GB1569912A

GB1569912A - Installation including a track-mounted machine and driving gear therefor

Info

Publication number: GB1569912A
Application number: GB911077A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: TS OSRODEK P K MASZYN GORNIC; Politechnika Slaska im Wincentego Pstrowskiego
Current assignee: TS OSRODEK P K MASZYN GORNIC; Politechnika Slaska im Wincentego Pstrowskiego
Priority date: 1976-03-05
Filing date: 1977-03-04
Publication date: 1980-06-25
Also published as: AT349412B; ATA141777A; DE2709111A1; DE2709111C2

Description

(54) AN INSTALLATION INCLUDING A TRACK-MOUNTED MACHINE AND DRIVING GEAR THEREFOR (71) We POLITECHNIKA SLASKA IM.

WINCENTEGO PSTROWSKIHGO of ul. Katowicka 2, Gliwice, Poland, and CsNmALNY OSRODEK PROJEKTOWO - KONSTRUKCYJNY MASZYN GORNICZYCH LLKOMAG)', of ul.

Pszczynska 37, Gliwice, Poland, both Polish State Enterprises organised and existing under the laws of Poland, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to installations including track-mounted machines and driving gear therefor, being more particularly but not exclusively concerned with the tieless driving gear (i.e. driving gear operable without the use of any tension member) of mining machines such for example as mechanical diggers, loaders tractors or locomotives, movable along overhead or ground-level tracks.

As to the hitherto known installations with track-mounted machines, the tieless driving gear includes rack sections rigidly attached to the track. The rack sections have pins, teeth or seats of various shapes, and driving wheels or chains are provided on the machine, usually closely adjacent to the skid or track of the installations.

Rigid mounting of the rack sections on the track causes the gear's driving wheel to assume various positions against the rack when the track is curved. According to the nature of the curvature, the driving wheel can be displaced in relation to the rack in either the vertical or the horizontal plane, and invariably assumes a skew position in relation to the rack's centre line. With the driving wheel located near the machine skid, said displacement can be reduced, but only in the vertical and horizontal planes, the driving wheel's diagonal orientation against the rack centre line remaining unaltered.

The usual conveyor's track curvature causes a considerable change of pitch in the contact points of the rack sections. Correct operative connection between the driving wheel and the rack is actually possible only on tracks with no curves. Even with slight curvature of the track, said operative connection (between the driving wheel and the rack) suffers quite serious disturbances caused by the variation in the positions of the driving wheel against the rack, and the changing pitch values in the conveyor troughs' contact points.

As to the existing tieless driving gear with rigid mounting of the racks, their substantial disadvantage lies in their quite narrow scope of application, as they are limited to those operating conditions where only insignificant track curvatures are encountered. Otherwise, the life of the rack and driving wheel becomes rather short, frequent damage and failure being caused in the mechanical gearing.

The object of the present invention is to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

According to the present invention we provide an installation including a trackmounted machine and driving gear therefor, comprising an elongate track structure, a machine mounted on the track structure for movement along same, an elongate rack extending alongside the track structure and composed of a series of elongate end-to-end rack sections, a rotatable toothed wheel on the machine co-operable with the rack to drive the machine along the track structure, a first set of flexible couplings interconnecting the ends of the rack sections, a second set of flexible couplings extending between intermediate portions of the rack sections and the track structure, and a guide on the machine supporting a length of the rack to maintain the rack in operative engagement with the toothed wheel, the arrangement being such that on movement of the machine the guide thereon tends to move the rack relatively to the track structure to an optimal position for co-operation with the toothed wheel.

Preferably each flexible coupling of the second set provides for lateral and up-anddown displacement of the rack section and for pivoting of the rack section about transverse and upright axes.

Each of the flexible swing-and-slide couplings connecting the rack sections to the track structure can be in the form of a single articulation in the case of suspension railways, or of two articulated joints (of the cup-and-socket type or universal joints) for ground-type transport, such two joints being coupled to each other by a link. Alternatively the flexible couplings connecting each rack section to the track structure may be a pin in a holder, the latter being pivotable and slidable in a track-attached socket. Each of the rack sections may have endmost transverse pins as teeth, and said pins may be provided at the ends of a linking element, the pins being slidable within longitudinal slots in the rack sections.

With the installation according to this invention, constant positioning of the driving wheel against the rack becomes possible in any operating conditions, irrespective of the track curvature type and size. The qualities of the installation of the invention consists in very good co-operation between the driving wheel and the rack - even under adverse operating conditions, this including considerable curvatures being easily taken on the track. Another advantageous feature lies in the possibility of locating the transmission and the driving wheel wherever most favourable for the design and operation, along with the transmission of the driving gear drawbar pull reaction to the base.Moreover, the installation according to the invention features simple design and operating reliability, while due to low overall dimen sions=it=ean be-used in a diversitv of mining and geological conditions. The installation according to this invention renders possible arrangement of the rack horizontally to operate in conjunction with a driving wheel having a horizontal axle or, alternatively, arrangement of the rack vertically for cooperation with a driving wheel rotating about a vertical axis.

An installation embodying the invention and having a toothed driving wheel with a horizontal axle will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows the driving gear in front view; Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1: Fig. 3 shows a flexible coupling with universal joints: Fig. 4 is a front view of an alternative flexible coupling for the rack; Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a front view of a flexible coupling interconnecting the rack sections.

The driving gear for a tractor unit of the installation is equipped with a driving wheel 1 powered from the transmission 2 of the tractor unit. The driving wheel meshes with rack sections 3 each of which consists of transverse pins 4 mounted in an elongate channel body 5. The rack sections 3 intermediate their ends are connected to the track structure 6 by means of a series of flexible couplings each consisting of two articulated joints 7 and 8 connected to each other by a link 9. These articulated joints comprise (a) a pin 10 fastened to the rack-section body 5 and a pin 11, both pins being mounted together in a body 12, and (b) pins 13 and 14 are provided in a body 15, the pin 14 bearing in a holder 16 which is attached to the track structure 6.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 each of the rack sections 3 is pivotable up and down and laterally slidable on a pin 21 in a holder 22 which is rotatable and vertically slidable in an upright socket 23 which is attached to the track structure 6. The rack sections 3 are coupled to each other by means of sliding and pivotal joints 17. The rack sections 3 have top flanges projecting laterally, and the tops of the sections are positively located in a T-slot in a guide 18, the latter being secured to the machine body 19. Bearing surfaces 20 in the T-slbt of the guide 18 ensure constant optimal position of the rack sections 3 in relation to the rack driving wheel 1. The said bearing surfaces in said guide 18 are provided with anti-friction rolling elements.

Fig. 6 shows another method of coupling the rack sections together. The endmost pins 26 and 27 of a pair of adjacent rack sections 3 are interconnected by means of a link element 28. The said pins 26 and 27 are slidable in the elongate slots 29 and 30 formed in the side walls of the rack sections 3.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. An installation including a trackmounted machine and driving gear therefor, comprising an elongate track structure, a machine mounted on the track structure for movement along same, an elongate rack extending alongside the track structure and composed of a series of elongate end-to-end rack sections, a rotatable toothed wheel on the machine co-operable with the rack to drive the machine along the track structure, a first set of flexible couplings interconnecting the ends of the rack sections, a second set of flexible couplings extending between intermediate portions of the rack sections and the track structure, and a guide on the machine supporting a length of the rack to maintain the rack in operative engagement

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. machine the guide thereon tends to move the rack relatively to the track structure to an optimal position for co-operation with the toothed wheel. Preferably each flexible coupling of the second set provides for lateral and up-anddown displacement of the rack section and for pivoting of the rack section about transverse and upright axes. Each of the flexible swing-and-slide couplings connecting the rack sections to the track structure can be in the form of a single articulation in the case of suspension railways, or of two articulated joints (of the cup-and-socket type or universal joints) for ground-type transport, such two joints being coupled to each other by a link. Alternatively the flexible couplings connecting each rack section to the track structure may be a pin in a holder, the latter being pivotable and slidable in a track-attached socket. Each of the rack sections may have endmost transverse pins as teeth, and said pins may be provided at the ends of a linking element, the pins being slidable within longitudinal slots in the rack sections. With the installation according to this invention, constant positioning of the driving wheel against the rack becomes possible in any operating conditions, irrespective of the track curvature type and size. The qualities of the installation of the invention consists in very good co-operation between the driving wheel and the rack - even under adverse operating conditions, this including considerable curvatures being easily taken on the track. Another advantageous feature lies in the possibility of locating the transmission and the driving wheel wherever most favourable for the design and operation, along with the transmission of the driving gear drawbar pull reaction to the base.Moreover, the installation according to the invention features simple design and operating reliability, while due to low overall dimen sions=it=ean be-used in a diversitv of mining and geological conditions. The installation according to this invention renders possible arrangement of the rack horizontally to operate in conjunction with a driving wheel having a horizontal axle or, alternatively, arrangement of the rack vertically for cooperation with a driving wheel rotating about a vertical axis. An installation embodying the invention and having a toothed driving wheel with a horizontal axle will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows the driving gear in front view; Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1: Fig. 3 shows a flexible coupling with universal joints: Fig. 4 is a front view of an alternative flexible coupling for the rack; Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a front view of a flexible coupling interconnecting the rack sections. The driving gear for a tractor unit of the installation is equipped with a driving wheel

1 powered from the transmission 2 of the tractor unit. The driving wheel meshes with rack sections 3 each of which consists of transverse pins 4 mounted in an elongate channel body 5. The rack sections 3 intermediate their ends are connected to the track structure 6 by means of a series of flexible couplings each consisting of two articulated joints 7 and 8 connected to each other by a link 9. These articulated joints comprise (a) a pin 10 fastened to the rack-section body 5 and a pin 11, both pins being mounted together in a body 12, and (b) pins 13 and

14 are provided in a body 15, the pin 14 bearing in a holder 16 which is attached to the track structure 6.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 each of the rack sections 3 is pivotable up and down and laterally slidable on a pin 21 in a holder 22 which is rotatable and vertically slidable in an upright socket 23 which is attached to the track structure 6. The rack sections 3 are coupled to each other by means of sliding and pivotal joints 17. The rack sections 3 have top flanges projecting laterally, and the tops of the sections are positively located in a T-slot in a guide 18, the latter being secured to the machine body 19. Bearing surfaces 20 in the T-slbt of the guide

18 ensure constant optimal position of the rack sections 3 in relation to the rack driving wheel 1. The said bearing surfaces in said guide 18 are provided with anti-friction rolling elements.

with the toothed wheel, the arrangement being such that on movement of the machine the guide thereon tends to move the rack relatively to the track structure to an optimal position for co-operation with the toothed wheel.

2. An installation according to claim 1, wherein each flexible coupling of the first set provides for longitudinal sliding reciprocation of the rack sections and for pivoting of the rack sections about transverse axes.

3. An installation according to claim 2, wherein each flexible coupling of the first set consists of a member having at the ends thereof transverse pins slidingly engaging in longitudinal slots in the ends of the rack sections.

4. An installation according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, wherein each flexible coupling of the second set provides for lateral and up-and-down displacement of the rack section and for pivoting of the rack section about transverse and upright axes.

5. An instalaltion according to claim 4, wherein each flexible coupling of the second set includes two universal joints connected to each other by a link.

6. An installation according to claim 5, wherein the universal joints are of the cupand-ball type.

7. An installation according to claim 5, wherein the universal joints include blocks rotatable on upright pins carried respectively by the rack section and the track structure, and the link is connected at its ends to the respective blocks for pivoting about transverse axes.

8. An installation according to claim 4 wherein each rack section is slidable laterally and pivotable up-and-down on a pin carried by a holder which is rotatable and axially slidable in an upright socket carried by the track structure.

9. An installation according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each rack section consists of a channel member having top lateral flanges on the side walls thereof and having a longitudinal series of cross pins therein, and a support on the machine has therein a T-section groove in which the top of the channel member runningly engages so that the support carries a length of rack while the machine moves along the track structure.

10. An installation according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the machine is a mining machine.

11. An installation including a trackmounted machine and driving gear therefore, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the various Figures of the accompanying drawings.