US3305269A

US3305269A - Mining planer pivotal on base

Info

Publication number: US3305269A
Application number: US300285A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lobbe Armin; Rassmann Christoph
Original assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia GmbH
Current assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia GmbH
Priority date: 1962-08-09
Filing date: 1963-08-08
Publication date: 1967-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 1984-02-21
Also published as: GB1042039A; DE1182616B

Description

Feb. 21, 1967 A. LCBBE ETAL MINING PLANER PIVOTAL ON BASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 8, 1963 INVENTORs: AIR w, L 6565 Me /g T0196! RASSM/l/ BY W) Feb. 21, 1967 A. LOBBE ETAL 3,305,269

' MINING PLANER PIVOTAL ON BASE Filed Aug. 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOP 5 1 ARM/N 0B5! M/CHRISTaP/I @455 AMA,

United States Patent 3,305,269 MINTNG PLANER PIVOTAL 0N BASE Armin Liibhe, Oberaden post Kamen, and Christoph Rassmann, Lumen, Germany, assignors to Gewerlrschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia, Westphalia, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Aug. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 300,285 Claims priority, application6g7l9ermany, Aug. 9, 1962, 10 Claims. (Cl. 299-34) The present invention relates to a mining planer for the extraction of minerals such as coal and the like, and more particularly to such a mining planer having cutting means thereon displaceable in a single plane with respect thereto.

In co-pending US. application Serial No. 252,528, filed January 18, 1963, a planer arrangement for extracting minerals such as coal from a mine face is disclosed, and specifically a planer and a guide means therefor to permit the extraction of mineral to a predetermined depth with a minimum of friction as the planer moves back and forth along the mine face. Briefly, a planer and guide arrangement for guiding the planer longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for extracting mineral from the mine face is shown in said co-pending application, which comprises elongated support means adapted to extend longitudinally along the mine face, elongated groove means disposed longitudinally along said support means on one lateral side thereof, and elongated track means disposed longitudinally along and laterally outwardly extending from said groove means and laterally terminating at an outer lateral edge, the track means having a longitudinally extending upper slide face laterally outwardly and downwardly extending from a higher level adjacent the groove means to a lower level at said outer lateral edge, and the lower level of the slide face at said outer lateral edge substantially coinciding with the level of the mine floor. The arrangement further includes base means longitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face and having a base means bottom portion, the base means bottom portion having lug means extending outwardly therefrom, with the lug means being received in the groove means disposed along said support means, and With the base means bottom portion being positioned in slidable contact with the track means upper slide face. Furthermore, cutting means are disposed on the base means for extractive engagement with the mine face for removal of mineral therefrom, the cutting means being limitedly displaceable between a lower and a higher position with respect to the base means along a line substantially in the longitudinal direction yet inclined with respect to the mine floor, the cutting means having a cutting means bottom portion, and the cutting means being displaced to the lower position with the cutting means bottom portion in longitudinal slidable contact with the mine floor during movement of the base means in one direction longitudinally along the mine face and with the cutting means being displaced to the higher position with the cutting means bottom portion above and out of longitudinal slidable contact with the mine floor during movement of the base means in the opposite direction longitudinally along the mine face. In this way, the groove means and track means guide the planer mounted thereon during back and forth movement of the planer along the mine face to extract coal or other mineral to a predetermined depth measured by the distance between the outermost lateral edge of the track means and the outermost extension of the cutting tools. Generally, the support means takes the form of a double chain scraper conveyor of the well known type in which mineral extracted from the mine face is received and conveyed away from the site of operations by spaced apart scraper bars connected at the lateral 3,35,269 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 ends thereof to endless chain drive means, with the return chain portion passing in opposite direction on the under side of the conveyor. Attached to the conveyor is the groove means which takes the form in one embodiment of that invention of a housing for the drive chain attached to the lugs of the planer for transporting the planer therealong, the return chain in this case being housed in an upper channel whose housing also serves as a transverse support preventing transverse displacement of the planer away from the mine face. The conveyor and guiding means and in turn the planer are urged against the mine face so that the planer will achieve a maximum extraction of mineral during each passage against the mine face.

The foregoing construction utilizes the track means and chain channel housings for supporting the planar during its movement back and forth along the mine face so that the cutting means of the planar will directly engage the mine face and be prevented from transverse displacement even where excessive counter forces are met in the mine face by the cutting means. Of course, it is of decisive importance that the distance between the adjacent side of the conveyor and the mine face he kept as small as possible. This is true since the mineral being extracted by the planar should be within the range of the conveyor so that such mineral will be deposited onto the conveyor as the same is being extracted. Nevertheless, in this small area between the conveyor and the mine face the guiding elements for the planer must still be positioned, and sufficient space must also be provided for the planer itself to pass so that the cutting means thereon may be displaced between the upper and lower positions are aforesaid. Under the most optimum conditions a certain amount of free space will remain between the adjacent portions of the guiding elements and the mine face being worked. The loosened or extracted mineral, such as coal, falls into this free space and must be loaded therefrom onto the conveyor. This is usually accomplished by the moving planer itself, which by its very presence displaces the falling mineral outwardly from the mine face and onto the conveyor. For great efficiency in this displacing action of the planer on the falling mineral, it is advantageous if the planer contain a slanting surface in the nature of a plow which directs the coal onto the planer. A further advantage is in providing the track means of the aforementioned construction of said co-pending application and especially the slide face which is inclined and smooth to an extent permitting the displacement of the coal therefrom, i.e. in the free space, and onto the conveyor. Among the constructions seeking to achieve the foregoing result in which the guiding elements for the planer are also designed as a loading ramp for use in directing the loosened mineral onto the conveyor is that shown in German Patent 800,855, wherein the planer guide is also provided with recesses in which projections of the planer are guided in order to secure the same against dislocation from the desired position in direct extractive engagement with the mine face. Where a cutting means carrying cutting tools or chisels is desired which is to be pivoted on a base means of the planer about a particular axis passing through the base means, for instance, the design difiiculties for providing such a construction useful in practice are considerable. This is because it is impossible to achieve sufficient spacmg within the small amount of space available, between the axis of rotation or pivot axis passing through the base means and the tips of the chisels or outermost points of the cutting tools, so that the cutting means carrying the same will be able to swing into the mine face or coal seam in consequence of the resistance of the chisels or cutting tools as is the case with the construction shown in German Patent 800,856. If the base means of the planer were to be constructed deep or broad enough for the axis to be placed at the correct distance, in view of the need for a very small space between the conveyor and the mine face, the planer body would have to at least partially overreach the conveyor to attain the distance required for providing the pivot for practical operations. However, with the planer body over reaching the conveyor, the conveyor itself is subject to undesired jamming with the over reaching portion of the planer body, considering the fact that the conveyor will be carrying thereon extracted mineral reaching a height normally in the path of the lowermost portion of the over reaching planer body. Such disadvantages are solved by the basically different arrangement of the cutting means carrying the chisels or working tools as disclosed in the aforementioned co-pending US. application, but of course the arrangement therein shown is not necessarily the most suitable in every case.

While a pair of chain channel housings are provided on the side of the conveyor adjacent the mine face in accordance with the construction of the aforesaid copending US. application, the lower channel is provided with the slit or groove means into which the lugs of the planer are inserted for attachment with the drive chain, so that if the drive chain disposed in the lower channel facing the mine face being worked is damaged or is broken, it is diflicult to determine just where the break is located without pulling the entire conveyor arrangement away from the mine face. Actually, it is necessary to unbolt the cover portion of the housing of the guiding channels in order to attain access to the damaged or broken chain. Naturally, this procedure can result in a great loss of time and effort.

While other constructions are known in which a keel or plate extends from the bottom of the planer under the conveyor so as to prevent the transverse displacement of the planer from extractive engagement with the mine face, such an arrangement suffers from the disadvantage that a high amount of friction is encountered in moving the planer along the conveyor not only by reason of the sliding contact between the keel or plate with the mine floor but also because of the downward thrust thereon of the conveyor itself carrying the heavy content of extracted mineral thereon. To avoid the problems connected with the use of a keel or plate passing under the conveyor, a construction such as that disclosed in said co-pending US application has been utilized.

Published Dutch patent application 237,463, i.e. corresponding to German Patent 1,133,688, discloses a construction utilizing spherical surfaces as contact surfaces between the cutting means and the base means of the planer to achieve the desired pivoting of the cutting tools on the cutting means, but due to the prohibitive expense of manufacturing a planer of this type and the problems of maintenance connected therewith, such arrangement does not provide the answer to the problems discussed hereinabove.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing drawbacks and to provide a mining planer for extracting minerals such as coal, which contains cutting means pivotally mounted on the base means thereof and displaceable in only a single plane with respect to the base means, the pivoting being achieved without the tselpf a pivot axis within the confines of the base means 1 se It is another object of the present invention to provide a keelless planar arrangement usable with a support means therefor housing the driving chain means for the planer, such that the planar will be forced directly against the mine face being worked and prevented from transverse displacement therefrom, with the planer occupying together with the support means a minimum Pace between the mine face and the adjacently disposed conveyor.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a planer in which the cutting means carrying the cutting tools is pivotable or displaceable on the base means within adjustable limits of pivoting range, using a pivot axis remote from the planer in a direction away from the mine face.

Other and further objects of the present invention Will become apparent from a study of the within specification and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a planar and guide arrangement illustrating the maximum utilization of the minimum space between the mine face and the conveyor for mounting the planer on the support means therefor, the axis of pivot of the cutting means on the base means of the planer being located at a remote distance from the base means and the mine face;

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 illustrating the arcuate interconnection between the cutting means and base means of the planer;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a particular embodiment of the planer in accordance with the invention illustrating partially in phantom the adjustable stop means for limiting the pivotal range of the cutting means with respect to the base means; and

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 illustrating constructional details of the stop means.

It has now been found in accordance with the present invention that a planer and guide arrangement for guiding a planer longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for extracting mineral from the mine face may now be provided, in which the planer comprises base means longitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face, an arcuate retaining groove defined in the base means, cutting means, and an arcuate retaining flange defined on the cutting means, the arcuate groove representing the arc of a chord of a circle in a plane passing through the planer and having its center at a point remote from such planer, and the cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuate pivoting on the base means about an axis of pivot defined by the center of such circle with said retaining flange in arcuate slidable retaining engagement with said retaining groove to permit such arcuate pivoting while preventing otherwise displacement of the cutting means with respect to the base means. The plane in which such circle is located advantageously passes through the planer in a direction inclined downwardly from the center of said circle at such remote point on the remote side of the planer from the cutting means to the side of the planer where the cutting means is mounted. Means are provided also for the cutting means slidably mounted on the base means with said retaining flange in engagement with said retaining groove to prevent any displacement with respect to said plane except limited rotational displacement about the axis of pivot in question. Such means for preventing said displacement conveniently include a correspondingly inclined marginal flange defined on the base means and a coacting retaining lip defined on the cutting means which slidably envelopes and limitedly retains the marginal flange to permit the limited rotation displacement of the cutting means with respect to the base means.

More specifically, the base means includes lug means disposed thereon on the side thereof remote from the cutting means for attachment with drive cable means for moving the base means back and forth along the mine face. Moreover, the base means includes a base means upper flat surface inclined downwardly in the general direction of the aforesaid plane, a base means middle flat surface inclined downwardly in the direction of said plane and being spaced from said base means upper surface, a base means lower flat surface inclined downwardly in the general direction of said plane and being spaced from the base means middle surface, a base means arcuate groove surface intermediate said base means upper and middle surfaces and intersecting said plane such that the line of intersection therebetween generally represents the arc of said chord of such circle, a locking plate removably disposed on the base means upper surface and having an end portion extending radially beyond the arcuate groove surface in the direction away from the center of said circle, a base means arcuate bead defined on the locking plate end portion and extending toward the base means middle surface and being generally equidistant from said arcuate groove surface along their common extent whereby to define therebetween said arcuate retaining groove, and a base means arcuate marginal surface intermediate the base means middle and lower surfaces. On the other hand, the cutting means includes cutting tools or chisels disposed thereon for extractive engagement with the mine face as well as a cutting means upper flat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said arcuate bead, a cutting means middle flat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said base means middle surface, a corresponding cutting means arcuate bead adjacent said cutting means upper and middle surfaces and together therewith defining said arcuate retaining flange with said cutting means arcuate bead situated in slidable engagement with the adjacent portions of said arcuate groove surface and said arcuate bead, a corresponding cutting means lower flat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said base means lower surface, and a corresponding cutting means arcuate marginal surface intermediate said cutting means middle and lower surfaces and containing end stop means thereon. The cutting means arcuate marginal surface is disposed in slidable engagement with the base means arcuate marginal surface with the end stop means limiting the relative slidable displacement therebetween, and the base means middle and lower surfaces and said base means arcuate marginal surface together defining the marginal flange, while the cutting means middle and lower surfaces and the cutting means arcuate marginal surface together define the coacting retaining lip therefor.

In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, an aperture is defined in the cutting means having lateral edge surfaces and a cooperating adjustable limit stop projection means is defined on the base means, the stop projection means extending into the aperture between the lateral edge surfaces thereof for engaging such surfaces during the arcuate pivoting of the cutting means to limit the rotational displacement of such cutting means with respect to the base means. Actually, the axis of pivot which is remote from the base means as well as from the cutting means is defined by a line perpendicular to the plane of the circle in question and passing through the center thereof. By reason of the arcuate retaining groove and arcuate retaining flange as Well as the marginal flange and retaining lip, the cutting means is only able to pivot with respect to the base means in a single plane.

The planer guide for the planer is adapted to rest on a mine floor for guiding the planer and comprises elongated support means adapted to extend longitudinally along the mine face, elongated upper groove means disposed longitudinally along the upper portion of the support means on one lateral side thereof, elongated lower groove means disposed longitudinally along the lower portion of the support means on the other lateral side thereof, and elongated track means extending longitudinally between the upper and lower groove means including an upper crest portion adjacent the upper groove means and a downwardly inclined portion adjacent the lower groove means, the track means being positioned for receiving the planer thereon in sliding abutment therewith with corresponding portions of the planer being slidably retained in the upper and lower groove means to permit the planer to be conducted along the track means without displacement transversely of the elongated support means. Advantageously, a mine face engaging knife probe is provided on the lower portion of the elongated support means lateral ly outwardly of the lower groove means and resting on the mine floor for engaging the lower portion of the adjacent mine face thereat to anchor the support means against the mine face to prevent transverse displacement thereof even where excessive forces are met by the planer in extractive engagement with the mine face.

More specifically, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the planer guide arrangement includes an elongated mining conveyor adapted to extend longitudinally along the mine face and having opposing vertical side wall means and a central horizontal conveyor path means, plate means vertically mounted on one of the side wall means of the conveyor, elongated upper channel means and elongated lower channel means disposed longitudinally along the conveyor and secured at a corresponding lateral side to the conveyor via the plate means, the upper channel means representing the housing for the forward guide cable means for driving the planer and a guideway for the portion of the planer to which the drive cable means are attached, and the lower channel means representing the housing for the return drive cable means. The upper channel means have an upper crest portion and a lower slide portion with the crest and slide portions being spaced from one another at the corresponding parts thereof adjacent the plate means to define a longitudinally extending slit therebet-ween for receiving within the upper channel means therethrough the lug means of the planer to which the cable means are attached. On the other hand, the lower channel means has a laterally outwardly and downwardly inclined portion on the side thereof remote from the plate means as well as a bottom lateral portion. The bottom lateral portion in turn has a first upwardly directed flange attached to the plate means and a second upwardly directed flange extending outwardly beyond the lower end of the inclined portion to form a retaining trough with the lower end of the inclined portion thereat. The mine face engaging knife probe is conveniently disposed on the laterally outer end of the second flange for engaging the mine face as aforesaid. Brace means are provided to interconnect the crest and lower slide portions as well as the inclined portion with the first upwardly directed flange attached to the plate means, as well as rib means interconnecting the lower end of the inclined portion with the bottom lateral portion. The crest and inclined portions on the corresponding sides thereof remote from the conveyor advantages define track means for mounting the planer to be conducted along the mine face with the lug means of the planer to which the cable means are attached being received within the upward channel means through the slit and with a corresponding planer portion being received within the retaining trough to permit longitudinal movement of the planer without transverse displacement with respect to the planer guide.

It will be realized from the foregoing that the present invention provides an answer to the problem of constructing a planer device in the light of the aforesaid copending US. Application and German Patents 800,855 and 800,856 as well as published Dutch Patent Application 237,463, in such a manner that the planer does not overreach the conveyor, yet with the driving chain easily accessible to the mine worker for repairs and maintenance and without increasing the space remaining between the mine face and the guiding elements disposed against the conveyor. For this purpose, it may be considered that a plurality of flat and parallel contact surfaces are provided between the cutting means carrying the cutting tools and the base means, with arcuate or partially annular surfaces being disposed therebetween having an imaginary axis lying outside of the planar, and which are disposed in releasable arrangement and/or offset arrangement to the extent permitting the cutting means to be held on the base means for pivoting in only one plane. It will be realized that where a slanting ramp or track means is used as guiding surfaces for the planer, and where the forces transmitted to the cutting means cannot be taken up by appropriately strong pivot pins, and above all, where there is insuflficient space on the base means, the construction of the present invention may be used effectively for providing a comparatively narrow or thin cutting means on a correspondingly narrow or thin base means carried on support means adjacent the conveyor, the foregoing being achieved in a comparatively simple and durable manner as compared, for instance, with the spherical surfaces employed in the construction of published Dutch Patent Application 237,463.

Referring to the drawing, in FIG. 1 a planer 1 is shown including a base means 2 and a cutting means 3 disposed thereon in pivotal sliding disposition. Cutting means 3 is provided with chisels or cutting tools 4 used for engaging the mine face for the extraction of minerals such as coal therefrom. Base means 2 is provided with a plurality of inclined fiat contact surfaces including upwardly directed base means upper contact surface 5, upwardly directed base means middle contact surface 6, and base means downwardly directed lowercontact surface 7. An arcuate contact surface 8 having the center axis 59 is disposed between contact surfaces 5 and 6, forming a continuation thereof at that portion of base means 2 more or less perpendicular in direction to the planes passing through contact surfaces 5 and 7. On the other hand, arcuate contact surface 9 is provided between fiat contact surfaces 6 and 7 whereby to form the marginal flange 10. A locking plate 11 is dispose-d on upper contact surface 5 by means of the bolts 12 removably fixing looking plate 11 to base means 2 thereat. Locking plate 11 is provided at its downwardly and outwardly directed free end with an arcuate bead 13 having a downwardly directed lower end surface 14 and a radially inwardly directed arcuate contact surface 15 having an axis of curvature defined with respect to the axis 59 such that contact surface 15 is spaced from contact surface 8 on base means 2 in an equidistant manner so as to provide an arcuate retaining groove therebetween which generally represents the arc of a chord corresponding to a circle in an inclined plane passing downwardly through the planer 1 toward the mine face 58 with the center of such circle being located at the intersection of such plane with the axis 59.

The cutting means 3, on the other hand, is provided with a corresponding plurality of flat contact surfaces including upwardly directed cutting means upper contact surface 16, downwardly directed cutting means middle contact surface 17, and upwardly directed cutting means lower contact surface 18, such that cutting means surface 16 slidably engages downwardly directed lower end surface 14 of locking plate 11 while cutting means contact surface 17 slidably engages base means contact surface 6 with cutting means contact surface 18 slidably engaging base means contact surface '7. Furthermore, cutting means 3 is provided with an arcuate contact surface 19 correspondingly shaped for slidably engaging base means arcuate contact surface 9. The lower portion of cutting means 3, therefore, includes the retaining member 20 having a retaining lip 21 suitably enclosing the marginal flange of base means 2. Depending upon the particular construction, the bottom edge 22 of marginal flange 10 and the corresponding recess 23 on retaining member 20 may be arcuately shaped to permit the displacement of cutting means 3 with respect to base means 2 without hinderance.

On the upper portion of cutting means 3, the neck 24 defined between the upper contact surface 16 and the middle contact surface 17 projects between the downward lower end surface 14 of locking plate 11 and the upwardly directed base means middle contact surface 6. At the end of neck 24 a corresponding cutting means arcuate head 25 is provided having the upwardly directed end surface 26 adjacent the under side of locking plate 11 and the arcuate side contact surfaces 27 and 28 adjacent the corresponding arcuate contact surfaces 8 and 15 respectively whereby to provide an arcuate retaining flange slidably disposed within the arcuate retaining groove formed by the appropriate portions of base means 2 and locking plate 11. A top cover 29 may be placed over locking plate 11 to protect the slidably abutting parts from mineral being extracted by the planer 1.

It will be appreciated that the arcuate contact surfaces 27 and 28 of the neck 24 on the cutting means 3 are equidistant from one another and respectively equidistant from the adjacent arcuate contact surfaces 8 and 15 as may be seen more clearly from FIG. 2. Considering that all of such arcuate surfaces represent arcs of chords of circles concentric with one another and having a common center at the axis 59, it will be readily understood that cutting means 3 may be slidably displaced with respect to base meeans 2 about an imaginary axis located at 59, i.e. remote from the actual planer itself. Of course, while the arcuate retaining flange of the cutting means will engage the arcuate retaining groove of the 'base means including the locking plate thereon so as to guide the pivotal movement in question at a fixed distance with respect to the axis 59 by reason of the retaining member 20 having the retaining lip 21 enveloping and enclosing the marginal flange 10, no deviation of cutting means 3 with respect to base means 2 out of the plane of pivotal movement will be able to occur, i.e. cutting means 3 will remain in retained sliding engagement with base means 2 regardless of the forces acting on the cutting tools 4 as the planer 1 engages the mine face 58.

On the lower end portion of base means 2 a follower projection 30 is provided and on the side of base means 2 remote from the cutting means 3 lug means 31 are provided for attachment of the planer with drive cable means for moving the planer longitudinally back and forth along the mine face. Lug means 31 are connected with base means 2 by means of appropriate stem means 32. Generally, a pair of lugs are provided, one at each end of base means 2 for attachment with the corresponding ends of the drive cable means, each lug being attached by an appropriate stem with the main portion of the base means. An appropriate slide surface is provided on the under side of base means 2 including a curved slide surface 33 adjacent the stern means 32 and an inclined slide surface 34 along the adjacent portion of follower projection 3d.

In order to guide the planer 1 longitudinally back and forth along the mine face, a double chain scraper conveyor 35 of well known construction is provided such as for example as disclosed in US. Patents 2,810,565 issued October 22, 1957, and 2,990,168 issued June 27, 1961. Mineral extracted by the planer 1 such as coal, is loaded onto the conveyor 35 and carried therealong by a scraper bar mechanism, not shown, comprising parallel chains interconnected along their common length by scraper bars for conveying the coal or other mineral from the site of extraction. The conveyor 35 generally includes a scraper surface 36 forming a central horizontal conveyor path as well as a pair of side walls 37 of which only the one adjacent the mine face is shown. A vertical plate 38 is connected by bolt 39 with the side wall 37 of the conveyor 35, bolt 39 being suitably accommodated with the bifurcated portion 40 of conveyor 35. Bolt 39 also secures the upwardly directed flange 41 of bottom lateral portion 42 of the support means for the planer 1, bottom lateral portion 42 extending outwardly and downwardly toward the mine face 58 and containing a lower positioned upwardly directed flange 43. The support means for the planer 1 also includes a track means 44 having a crest portion 45, and inclined portion 46, said track means 44 being secured by brace 47 and bolt 48 with the upwardly directed flange 41 of the bottom lateral portion 42 of the support means and in turn with the vertical plate 38 attached by bolt 39 to the conveyor 35. In order to maintain the lower portion of track means 44 in fixed disposition rib means 49 may be provided, connected by pin 50 with bottom lateral portion 42 at the lower end thereof, the upper end of rib means 49 suitably encircling the brace 47. A slide plate 51 of curved configuration is positioned between the upper end of flange 41 and the upper end of rib means 49, said slide plate 51 being reinforced on its under side by brace means 47.

It will be understood in this connection that since conveyor 35, plate 38, bottom lateral portion 42, including the flanges 41 and 43, track means 44, including the crest portion 45 and the inclined portion 46, and slide plate 51 all extend longitudinally along the mine face, a plurality of spaced apart braces 47, bolts 48, rib means 49, pins 50, and bolts 39 will be provided to attain the desired supporting structure for the planer.

The slit 52 provided between the crest portion 45 of track means 44 and the slide plate 51 permits the stem means 32 of the base means 2 to extend therethrough for accommodating the lug means 31 within the upper elongated channel 53 defined by the crest portion 45 and the slide plate 51 thereat. A corresponding lower channel 54 is provided thereunder by the appropriate parts of the bottom lateral portion 42 and the track means 44, so that the drive chain 55 may pass in forward direction within the upper channel 53 and in the return direction within the lower channel 54. In this way, by attaching the chain 55 to the appropriate lugs and driving the chain mounted on sprockets at the ends of the supporting arrangement, the planer 1 may be driven back and forth along the mine face as desired.

It will be appreciated that by reason of the upward flange 43 and the appropriate portion of track means 44, a retaining trough 56 is provided which receives the follower projection 31) of the base means 2, thus preventing the base means from 'being transversely displaced out of the trough 56 and away from the mine face. Actually, the curved slide surface 33 on the under side of base means 2 slidably engages the corresponding crest portion 45 of track means 44 whereas the inclined slide surface 34 of base means 2 slidably engages the inclined portion 46 of track means 44 so as to support the planer 1 on its guiding arrangement with a minimum of friction and wear, yet with the planer occupying efficiently the small space between the conveyor and the mine face. Because of the stem means 32 and the lug means 31 within the upper channel 53 and because of the follower projection 30 within the retaining trough 56, the planer is prevented from derailment or even tranverse displacement or tilting away from direct engagement with the mine face. It will be appreciated that the inclined slide surface 34 of base means 2 will be provided with an appropriate groove therealong adjacent the connecting portion of bolts 48 on the exterior of track means 44 to permit the unobstructed movement of the base means along the track means.

Appropriate driving systems for conveying the planer along the mine face are well known and examples of these are disclosed in US. Patents 2,810,565, and 2,990,- 168 noted above.

The mine face engaging knife probe 57 is provided at the outer end of bottom lateral portion 42 for engaging the mine face and securing the guiding arrangement against any tilting as, for example, might be caused by excessive counter forces met by the cutting means during extractive engagement with the mine face. The conveyor 35 may be appropriately urged toward the mine face to anchor the knife probe 57 into such mine face by various means and it will be understood that the knife probe may consist of an angular element or a plurality thereof, and/or a plurality of spaced apart knife or pick elements each engaging the mine face adjacent thereto.

In order to urge the conveyor toward the mine face various urging means may be used such as piston cylinder means (not shown), such as disclosed in the aforesaid U. S. Patent 2,990,168, provided on the side of conveyor 35 remote from the side containing the planer guide means. The urging means are normally positioned against the opposing vertical side wall 37 (not shown) so as to urge the conveyor 35 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, i.e. towards the mine face.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the planer embodiment of the present invention containing stop means between the base means 2 and the cutting means 3. An aperture 69 is provided in cutting means 3 having side limit surfaces defined by the parallel side walls of the aperture. An adjustable limit stop projection or block 61 extends into aperture 60 and is mounted in an adjustable manner by pivot pin 63 onto base means 2. Block 61 of polygonal shape having certain of its polygonal faces closer to its center than others is mounted for rotation within aperture 60 to provide various widths between the appropriate polygonal faces of block 61 and the adjacent side limit surfaces of aperture 60. For this purpose, a switching mechanism 62 is employed such that block 61 can be locked in any one of its positions on pivot 63 by means of cover plate 65 equipped with pin 64. Accordingly, by simply removing pin 64 from engagement with switching mechanism 62, block 61 may be turned to provide a different set of polygonal faces adjacent the side limit surfaces of aperture 60, whereupon cover plate 65 may be pressed inwardly once more until pin 64 thereon lockingly engages the corresponding recess in switching mechanism 62 whereby to prevent any further displacement or rotation of block 61 at this point. For best results, pivot pin 63 is mounted on base means 2 at the front side of marginal flange 10 while aperture 60 is correspondingly provided in the adjacently disposed retaining member 20 (see FIG. 1).

Thus, in accordance with the present invention a construction is provided in which the cutting means is pivotable in only one plane and only about one axis of pivot with the various flat contact surfaces being preferably parallel to one another and perpendicular to such axis of pivot. The arcuate tracks provided by the various contact faces in sliding abutment wit-h one another control the path of movement of the cutting means on the base means and in connection with the adjustable stop means limit the range of arcuate movement or pivoting of the cutting means on the base means, regardless of the counter forces met by the cutting tools in engagement with the mine face. Moreover, by reason of the marginal flange enveloped by the retaining member carrying the retaining lip, no deviation of the cutting means with respect to the base means can occur, i.e. out of the plane of rotation desired. In addition to the efficient utilization of the small space provided between the conveyor and the mine face by reason of the particular construction of the planer device of the present invention, it will be realized that the support means therefor including the housing for the chain drive means is particularly suitable inasmuch as the slit through which the lugs of the planer extend into the upper chain housing is located on the side of the support means remote from the main portion of the planer so as to permit easy access of the mine worker to the drive chain thereat, i.e. over the entire length of the chain housing. Thus, the chain housing may be dismantled expediently by merely removing the various bolts 48 of braces 47 and pins 50 of rim means 49. Although the housing means for the drive chain is quite stable and strong enough to withstand the tilting forces transmitted by the planer upon engaging the mine face, the use of the knife probe serves to transmit some of these forces directly back to the mine face.

It will be realized that the guide means arrangement of the present invention may be used with a planer not specifically equipped with the aforementioned displaceable cutting means on the base means, yet the desired positive engagement of the planer with the mine face would be obtained together with the prevention of the deviation of the planer from its normal path, the advantage of the drive means arrangement being that the upper chain drive housing is accessible along its length on the side thereof away from the mine face, and the advantage 'of the planer device being that favorable and efficient pivoting of the cutting means may take place on a comparatively narrow base means, i.e. considered in the transverse direction. The combination of the instant planer and the instant guide arrangement, nevertheless, permits all of the advantages of both configurations to be attained in a common operation with an over-all construction simple to manufacture, durable in use, and permitting operation with a minimum energy requirement.

What is claimed is:

1. Planer for extracting mineral from a mine face which comprises base means longitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face, an arcuate retaining groove defined in said base means, cutting means, and an arcuate retaining flange defined on said cutting means, said arcuate groove representing the arc of a chord of a circle in a plane passing through said planer and having its center at a point remote from such planer, and said cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuate pivoting on said base means about an axis of pivot defined by the center of such circle with said retaining flange in arcuate slidable retaining engagement with said retaining groove to permit such arcuate pivoting while preventing otherwise displacement of said cutting means with respect to said base means.

2. Planer according to claim 1 wherein said plane passes through said planer in a direction inclined downwardly from said center at such remote point on the remote side of said planer from the cutting means to the side of said planer Where said cutting means is mounted, and means are provided for said cutting means slidably mounted on said base means with said retaining flange in engagement with said retaining groove to prevent any displacement with respect to said plane except limited rotational displacement about said axis of pivot.

3. Planer according to claim 2 wherein said means for preventing such displacement include a correspondingly downwardly inclined marginal flange defined on said base means and a coacting retaining lip defined on said cutting means which slidably envelops and limitedly retains said marginal flange to permit said limited rotational displacement of said cutting means with respect to said base means.

4. Planer according to claim 3 wherein said base means includes lug means disposed thereon on the side thereof remote from said cutting means for attachment with drive cable means for moving said base means back and forth along the mine face, a base means upper flat surface inclined downwardly in the general direction of said plane, a base means middle flat surface inclined downwardly in the direction of said plane and being spaced from said base means upper surface, a base means lower flat surface inclined downwardly in the general direction of said plane and being spaced from said base means middle surface, a base means arcuate groove surface intermediate said base means upper and middle surfaces and intersecting said plane such that the line of intersection therebetween generally represents the arc of said chord of said circle, a locking plate removably disposed on said base means upper surface and having an end portion extending radially beyond said arcuate groove surface in the direction away from said center of said circle, a base means arcuate bead defined on the locking plate end portion and extending toward said base means middle surface and being generally equidistant from said arcuate groove surface along their common extent whereby to define therebetween said arcuate retaining groove, and a base means arcuate marginal surface intermediate said base means middle and lower surfaces, and wherein said cutting means includes cutting tools disposed thereon for extractive engagement with the mine face, a cutting means upper flat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said arcuate bead, a cutting means middle fiat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said base means middle surface, a corresponding cutting means arcuate bead adjacent said cutting means upper and middle surfaces and together therewith defining said arcuate retaining flange with said cutting means arcuate bead situated in slidable engagement with the adjacent portions of said arcuate groove surface and said arcuate bead, a corresponding cutting means lower fiat surface in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said base means lower surface and a corresponding cutting means arcuate marginal surface intermediate said cutting means middle and lower surfaces and containing end stop means thereon, said cutting means arcuate marginal surface being in slidable engagement with said base means arcuate marginal surface with said end stop means limiting the relative slidable displacement therebetween, said base means middle and lower surfaces and said base means arcuate marginal surface together defining said marginal flange, and said cutting means middle and lower surfaces and said cutting means arcuate marginal surface together defining said coacting retaining lip.

5. Planer according to claim 2 wherein an aperture is defined in said cutting means having lateral edge surfaces and a cooperating adjustable limit stop projecting means is defined on said base means which extends into said aperture between said lateral edge surfaces for engaging said edge surfaces during the arcuate pivoting of said cutting means to limit the rotational displacement of said cutting means with respect to said base means.

6. Planer for extracting mineral from a mine face which comprises base means longitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face, a contact surface defined on said base means inclined with respect to the mine face, an arcuate retaining groove defined in said base means, cutting means, a corresponding contact surface defined on said cutting means, an arcuate retaining flange defined on said cutting means, and pivotal limit stop means, said arcuate groove representing the arc of a chord of a circle having its center at a point remote from the planer, said cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuate pivoting on said base means within the limits of said stop means about an axis of pivot defined by a line perpendicular to the plane of such circle and passing through the center of said circle with the cutting means contact surface in slidable abutment with the base means contact surface and said flange in arcuate slidable retaining engagement with said groove to permit such arcuate pivoting while preventing displacement from such sliding abutting disposition of said contact surfaces.

7. Planar for extracting mineral from a mine face which comprises base means longitudinally movable back and forth along the mine face, an upwardly facing contact surface defined on said base means in a plane inclined with respect to the mine face, an arcuate retaining groove defined in said base means, cutting means, a corresponding downwardly facing contact surface defined on said cutting means, an arcuate retaining flange defined on said cutting means, and pivotal limit stop means including spaced apart side limit surfaces on said cutting means and adjustable limit stop projection means on said base means extending between said side limit surfaces, said arcuate groove representing the arc of a chord of a circle whose center is located at a point remote from the planer, said cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuate pivoting on said base means within the pivotal limits of said stop means about an axis of pivot defined by the center of such circle with the cutting means contact surface disposed over the base means contact surface and in slidable abutment therewith in said plane inclined with respect to the mine face and with said flange in arcuate slidable retaining engagement with said groove to permit such arcuate pivoting While preventing displacement out 13 of said plane of said contact surfaces with respect to each other.

8. Planer guide adapted to rest on a mine floor for guiding a planer longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for the extraction of mineral from the mine face, which comprises an elongated mining conveyor adapted to extend longitudinally along a mine face, said conveyor having opposing vertical side wall means and a central horizontal conveyor path means, plate means vertically mounted on one of said side wall means, elongated upper channel means and elongated lower channel means disposed longitudinally along said conveyor and secured at a corresponding lateral side to said conveyor via said plate means, said upper channel means representing the housing for the forward drive cable means for driving the planer and a guideway for the portion of the planer to which the drive cable means are attached and the lower channel means representing the housing for the return drive cable means, said upper channel means having an upper crest portion and a lower slide portion, said crest and slide portions being spaced from one another at the corresponding parts thereof adjacent said plate means to define a longitudinally extending slit therebetween to receive within the upper channel means therethrough the lug means of the planer to which the cable means are attached, said lower channel means having a laterally outwardly and downwardly inclined portion on the side thereof remote from said plate means and a bottom lateral portion, said bottom lateral portion having a first upwardly directed flange attached to said plate means and a second upwardly directed flange extending outwardly beyond the lower end of said inclined portion to form a retaining trough with the lower end of said inclined portion thereat, a mine face engaging knife probe disposed on the laterally outer end of said second flange for engaging the mine face, brace means interconnecting said crest and lower slide portions as well as said inclined portion with said first upwardly directed flange attached to said plate means, and rib means interconnecting said lower end of said inclined portion with said bottom lateral portion, said crest and inclined portions on the corresponding sides thereof remote from the conveyor defining track means for mounting the planer to be conducted along the mine face with the lug means of the planer to which the cable means are attached being received within the upper channel means through said slit and with a corresponding planer portion being received within said retaining trough to permit longitudinal movement of such planer guide, said knife probe being adapted to engage the mine face to anchor the planer guide against displacement.

9. Planer and guide arrangement for guiding a planer longitudinally back and forth along a mine face for extracting mineral from the mine face which comprises base means, an arcuate retaining groove defined in said base means, cutting means, an arcuate retaining flange defined in said cutting means, elongated planer support means adapted to extend longitudinally along a mine face for mounting said planer thereon on one lateral side thereof for movement along the mine face, said arcuate groove representing the arc of a chord of a circle in a plane passing through said planer and having its center at a point remote from such planer on the other lateral side of said elongated support means, said cutting means being slidably mounted for pivoting on said base means about an axis of pivot defined by the center of such circle with said arcuate retaining flange in arcuate slidable retaining engagement with said arcuate retaining groove to permit such arcuate pivoting while preventing otherwise displacement of said cutting means with respect to said base means, elongated upper groove means disposed longitudinally along the upper portion of said elongated support means on said other lateral side thereof, elongated lower groove means disposed longitudinally along the lower portion of said elongated support means on said one lateral side thereof, elongated track means extending longitudinally on said elongated support means and being disposed between said elongated upper and lower groove means, said track means including an upper crest portion adjacent said elongated upper groove means and a downwardly and outwardly inclined portion adjacent said elongated lower groove means, said planer being mounted on said elongated support means in sliding contact with said track means with corresponding portions of said planer being slidably retained in said elongated upper and lower groove means to permit said planer to be conducted along said track means without displacement transversely of said elongated support means.

10. Planar and guide arrangement adapted to rest on a mine floor for guiding a planer longitudinally back and forth along a mine floor for the extraction of mineral from the mine face, which comprises an elongated mining conveyor adapted to extend longitudinally along a mine face, said conveyor having opposing vertical conveyor side wall means and a central horizontal conveyor path means, plate means vertically mounted on one of said side wall means, elongated upper channel means and elongated lower channel means disposed longitudinally along said conveyor and secured at one corresponding lateral side to said conveyor via said plate means, planer base means mounted on said upper and lower channel means and longitudinally movable thereon back and forth along the mine face, an arcuate retaining groove defined in said base means, cutting means, an arcuate retaining flange defined on said cutting means, pivotal limit stop means including spaced apart side limit surfaces on said cutting means and adjustable limit stop projection means on said base means extending between said side limit surfaces, said arcuate retaining groove representing the arc of a chord of a circle in an inclined plane passing downwardly through said planer toward the mine face from the direction of the other of said conveyor side wall means with the center of such circle being located at a point remote from the planer in the direction of said other of said side wall means, an upwardly facing base means upper flat surface defined on said base means in a second plane inclined downwardly in the general direction of the first said plane, an upwardly facing base means middle flat surface defined on said base means in a third plane inclined downwardly in the general direction of said first plane and space from said base means upper surface, a downwardly facing base means lower flat surface defined on said base means in a fourth plane inclined downwardly in the general direction of said first plane and spaced from said base means middle surface, a base means arcuate groove surface defined on said base means intermediate said base means upper and middle surfaces and intersecting said first plane such that the line of intersection therebetween generally represents the arc of said chord of said circle, a locking plate removably disposed on said base means upper surface and having an end portion extending radially beyond said arcuate groove surface in the direction away from said center of said circle, a base means arcuate bead defined on the locking plate end portion and extending downwardly toward said base means middle surface and being generally equidistant from said arcuate groove surface along their common extent whereby to define therebetween said arcuate retaining groove, an outwardly facing base means arcuate marginal surface defined on said base means intermediate said base means middle and lower surfaces, cutting tools disposed on said cutting means for extractive engagement with the mine face, a corresponding upwardly facing cutting means upper flat surface defined on said cutting means and disposed in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said arcuate bead, a corresponding downwardly facing cutting means middle flat surface defined on said cutting means and disposed in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said base means middle surface, a corresponding cutting means arcuate bead defined on said cutting means adjacent said cutting means upper and middle surfaces and together therewith defining said arcuate retaining flange with said cutting means arcuate bead situated in slidable engagement with the adjacent portions of said arcuate groove surface and said arcuate bead, a corresponding upwardly facing cutting means lower flat surface defined on said cutting means in slidable engagement with the adjacent portion of said base means lower surface, a corresponding inwardly facing cutting means arcuate marginal surface defined on said cutting means intermediate said cutting means middle and lower surfaces and disposed in slidable engagement with said base means arcuate marginal surface, said base means middle and lower surfaces and said base means arcuate marginal surface together defining a downwardly and outwardly inclined marginal flange, said cutting means middle and lower surfaces and said cutting means arcuate marginal surface together defining a corresponding coacting retaining lip, said retaining lip slidably enveloping and limitedly retaining said inclined marginal flange, said cutting means being slidably mounted for arcuate pivoting in a single plane on said base means within the pivotal limits of said stop means about an axis of pivot defined by a line perpendicular to the plane of such circle and passing through the center of such circle with said arcuate retaining flange in arcuate slidable retaining engagement with said arcuate retaining groove and said retaining lip in slidable enveloping engagement with said marginal flange to permit such arcuate pivoting while preventing otherwise displacement of said cutting means with respect to said base means, lug means disposed on said base means on the side thereof closest to said axis and follower projection means disposed on said base means below said marginal flange, said elongated upper channel means representing the housing for the forward drive cable means for driving the planer and a guideway for the lug means of the planer to which the drive are attached and said elongated lower channel means representing the housing for the return drive cable means, said upper channel means having an upper crest portion and a lower slide portion, said crest and slide portions being spaced from one another at the corresponding parts thereof adjacent said plate means to define a longitudinally extending slit therebetween to receive within the upper channel means therethrough the lug means of the planer to which the cable means are attached, said lower channel means having a laterally outwardly and downwardly inclined portion on the side thereof remote from said plate means and a bottom lateral portion, said bottom lateral portion having a first upwardly directed flange attached to said plate means and a second upwardly directed flange extending outwardly beyond the lower end of said inclined portion to form a retaining trough with the lower end of said inclined portion thereat, a mine face engaging knife probe being disposed on the laterally outer end of said second flange for engaging the mine face, brace means interconnecting said crest and lower slide portions as well as said inclined portion with said first upwardly directed flange attached to said plate means, and rib means interconnecting said lower end of said inclined portion with said bottom lateral portion, said crest and inclined portions on the corresponding sides thereof remote from the conveyor defining track means for mounting the planer for movement along said upper and lower channel means with the lug means of the base means to which the cable means are attached being received within the upper channel means through said slit and with the follower projection means of the base means being received within said retaining trough to permit longitudinal movement of such planer without transverse displacement with respect to said upper and lower channel means, said knife probe being adapted to engage the mine face at the floor level thereof to anchor the planer guide against displacement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,137,484 6/1964 Fontein 29934 FOREIGN PATENTS 974,235 6/ 1960 Germany. 769,328 3/1957 Great Britain. 808,475 2/1959 Great Britain. 869,463 5/1961 Great Britain.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

Claims

1. PLANER FOR EXTRACTING MINERAL FROM A MINE FACE WHICH COMPRISES BASE MEANS LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE BACK AND FORTH ALONG THE MINE FACE, AN ARCUATE RETAINING GROOVE DEFINED IN SAID BASE MEANS, CUTTING MEANS, AND AN ARCUATE RETAINING FLANGE DEFINED ON SAID CUTTING MEANS, SAID ARCUATE GROOVE REPRESENTING THE ARC OF A CHORD OF A CIRCLE IN A PLANE PASSING THROUGH SAID PLANER AND HAVING ITS CENTER AT A POINT REMOTE FROM SUCH PLANAR, AND SAID CUTTING MEANS BEING SLIDABLY MOUNTED FOR ARCUATE PIVOTING ON SAID BASE