cutter frame structure 15, between the trailing

boring heads

13, 13. The conveyor 19 is shown as being a conventional form of single strand endless chain and flight convey-or of a laterally flexible type, and has a laterally flexible rear end portion 21, moved from side to side to discharge the mined material to either side of the longitudinal center line of the machine by operation of the usual

hydraulic jacks

23, 23, pivotally connected between opposite sides of a widened portion 24 of the bottom plate of the conveyor 19, and opposite sides of the laterally swingable discharge section of the conveyor.

An upper trimmer bar 25 is mounted on the c utter frame structure 15 in advance of the forward end thereof, on hydraulic jacks 26, mounted on the front face of the cutter frame structure 15 and serving to support and .vertically adjust said trimmer bar with respect to said cutter frame structure, and to hold said trimmer bar in a selected position. The lower trimmer bar 27 extends across the front of the conveyor 19 and is mounted on and extends forwardly of a frame 28 for the conveyor. The trimmer bar 27 is vertically adjusted to clear the ground to accommodate the machine to be tramrned from working place to working place by the adjusting jacks for the front end portion of the conveyor (not shown). A trimmer chain 29 is trained along the lower trimmer bar 27 around trimmer sprockets (not shown) at opposite ends of said trimmer bar. One run of the trimmer chain 29 is trained along a suitable tension idler (not shown) and around a corner sprocket 30 at one end of the trimmer bar 25 and along said trimmer bar to and around a similar corner sprocket 30 at the opposite end of said trimmer bar and angularly downwardly and inwardly therefrom around a drive, sprocket 31 on a drive shaft 33 for an inner trailing .boring arm 13. The trimmer bar and chain construction is of a conventional form so need not herein be shown or described further.

The outer boring heads 12 are supported on and driven from the usual hollow shafts 35 extending within the cutter frame 15 and rotatably supported in hubs 36 projecting forwardly of said cutter frame, adjacent opposite sides thereof. The inner boring heads 13 are mounted on and rotatably driven by similar hollow shafts 33 extending within the cutter frame structure 15 and rotatably journalled in hubs 37 extending forwardly of said cutter frame structure on opposite sides of the throat 20. The

hollow shafts

33, 33 and 35, 35 are rotatably driven by

motors

39, 39 secured to and extending rearwardly of the cutter frame structure 15 at opposite sides of the conveyor 19. The

motors

39, 39 in turn drive a conventional gear train 40 having driving connection with the

hollow shafts

33, 33 and 35, 35 for driving said hollow shafts to rotate the boring heads supported thereon, at the same rates of speed in directions to progress the mined coal along the ground toward the longitudinal center of the machine.

Each boring head 12 is shown in FIGURE 1 as having a diametrically extending boring arm 41, extending equal distances from the axis of rotation of the shaft 35 and shown as having

telescopic arms

43, 43 telescopically adjustably mounted therein for varying the cutting diameter of the boring head. The

telescopic arms

43, 43 are held in fixed relation with respect to the boring arm 41 and are extensibly and retractibly moved with respect to said boring arm 41 by a conventional form of adjusting mechanism, which is no part of the present invention so need not herein be shown or described.

Extending in front of the boring arm 41 about the axis of rotation thereof is a pilot cutter support 44 having cutter bits 45 projecting forwardly therefrom, for cutting an annular kerf adjacent the center of the machine. Spaced radially outwardly of the cutter support 44 and cutter bits 45 are cutter supports 46 having cutter bits 47 mounted therein and projecting forwardly therefrom.

The telescopic arms 43 each have an inner cutter support 49 having cutter bits 50 projecting forwardly therefrom and a radially outwardly spaced cutter support 51 having cutter bits 53 projecting forwardly therefrom.

The

telescopic arms

43, 43 also have

impeller plates

55, 55 mounted thereon and extending generally radially therealong in rearwardly spaced relation with respect to the cutter supports 49 and 51. The impeller plates 55 are on the leading sides of the

telescopic arms

43, 43 and are inclined with respect to the plane of the forward faces of the cutter supports, to impel the mined material inwardly along the ground toward the center of the machine, to be picked up by the boring heads '13, 13 and progressed in front of the conveyor 19, to be picked up by said conveyor as the machine advances into the work ing face.

The

boring heads

13, 13 are like the

boring heads

12, 12 and have a central pilot cutter 56, radially outwardly spaced

cutters

57, 58 and 59,

togetherwith impeller plates

60, 60 for impelling the mined material along the ground rearwardly toward the center of the machine, to be picked up by the conveyor 19.

Angular deflector or cuttings confining plates 61, 61 extend from positions adjacent the outer margins of the outer

boring heads

12, 12, angularly inwardly toward the receiving end of the conveyor 19, and terminate at the receiving end of the conveyor to collect any mined ,rnaterial passing backwardly of the'boring

heads

12, 12

and 13, 13, and confine the material to converge toward the conveyor 19 to be picked up thereby.

The operation of mining with a machine of the present invention is a more or less conventional mining operation, that is, as the

boring heads

12, 12 and 13, 13 are rotatably driven they are advanced into the working face by the laterally spaced continuous traction tread devices 11, 11, which feed the boring heads at a low feeding speed. As the

boring heads

12, 12 are advanced into the working face they continually progress the material toward the longitudinal center of the machine to be further progressed toward the center of the machine by the

boring heads

13, 13 coming into cuttaing engagement with the face after the

boring heads

12, 12 have been sumped into the face a substantial distance.

One advantage of the present machine in addition to the advantage of being able to rotate all of the boring 4- heads to feed the mined material along the ground toward the center of the machine is that in continuous boring types of mining operations, the machines frequently are used to drive breakthroughs or cross or butt entries at angles to the main entry or working place. In driving such entries, the machine advances into the face at an angle. During this advance the nearest outer boring head may come into cutting engagement with the face. The outer boring head thus actsv as a fulcrum point for the machine and the machine may be turned about said outer boring head by the cooperation of the continuous traction tread devices 11, until the machine is at the proper boring angle with respect to the working face.

This is a marked improvement in the continuous mining of relatively wide places, in that with conventional continuous mining machines having more than two boring heads with center boring heads in advance of the outer boring heads, the problem of steering the machine is a diflicult one, and the maneuverability of the machine to position it at an angle with respect to the main entry or Working place is a gradual and slow operation, particularly due to side cutting of the center boring heads, when positioning the machine by fulcruming the machine about the outer boring heads. This side cutting has been eliminated by the boring head arrangement of the present invention with the resultant speeding up of the mining operation and reduction in power consumption and wear of the boring heads.

While I have herein shown and described one form of which the invention may be embodied, 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.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a continuous mining machine,

a main frame,

a cutter frame structure mounted on said main frame,

a conveyor extending along said main frame from a position adjacent the ground in advance of the forward end of said main frame,

upper and lower trimmer bars mounted on said cutter frame and having acutter chain movable therealong and guiding said cutter chain to cut along the fioor and roof of a mine,

two laterally spaced rotary boring heads mounted on said cutter frame in advance of said trimmer bars and on opposite sides of the conveyor and having cutter supports thereon and projecting forwardly therefrom, and carrying cutter bits for cutting from the roof to the floor of a mine,

a separate rotary boring head on each outer side of said first mentioned boring heads and spaced forwardly therefrom substantial distances in advance of the cutting paths of the cutter bits carried by said first mentioned boring heads and including a shaft having a diametral arm extending therefrom having cutter bits carried thereby and cutting in paths overlapped by the cutting paths of said first mentioned boring heads,

cuttings confining means extending from said last mentioned boring heads to said conveyor,

and all of said boring heads rotating in directions to progress the mined material along the floor toward the center of the machine to be confined by said cuttings confining means to be loaded onto said conveyor.

2. A continuous mining machine in accordance with claim 1,

wherein said boring arms have impeller plates on the sides thereof which are the leading sides thereof as said boring heads rotate to effect a mining operation,

wherein the impeller plates are spaced rearwardly of the cutter bits for impelling the mined mtaerialtoward the center of the machine, f

and wherein the cuttings confining means comprises cuttings confining plates extending fromthe outer- 5 6 most of said boring heads to positions adjacent the 2,796,244 6/1957 Gonski 299-59 X receiving end of the conveyor. 7 3,096,082 7/1963 Long 299-59 X References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 4 4/1956 y r et 1- ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner.

2,743,092 4/1956 Funk 29959 X

Claims

1. IN A CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE, A MAIN FRAME, A CUTTER FRAME STRUCTURE MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN FRAME, A CONVEYOR EXTENDING ALONG SAID MAIN FRAME FROM A POSITION ADJACENT THE GROUND IN ADVANCE OF THE FORWARD END OF SAID MAIN FRAME, UPPER AND LOWER TRIMMER BARS MOUNTED ON SAID CUTTER FRAME AND HAVING A CUTTER CHAIN MOVABLE THEREALONG AND GUIDING SAID CUTTER CHAIN TO CUT ALONG THE FLOOR AND ROOF OF A MINE. TWO LATERALLY SPACED ROTARY BORING BEADS MOUNTED ON SAID CUTTER FRAME IN ADVANCE OF SAID TRIMMER BARS AND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CONVEYOR AND HAVING CUTTER SUPPORTS THEREON AND PROJECTING FORWARDLY THEREFROM, AND CARRYING CUTTER BITS FOR CUTTING FROM THE ROOF TO THE FLOOR OF A MINE, A SEPARATE ROTARY BORING HEAD ON EACH OUTER SIDE OF SAID FIRST MENTIONED BORING HEADS AND SPACED FORWARDLY THEREFROM SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCES IN ADVANCE OF THE CUTTING PATHS OF THE CUTTER BITS CARRIED BY SAID FIRST MENTIONED BORING HEADS AND INCLUDING A SHAFT HAV-