GB2075577A

GB2075577A - Cutting arrangements for mineral mining or tunnelling machines

Info

Publication number: GB2075577A
Application number: GB8113792A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia GmbH
Current assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia GmbH
Priority date: 1980-05-08
Filing date: 1981-05-06
Publication date: 1981-11-18
Also published as: GB2075577B; DE3017660C2; FR2484526B1; DE3017660A1; FR2484526A1

Abstract

A compact cutting head 11 installed at the end of a pivotable arm 10 of a mining or tunnelling machine is composed of an electric drive motor 13 positioned at the end of the arm 10 between individually rotatable cutting drums 12. The motor 13 drives the drums 12 through gearing, including planetary gearing 14 inside the drums 12, and housings 15 for the gearing project outwardly from the inner ends of the drums. These housings 15 are secured to the housing of the motor 13 and to the arm 10 via lateral flanges 16, 17 with tongue-and-groove connections 18, 19. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in cutting arrangements for mineral mining or tunnelling machines The present invention relates in general to machines for use in mineral mining or tunnelling operations and, more particularly, to cutting arrangements therefor.

It is known to provide a mining or tunnel driving machine with one or more pivotable arms which can be raised or lowered and carry a cutting head with one or more rotatable cutter drums or the like. Machines of this type are well known and are used for mineral, e.g. coal, winning in long and short wall face workings or for driving tunnels, roadways or the like. German patent specification 2 000 370 describes a machine which employs a pivotable arm mounted on a support which is slidably supported on a main body which rests on and extends over a conveyor. The slidable support increases the range of operation of the arm which itself carries the cutting drums and permits positional control of the cutting action performed by these drums. The entire machine is drawn back and forth along the conveyor by means of a drive chain.

In some of the known machines the drive motor for driving the cutting drums is located within the arm itself, and gearing, also inside the arm, connects the motor with the drums. This arrangement necessitates an arm of comparatively large size to accommodate the motor and gearing and furthermore the assembly and disassembly of the drive is difficult. In the construction described in German patent specification 2 1 60 644 the arm carrying the cutting head is mounted to a bottom housing on which the drive motor is also supported. Gearing inside the arm then connects the cutting head to the motor.

A general object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of cutting arrangement for a machine of the type described.

In accordance with the invention a cutting head is supported on a pivotable arm and the cutting head comprises a drive motor positioned between cutting drums and gearing, partly within the drums, drivably coupling the drive motor to the drums, wherein housings for the gearing are detachably secured to the arm.

In another aspect the invention provides a cutting head supported on the arm and comprising individually rotatable cutting means with a common electric drive motor therebetween and gearing for drivably coupling the motor to the cutting means, the gearing including planetary gearing at least partly within the cutting means and at least partly contained within housings detachably secured to the arm.

A cutting head constructed in accordance with the invention can combine high operational efficiency with a particularly compact construction easily accessible for assembly and disassembly.

The drive motor, which is normally an electric motor, is adequately protected however. Since the cutting arm itself is no longer required to house drive components it can be of comparatively small dimensions. By making the arm hollow however it can accommodate, inter alia, an electric cable and water supply pipe for providing water to the drums for spraying and/or for cooling the motor.

Various systems can be adopted for interconnecting the component parts of cutting head. The gearing housings, which preferably project outwardly from the inner ends of the drums or cutting means can have end plates or lugs or the like detachably secured with screwthreaded elements, such as bolts or screws, with the ends of the motor housing. Conveniently the cross-section of the gearing housings are more or less the same size as that of the motor housing. As to the connection between the gearing housings and the cutting arm, preferance is given to providing lateral flanges on the gearing housings which engage on simiiar flanges on the free end of the cutting arm.Screw-threaded elements can again detachably secure the respective flanges together but in addition it is preferred to have means providing a positive location, such as tongue-and-groove connections, between the flanges. Since the gearing housings support the drums or cutting means directly on the cutting arm, reaction forces produced during operation are transmitted to the arm and the motor is essentially protected from these forces. The interconnected components of the cutting head are readily accessible for the exterior and the cutting head can be easily dismantled and re-fitted to another cutting arm of different length. This is especially useful in mining operations where seams of different thickness are to be won. The cutting head is also overall quite compact and the use of planetary gearing inside the drums or cutting means enhances this compactness.

Normally hydraulic rams serve to raise and lower the cutting arms and the gearing housings can accommodate connecting parts, e.g. brackets for coupling these rams to the cutting head. It is then possible to employ rams with a relatively long working stroke, even if the length of the arm itself is not particularly great, and the interchangement of arms does not present any great difficulty.

The drums or cutting means may be coaxial with the drive motor. Alternatively however the axes of rotation of the drums can be offset from the axis of the motor or from that of its drive shaft while still remaining parallel thereto, but for flexibility it is best to permit the motor housing to the positionally adjustable in relation to the gearing housing to bring its axis into various locations. Preferably, the axis of the motor is positioned to lie inwardly towards the arm relative to that of the cutting drums. In this way a shallow recess can be produced between the gearing and motor housings. Even with the cutting drums cutting to their maximum depth the motor is not subjected to any undue stress or force.

Nevertheless a cover to protect the motor can be sited in this recess. The non-alignment between the motor and gearing housings presents no difficulty with the drive providing additional drive pinions or the like are employed. This offset arrangement is also advantageous in that it enables water supply pipes or conduits to be positioned in the gearings, e.g. in the shafts of the sun wheels in the case of planetary gearings.

Water supplied through the arm can thus be conveyed through these conduits and channels to spray nozzles for spraying the drums internally.

Moreover with the offset arrangement a somewhat larger free space for the connections of the gearing can be created.

Although the arm is comparatively small it can nonetheless accommodate a small pump and other equipment to supply the water under pressure or to supply the lifting rams with pressure fluid. It is possible to employ a telescopic arm and in this case the pump can supply the pressure necessary to extend or retract the arm.

The invention may be understood more readily, and various other features of the invention may become apparent from consideration of the following description.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of part of a mineral mining or tunnelling machine constructed in accordance with the invention and more particularly of a cutting head thereof; Figure 2 is a schematic end view of the cutting head represented in Figure 1; Figures 3 and 4 are views of another form of cutting head constructed in accordance with the invention which views correspond respectively to Figures 1 and 2; and Figure 5 is a part-sectional schematic representation of a gearing assembly pertaining to the cutting head of Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 3 and 4.

As is known, a machine with which the invention is concerned is composed of a body which is displaceable and one or more arms pivotably mounted to the body and supporting cutting means. A shearer is a machine of this type.

As is described in German patent specification 2 000 370, for example, the body of the machine can extend over a scraper-chain conveyor and the machine as a whoie can be propelled back and forth along the conveyor with the aid of a drive chain or otherwise. It is however also possible for the body of the machine to be supported on endless tracks or the like as with the so-called continuous miner.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the, or one of the arms, of the machine if a hollow box-like component designated 10. At its free end, i.e.

remote from the machine body, the arm 10 carries a cutting head 1 The arm 10 would normally be connected to the body of the machine for pivoting either directly or through the intermediary of a slidable support movable with respect to the body towards and away from the mineral face. The latter arrangement is also described in German patent specification 2 000 370.

The cutting head 11 itself is composed of two cylindrical drums 1 2 located at opposite sides of the arm 10 together with a drive motor 13 and gearing. The drums 12 are disposed coaxially with one another and with the motor 1 3 or at least the output shaft 23 thereof. The common rotational axis of the drums 12 and the motor 1 3 extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the arm 10 which has a comparactively small width. The drive motor 1 3 is an electric motor and suitable control means, e.g. selective gearing, is provided so that the motor 1 3 transmits drive to each of the drums 12 alternately according to the direction of motion of the machine body. The output shaft 23 of the motor 13 projects outwardly from both ends of the motor housing to drive the drums 12.

As is known, the drums 12 are equipped with cutting tools (not shown) on the exteriors. Each of the drums 12 has planetary gearing 14 located within the drum 12 and further gearing in a gear box on housing 1 5 to transmit the drive from the associated output shaft 23 of the motor 1 3 to the drum 12 itself. The housings 1 5 project outwardly from the drums 12 towards the motor 1 3 to form a means of mounting the drums 12. The arm 10 is provided with lateral flanges 1 7 at its free end.

The housings 15 have end walls 21 which are detachably secured to the housing of the motor 1 3 with the aid of screws or bolts 22. The motor housing has a cross-section more or less the same size as the housings 15. The end walls 21 of the housings 1 5 have openings for receiving the output shafts 23 of the motor 13. The end walls 21 have lateral or axial flanges 16 which engage on the flanges 17 of the arm 10. Tongue-andgroove connections 18, 19 are established between the engageable flanges 16, 17 and screws or bolts 20 detachably secure the flanges 1 6, 1 7 together. The individual tongue-andgroove connections 18, 19 are mutually offset by 900 so as provide positive location in two planes.

The cutting head 11 composed of the motor 13, the drums 12 and the gearing 14, 15 forms a particularly compact structural unit and during operation reactive forces acting on the drums 1 2 while they perform their cutting work are transmitted through the housings 1 5 and the flanges 16, 17 to the arm 10 and the motor 13 is protected from such forces. In case of need, the entire cutting head 11 can be easily removed from the arm 10 by loosening and removing the screws or bolts 20. The entire cutting head 11 can be assembled to cutting arms 10 of different lengths which is particularly useful where the machine is used with seams of varying thickness.

The electric cable which supplies power to the motor 1 3 can be accommodated safely within the arm 10 and in addition water can be supplied through the arm 10 to cool the motor 13 and spray from inside the drums 12. The housings 1 5 have recesses 24 which accommodate connection brackets, e.g. bi-furcated parts, which connect with hydraulic lifting rams 25 located at the sides of the arm 10. These rams 25 which serve to raise or lower the arm 10 are supported on the machine body or the aforementioned slidable support. A compact pump set and ancilliary equipment can be accommodated in the arm 10 to provide pressure fluid for the rams 25 or for the water supply, or otherwise.It is possible to construct the arm 1 0 itself from telescopic parts and the aforementioned pump can serve to extend or retract these parts to adjust the length of the arm 10.

Figures 3 and 4 depict a modified arrangement where like reference numerals denote like parts to Figures 1 and 2. In this modified arrangement the axis of the motor 13 or its drive shaft 23 designated M does not coincide with the axes S of the drums 12 and is offset towards the arm 10.

This creates a shallow recess opposite the arm 10 between the housings 1 5 and the motor housing.

A cover 26 is fitted in this recess and fastened to the end wall 21 of the housings 1 5 with screws or bolts 27 to protect the motor 1 3. Because of the non-alignment between the axis of the shaft 23 of the motor 13 and the axes of the drums 12 additional pinions need to be interposed between the shaft 23 and the input to the drum gearings in the housings 1 5. As represented in Figure 4, by arrow 28, the motor housing can be re-positioned so that the axis M of the motor 1 3 can become displaced circumferentially in relation to the axes S of the drums 12 to bring the axis M into alternative positions angularly offset from the axis A of the arm 1 0. This arrangement permits better utilization of the available space and also facilitates the supply of water to the drums 12.

This latter aspect is exemplified in Figure 5 which is a diagrammatic view of part of the gearing pertaining to one of the drums 12. As shown in Figure 5, a gear shaft 33 positioned on the axis of rotation of the drum 12 forms or supports the sun wheel for the associated planetary gearing 14.

This shaft 33, which is driven by the motor 13 via pinions 29, 30, accommodates a conduit 34 extending through a central bore. This conduit 34 leads to the water supply conveniently via a plugin connector and the supplied water also cools the motor 1 3. The conduit 34 leads through a transverse channel 31 to a plurality of channels in the drum 12 which feed spray nozzles. Preferabiy water is only discharged from the sector of the drum 12 contacting the mineral face as is described in German patent specification 2810 982.

Claims

1. In or for a mineral mining or tunnelling machine, the combination of a cutting head supported on a pivotable arm, the cutting head comprising a drive motor positioned between cutting drums and gearing, partly within the drums, drivably coupling the drive motor to the drums, wherein housings for the gearing are detachably secured to the arm.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the gearing housings have end plates detachably secured to the motor housing.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein screw-threaded elements detachably secure the end plates of the gearing housings to the motor housing.

4. The combination according to claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the gearing housings have flanges which engage with flanges at the end of the arm.

5. The combination according to claim 4, wherein tongue-and-groove connections are established between the interengaging flanges of the gearing housings and the arm.

6. The combination according to claim 4 or 5, wherein screw-threaded elements detachably secure the inter-engaging flanges together.

7. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the drums are coaxial with the drive motor.

8. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the axes of rotation of the drums are offset from the axis of rotation of a drive shaft of the motor.

9. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the axes of rotation of the drums are offset from but parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drive motor.

10. The combination according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a recess is established between the gearing and motor housings and a protective cover is mounted in the recess.

11. The combination according to claim 8, 9 or 10, wherein the motor housing is positionally adjustable to vary the location of its axis in relation to the longitudinal axis of the arm.

12. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the gearing housings project outwardly from the drums toward the drive motor and the gearing housings support connection means for connecting to hydraulic rams used for raising and lowering the arm.

1 3. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the drive motor is an electric motor.

14. The combination according to claim 13, wherein the arm is hollow, and an electric cable for supplying power to the drive motor is accommodated within the arm.

1 5. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the arm is hollow and water is supplied through the arm for spraying from within the drums.

1 6. The combination according to claim 15, wherein conduits connected to the water supply lead through the gearing and communicate via channels with spray nozzles.

17. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the cutting arm is constructed from telescopic parts.

1 8. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the gearing partly within the drums is planetary gearing.

19. In or for a mineral mining or tunnelling machine a cutting head supported on a pivotable arm, the cutting head comprising individually rotatable cutting means with a common electric drive motor therebetween and gearing for drivably coupling the motor to the cutting means, the gearing including planetary gearing at least partly within the cutting means and at least partly contained within housings detachably secured to the arm.

20. A cutting head according to claim 19, wherein the gearing housings project outwardly from the cutting means and are detachably secured to the motor housing.

21. A cutting head or combination according to any one of the preceding claims and substantially as described with reference to, and as illustrated, Figures 1 and 2 or Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings or Figures 2 and 4 as modified by Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.

22. A tunnelling or mining machine with a pivotable arm and cutting head according to any one of the preceding claims.