US1345074A - Automatic mine-door-operating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

W. CROOKS.

AUTOMATIC MINE DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLICAT'TON FILED 1ULY17,19I9.

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APPLICATlON men JULY 1?, 1919.

1,345,074. v Patented June 29, 1920.

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WILLIAM CROOKS, or Ammrcn, ALABAMAQ AUTOMATIC MINE-DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it' known that I WILLIAM CRooKs, a

citizen of the United tates of America, re-

siding at Aldrich, in the county of Shelby and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Mine-Door-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to' an automatic mine door operating mechanism in which the cars are-adapted to control automatically the opening of the doors which are so hung as to be self closing. I

One object of my invention is to simplify and perfect the 'mechanism whereby. the mine car or motor willact' automatically to A further object is to perfect a novel means for suspending outwardly sliding self closing doors so as to avoid interference with the overhead electric trolley wire in electrically operated mines.

A further object is to provide the door opening arms, which are spaced apartby the oncoming car or locomotive, with yielding inwardl disposed straps which make sure'that t e doors will be pressed far enough apart to clear any part on the car.

My invention also comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation showing the mine doors in closed position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the telescoping rods utilized to open the door and showing their equipment with spring resistance straps.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the operating mechanisms on both sides of a pair of doors.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

As illustrated, the mine cars 1 are adapted to travel on the mine track 2 and at suitable intervals the mine is equipped with trans versely movable pairs of doors 3, the doors being suspended overhead b hangers & and trolleys 5 from inclined trac s 6 which slope upwardly and outwardly from the center line above the track. he doors at their lower ends travel between guide bars 7 attached at their outer ends to suitable supports and at their inner ends, which curve downwardly at 8, to a conveniently placed Applicatioii filed July17, 1919. Serial No. 311,633.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentd J 116 29 1920 cross tie 9.. These guides have the same slope as the overhead track 6 and the doors are thus suspended free to travel on their hanger supports, i

Where-the mine haulage is electric, it is necessary to modify one of the hangers and to this end, as will be seen in Fig. 1 Where I the trolley wire 10 is shown, the adjacent hanger is formed by an elongated metal strap 11 which extends upwardly and is bent so as to have a. U-shape in elevation with the trolley wheel 5 'ournaled at the free end of its upper leg. t must be apparent that the U-shaped hanger will straddle the trolley wire and will not interfere with it .as

the door slides back andforth in response to-the mechanism which will now be described.

At each side of the track and, Where traffic is in both directions, on both sides of the doors, Iprovide suitablefixed blocksor supports 12 which preferably rise to a height of from 14 to 16 above the track and are securely anchored. Upon the top of each of these blocks or supports is mounted a metal strap 13 under which the flattened end 7 14. of a pipe 15 is passed with a pivot bolt 16, passing through the strap and pipe end 14 so as to pivotally connect it to the block.

In the free end of the pipe I telescope a rod 17 which at its outer end is pivotally connected by a metal strap or plate 18 to the inner edge of the adjacent mine door. A curved resistance strap 19 of spring metal has one end riveted or otherwise attached to the free end of its respective pipe 15 and at its other end is bent under and back and held under a strap or band 20 which surrounds the pipe. As shown in Fig. 2 these resistance straps face away fromthe doors and are disposed to be engaged by the oncoming mine car or locomotive and to absorb or take care of the initial thrust likea spring buffer to avoid too great a strain on the door operating mechanism if the car or locomotive is moving faster than is proper as it approaches the doors to be opened.

' This invention is not intended to be restricted in scope to the specific embodiments I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mine door opening mechanism a pair of laterally moving sliding doors, side anchors, and divergent telescoping arms connected at one end to the pair of doors and at the other end to said side anchors.

2. In a mine door opening mechanism, a pair of laterally moving sliding doors, side anchors, divergently disposed telescoping arms connected at oneqendto the pair, of

nected at their free end to said doors near their adjacent edges, and fixed bearings to which the other end of said arms are pivoted. a

4-. In combination with a pair doors, upwardly and outwardly inclined transverse tracks, trolley hangers movable on said track by which said doors are suspended, bottom guides between 'which the doors slide freely, a pair of car operated diof mine vergent horizontally swinging arms connect ed at their free end to said doors near their adjacent ed es, and fixed bearings to which theotherjend ofsaid arms are pivoted, one of said hangers being U-shaped to straddle an overhead electric conduit as moves back and forth.

the door '5. In combinationwith a pair of laterally movable mine doors and their supports, of pivoted arms having their free ends adjacent/to the meeting edges of saiddoors,

members-pivotally connected tolsaid doors and slidingly connected to the freeends of fast at the free end. of each arm and dis: posed to face inwardly to,form a yielding bufiier adapted't'o receive the impactofthe oncoming door opening car;

6. In a mine door operating mechanism,

laterally sliding doors, supports therefor, divergent vopening arms projecting from the meeting edges of the'doors' outwardly, piv- .said arms, and a curved spring plate made otal supports for the outer ends of saidarms, and sprlng members on the arms which pro- I ject inwardly substantially into line with the meeting edges of the doors.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature. 7 WILLIAM CROOKS; l/Vitness: V o

' NoMiE WELSH.

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