US1440788A - Machine for mining - Google Patents

Description

j., 2, 11923. l-rj E. c. MORGAN. v

MACHINE FOR MINING.

FlLED Nov. l 4. 1915. H SHEETS-SHEET I 727 2 JJVVENTOR/ wan C. /Varyan Jam. 2, 1923,

E. C. MORGAN. MACHINE PoR Mmme. FILED Nov. 4, 1915,

11 sHEEs-SHEET 2 JKL. 1

Jamo Z, E923. 519%@788 E. C. MORGAN. MAcHlNE FQR MINING, FILED Nov. 4, 1915. H SHEETS-SHEET 3 Fifi@ 1 1 SHEETS-SHEET 4 Jamo 29 wg E. C. MORGAN. MACHINE FOR MINING. FI LED Nov. 4. 191.5.

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MAcHmE FOR MINING Fx LED Nov. 4, 191.5.

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l 1 SHEETS-SHEET 9 E. C. MORGAN. MACHINE r-oR MINING. FILED Nov. 4, 19| 5.

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MACHINE FOR MIMNGi FILED Nov, 4l 1915' LMvgg E- C. MORGAN, l

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Application mee november e, 1915. serialn. 59,527.

To all. whom t may concern.'

Beit known that I, EDMUND C, MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have made a certain new and useful lnventiorr in Machines for Mining, of which the'fo-llov-vingv is a specification. 5

l Myinvention relates to an improved'mining machine,l especially adapted for mining coal, but having a generalrapplication. One of the objects of the present1 inventionv is the provision of amining machine so mounted on a truckras to swing .on la center distant` from the rear end v of saidtruCk, whereby. suc-h mining machine may be-provided withA loading apparatus extending into or above a mine car irrespective of the arcuate' position of the 'forward end of said ini-ning'machine. Another object of the 'present invention is the provision of mechanism for confining and guiding the material cut from a mine Wall by loop chain core cutting mechanism. A further object of the invention is the provision of apron mechanism' combined .with cutting apparatus.

Another object of the invention is. the provisionof means for relieving strain on the operating mechanism fwhen hardenmaterial than usual is encountered.

@ther objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations .being set forth in the appended claims.

The mining apparatus herein disclosedis particularly adaptable to methods of mining which require initial elimination 'of veins Aor strata of foreign material. rlhe strata in coal beds vary considerably n composition,

. sometimes being. of stony material very dicult to cut, and sometimes consisting of earth. or other material which breaks up easily and mixes with the coal and -minegwhich .1s objectionable. Becauseof these deposits of foreign matter,it has heretofore been very in beds of coal where such strata-occur. the materialisof, rocky formation it'interferes very seriously with .the operationl .of the cuttin parts of the mining machine, and if it is o softer materialv it permits the blocks of severed. coal to break up to a vgreater Y extent Ythanfthey'would if the foreign material were absent, and moreover, the forei material mixesiwth the. ,severed coal anA it is-'diiicult `separate such` foreign material.- The mining apparatus herein, disclosed is` especially adapted for. cuttingV out material fromy a minewall in semi-crescent-shaped blocks after the vein of foreign material has Lbeen removedso far as practical.' lf the #cutting mechanism strikes some hard ,material which has 'not been eliminated it will vnevertheless be protected and .although the crescent-shaped sections of material may' be severedlnear thecenter or broken up'into '-smaller pieces substantially all ofthe mate-'f -rial which is lodged from the -mine'- wall may be. properl conned and directed by the loading mechanism-into mine cars. i

Fig. vlis a vertical sectional view through afmine chamber in which the method4 of mining comprising a .part of this invention is employed. i

Fig. 2 is a section vsimilar to Fig. 1, show inga machine in place forperfoamingv onev of the steps of this invention.

Fig. 3 is horizontal section through a mine chamber, showing the chamber at the com- -pletionof one of the steps of the procem.

Fig. t is a vertical section through a mine chamber, showin' a machine in place for j performing, a di erent step inthe process grolm that performed by vthe machine 'in i 2; llgfig. 5 is a perspective view of the material cut fronhthe chamber, illustrating the different cutsmade in carrying out the process comprised in the present invention.

Fig.` 6 is a side elevation of the 4material Y shown in perspective in Fig. 5.

vention, and used? in carrying out` the process. l y` Fig. Bis a side elevation of the machine 90 Fig. 7 is a plan view of the mining ma. chine` constituting-a part of the present in- 1 shownfin Fig. 7 in operative position in a mine chamber.

' Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view ofthe ront portion of the machine shown in Figs, 4a d 8. f v i `FligQlO is a horizontal section of the rear ',portion of the machine, the fro-nt portion of..which is. shown in Fig. 9.

Fig.- 11 is a bottom lan view of the truck upon which the machine is mounted.

Fig. .12 is a vertical lsection substantially on line v1'2--12 of Fig. 11.

Fi 13 is a transverse section of the track on w ich the machine runs, illustrating the method of advancing the .machine along the. track.

Fig. la is a plan lview of the track.

Fig. 15 is a horizontal sectional view taken just above the supporting truck.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary sectionaly taken on line 16-16 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 17 is a transverse sectional view' on line 17-17 of Fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a vertical sectional view taken' substantially on line 18-18 of Fig. 7, with the cutter in its lower position and the guard 120 omitted`.

F ig'. 19 is a fragmentary planview of a' portion of the cutter, showing the locking mechanism for the pulley connected thereto.

Fig. 20 is a side elevation of the Slide for controlling the pulley shown in Fig. 19.

Fig. 21 is a section on line 21-21 of- Fig. 20. Y

Fig. 22 is a section on line 22-22 of Fi 19. i

view

ig. 23 is a fragmentary plan view of the operating mechanism vfor the brake for controlling the feed of the cutter. l

Fig. 24 is an elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 23.

Fig. 25 is an elevation` of fa modified form of cutter control device.

Fig. 26 is still another form of cutter con` trol mechanism.

Fig. 27 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the construction of the coal handling apron.

F1g. 28 is a plan view of a -number of sections of the coal handling apron.

Fig. 29 is a side elevation of one of the sections shown in Fig. 28.

Fig. 29EL is a' detail of the stop carried by v the apron for holding material thereon.

Fig. 30 is a fragmentary elevational view of one of the details of the machine.

Fig. 31 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portionof the front of the machine, illustrating a modified form of guard for the severed material. v

Fig. 32 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing another position of the guard illustrated in Fig. 31.

Figs. 33, 34: and 35 are .detailed/.views of one of the sections of the guard illustrated in Fig. 31. A

Fig. 36 is a bottom .plan view of a/portion of the mining machine, showing the operating drums for the coal carrying apron.

1n the views of the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the desirable material, such as coal, as found in the mine. The numeral 2 designates a stratum of undesirable material which may be of rocky or other undesirable structure. Numeral 3 is a diagrammatical representation or a machine Well-known 1n the art, for making'a horizontal cut in the material to be mined. Machines of this character are usually provided with a movable frame a, carrying a chain cutter 5 arranged to be driven in a manner to form a horizontal kerf inthe material to be mined.

Maar/ee llnr Fig. 2-of lthe drawing this machine is shown asv operating to remove the'lower part ofthe layer of foreign material 2. y 1n Fig. 4 the numerall 8 designates somewhat diagrammatically the machine constituting a part of the present invention used in perrlhis machine is provided with a loop core cutter 6,- which swings vertically about `a pivot, and cuts a section of material from the mine wallof the shape.illustrated in Fig. 5. This machine is arranged to be swungin Va manner to be described, from 'forming one of the steps of this method.

one side to the other of the mine chamber,

in order to take a series of cuts for each position of the machine. The machine is movable along the track 7 in order to position. it longitudinally of the chamber for different series of cuts. I

In carrying out the process constituting the present invention. the machine is first placedin the mine chamber, and the cutter v 5 is operated to remove a Aportion of the stratum of waste material. 1f the material be of a comparativelysoft nature the cutter 5 operates directly upon it. This material may be removed by cutting a single kerf in the lower portion of the material, as shown in Fig. 2, and then removing the upper portion of the material with bars or any other suitable tools.' The waste material may, however, be all cut out by the cutter 5 by taking a series of cuts one above the other. If the material 2 be too hard to permit thevcutter 5 to operate directly upon it, the'kerf may be formed in the coal directlybelow the stratum of waste material, and the material be broken down and removed, or a kerf may beformed both above and below the stratum of waste material if it is found desirable to do so. lt is preferable to remove the stratum of waste material for as great a `distance into the wall of the mine as the cutter 5 will extend, and to swingthe cutter from side to side in the mine chamber in order to remove the waste material forthe entire width of the mine chamber. The depth 4of one out made by l-the cutter will be sufiieient to permit sev .chine 8 is now free to take a series of cuts,

usually from three to live in number, without the interference of foreign material. The manner of making these cuts is best seen from Figs. 5 and 6, in which 10;l designates the open space from which the foreign material has been removed, and 11 designates the lrerf formedy by the loop core cutter. The machine will Ausually make three ycuts for each position on the track 7, removing Macnee the vertical sections designated respectively as 12, 13 and 14, arranged laterally across the mine chamber one section at eachvcut.-

.After each series of cuts the machine is When themachine 8 reaches this position it is removed-from the chamber,the machine 3 is broughtback in and the process `repeated. By this method of mining none of. the waste material found in the stratum 2 is mixed with` the desirable material found in the mine, and the operation of the .loop cutter 6 is not interfered with by such waste material.

In order to carryrout `the process described above, it 'is necessary to have' a mining machine especially arranged forthe purpose. One essential feature of the machinel is that it be readily movable into and out of the chamber. The machine shown in the drawings' is therefore mounted on a truck 20 provided with wheels 21, 'having axles'22,fand being provided with a motor 23 for operating the truck, (Figs. 8, 11, 1'2

and 15). Inp order that the machine may be i swung from side to side in the mine chamber, the truck is provided with an arcuate supporting table or slideway 24', and the mining machine frame is provided preferably near the center of gravity thereo'f, with a' corresponding slide 25 arranged to rest upon the slide 24, and to be moved from side to side thereon. As shown in Fig. 15, the slideway 24 has a curvedv formation, the curve being such that itscenter is llocated approximately at the rear end of the mining 4machine frame. The objectof this arrangement is to provide a device whereby'the machine may be supported near the `center of gravity, and yet may be swung about .the rear end as a center in order that the rear portion of the machine `may remain substantially stationary during the adjustment of the front portion thereof from side to side of the mine. This is preferable in order. that the machine may discharge Vthe mined mate-- rial into a.car supported upon the track 7 regardless of the position of the front end of the/machine.

ln view lof the foregoing it will. be vseen that the .slide 24 constitutes a transversely extending substantially horizontal rail removable from the frame which is supported thereon. This frame may obviously slide to and be supported in operative position. By referring to Figs. 4 and 8 it will be seen that supportsare provided for the rail 24. The self contained conveyer comprises an elongated frame and conveyer and power devices mounted within said frame, land it the power devices indicated at 25.

,truck frame to the other.

vlaterally orrotatively in horizontal planes because the lateral movement is in an arc having as its: center of rotation the rear end of the conveyer. That is to say, since the structure slides on the rail 24 arcuately on the rear or delivery end .of the conveyer as the center, the forward portion of the conveyer slides rotatively in horizontal planes. It will also be seen by referring to Figs. 8,9 and 10 that the conveyer is mounted within the conveyer frame and that veyer are also mounted within said supporting frame since all of such power devices are carriedl bythe supporting frame The member 25 is provided with downwardly extending projections, which constitute guides supported on and bodily movable transversel of the truck. Therefore when the `mem er 25 togethenwith'such downward extensions are regarded as the guide itl will be'seen that the elongated conveyer frame rests upon this guide and is adapted to horizontal rotary movement relative. thereto and bodily sliding movement longitudinally thereof. That is toV say, relatively the rotary movefor actuating the cone soV ment of the 'guide 25 is on an axis located at the delivery end of the conveyer and there isv also a lbodily sliding movement longitudinally of the member 25. By-referring to Fig. 7 it will be seen that the horizontally extending rail 24 is supported-in substantial vparallelism Awith the coal face, since the arc at the mine wall has substantially the' same centeras the arc of the rail 24. The rail 24 is adjustable relative tothe coal face becauser it is movable with`the truck to different distances from the coal face, so as to permit the' positioning of the receiving end of the conveyer in convenient proximity to material adjacent to any -part of the coal face while maintaining the delivery end in loading relation above the mine car or pit car suitably positioned on the-mine track.

The motor 23 is connected by a chain of gears 28 "to the shaft 29, (Fig. 11) which extends tranversely from one side of the This shaft carries a pair of sprocket wheels 30 and 31 rigidly secured to a collar 32 free to rotate upon the shaft 29, and arranged to be held` for rotation therewith bythe clutch 33. Chains 34-4 and 35 connect the sprocket wheels 31 and.32 respectively with the axles 22 of the truck. 'lhe clutch33 may be op-`` erated by a handle 36 projecting :trom one sideof the truck when it is desired 'to-start or stop the wheels 21 to move the machineupon track 7. Another sprocket wheel 37" is rigidly carried by the shaft. 29 and drives a wheel 38 mounted for free rotation ou the counter-shaft 39. The drum l0 is rigidly carried by the shaft l39, and the shalt 39 may be clutched to the wheel 38, to ro tate therewith, by the clutch 4&1, arranged to be operated by the rod Ll2 and the handles beveled gear 46 (see Fig. 9.), carriedon a vertical stub shalt extending upwardly, and supporting on -its upper endvdire'ctlybeneath the slideway 2d, a pinion d'7 in posi' tion to mesh with a rack d8carried'by the? downwardly extending lip 49 secured to the slideway 25.," @n 4the side. of the slideway 25opposite the rack d8, is al second over# hanging lip y59, (Fig. 36') arranged to cooperate with-the lip i9 and rack t8 for hold# ing the slideway' 25 in position upon 'the slideway 2t'. 1 The pinion Al5 may be clutched l to theshatt 29 .by a clutch 51 operated'by a rod 62' andhandles 63, one on each side of the machine (Fig. 11.);.Hllt is thus apparent. that by movement of either of the handles 63, `the operator may connect the motor 23 with the pinion 47 to shift the frame ci* the machine laterally upon the truck. 'llhe direction of movement ofthe `trame upon the truck, as well as the direction of movement 1 of the truck, upon the track, vis determined by the direction of rotation ot' the motor 23, which is governed by a'controller 64- positioned upon the side ofthe machine frame. The truclr may be held in stationary position upon the track 7- by brakes 65, Figs. 11 and l2, operated by levers 66, which are in turn controlled by tootlevers 67, one vpositioned at each sidelvof the machine.

Extending transversely across `the front portion of the mining machine drame is a bar 68, and extending forwardly from this bar is a pair of brackets 69, one bracket at each side of the frame. Supported by the brackets 69, and extending from one to the other, is a circular bar 70, held in position by nuts 71 threaded on each end of the bar. Journaled on the bar 70, 'for rotation thereon, is a sleeve 72 extending the full length of the bar between the brackets 69. Pro.

jiecting Jforwardly from each end of the sleeve 72, and rigidly supported thereby, is an arm 73, and each arm' 73 carries at itsl :forward end a circular bearing collar 7 4: in which is journaled a hollow axle or drum .Lampes sleeve 72l rotates about the bar 79, and the i worm`wheel 81 is rovi-ded with a curved beafrinov surface whlch contacts with a correspon ing surface on the cross bar 68. rlhe worm wheel 81 meshes with the worm 82 secured to 'a shaft 83 extending transversely of the machine trame, and carrying hand wheels 84, one on each side of the frame. By

,rotating the hand wheels 8d, the sleeve 72 is rotated aboutthe bar 70, and the hollow.

axle 75 is adjusted into-'various .positions veitically. l v A rlhe hollow axle 75 is free to rotate on its bearings 74, and is provided interiorly with a motor 85. mounted on a shaft 86. rl`he portion 87v of the axle 75 A,which encloses the motor 85 is somewhat offset from the rest of the axle, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9. The shaftA 86 is connected by a train of gearing Ato a pinion 88, Fig. 25, carried on a shaft 89 mounted in the axle 75 eccentrically thereon.

Such train of gearing is more fully illustrated in 'my eo-pending application Serial No. 519,689, tiled Sept. 9, 1915, for an improvement in mining and loading machines, and claims are made in said copending application covering such construction.

The teeth of the pinion 88, as shown in ,Fig 25, extend through an opening in the wall of the axle 75 to engage with the teeth of an internal4 gear 90. The internal 'gear 90 is mounted on axle 75, and is free to rotate relatively thereto. Unless the gear 90 is held stationary, rotation of the motor will cause it to revolve idly about `the drum 75. Mechanism to be described is provided, however, for holding the gear from rotation, and whenthis occurs it is evident that the pinion 88 will walk around the interior of the gear 90 and carry the hollow axle 75 with it, thus rotating the axle in its bearings 7d. rllhe purpose of this rotation is to leed the mining machine cutter into the work,

feeding operation in casethe cutter strikes a hard place in the material through which los it cannot be fed. This object may be accomplished by a variety of devices, diderent ones of which are shown in Figs. 2li, 25 and 26.

lln the form: shown in Figs. 23 and 24, a sleeve 91 is secured to the gear 90, and a brake band 92 surrounds this'sleeve. Se#

essere@ cured to one end of the Vbrak-e band 92 is a member 93having laterally-extending lugs stationary member 96.

.vided `with a coil spring 98 which normally tends to force the member 93 to the left, as

shown in Fig. 24. A lever 99 is pivoted at 100 on'the member 93, and has .a shortend pivoted at 101 at the opposite end of the brake band-92. The .other end of the lever 99 isprovided with an eye 102, which has an operatingrod 103, Fig. 9, secured thereto,

andextending rearwardly intoposition to be operated `by levers 104 carried on the rod 105, one at each side of the machine (see Figs. 5, 7 and 8). When the` lever 104 is operated to pull the upper en'd of the lever 99 to the left, as shown in Fig. 24, the vbrake band 92 will be tightened upon the sleeve 91,

and the internal gear 90be held stationary. This will cause the lfpinion 88 and shaft 89' to travel to the left, carrying the hollow axle 75 and the cutter with-them. lie-action of the pinion 88 upon the gear A90 will tend` to force the brake 92'and its connected parts to the' right, 'as viewed in Fig. 24, against I the compression of the coil spring 98. lf

the cutter should strike a hard substance this re-action will be greatly increased, and the spring 98 will yield under the increased pressure, and permit the brake 92' and the connected parts to move to the right. This movement| will produce` an ladditional pull upon the rod 108, which wi-ll be transmitted through the lever 104to the operators hand, thus warning the'operator of the condition ofthe cutter. The operator, upon receiving this warning, will immediately release the pressure upon the brake band,and thus stop the feeding operation.

ln the form ot' controller shown in Fig. 25, instead of using a brake band `tov surround the internal ear 90, the outer periphery of the gear. itself is; provided with a series of notches 105, and a springlpressed pin 106 is supported by a bellcrank lever 107, so that the end of thepinr106 will engage `the 'notches 105 in the periphery of the gear 90. The bell crank 107 is carried on a pivot 108, and is rocked about itspivot by the connecting rod 103A to move the pin 106 into and out of engagement with the notches 105. When the pin 106' is in rotate under the pressure ofthe pinion 88, and the axle in the cutter will-thus be permittedto come to a stop. This will 4the obstacle can be removed. Tf the oper-v ator fails to stop the feeding movement, the pin 106 will be forced out of eachnotch invsuccession with which vit comes into contact until the machine is finally stopped by the operator. v 'A In Fig. 26 is. shown still another form of control, in which the notches 110 in the gear 90 are given a rounded formation.

'The pin 111 which co-operates with these notches-is slidably yheld in the stationary guide 112, and is pressed into' contact with the notches by 4'a spring 113. A Wedge- 85 shaped cam 114 co-operates with the upper end of the spring 4113 to force the spring downwardly to bring the pin 111 into contact with the notches. The position of the cam 114'is controlled by the rod 103. A bell crank 115 has its lower arm 116 in position to contact with'the head of the pinv111, to withdraw the pin from operative engagement with the gear 90. The upper arm 117 of the lever 115 is in positionto be engagedA bythe cam 114 when the cam is moved to release the pressure on the spring 113. This engagement of the. cam with the arm 117 raises the pin 111 out of contact with the notches 110 at the same timethat the pressureon the upper .end of the spring 113 is released by the withdrawal of the cam 114. By this arrangement the operator is enabled to forcefthe pin 111 into contact with the gear through the interposition of the lyielding` spring 113.v The withdrawal of the pin, however, is a positive action. It the cutter encounters an obstacle, the pin '111 will be forcedout of contact with the notches because of the rounded engage- 110 ment surfaces of the twomembers, and cause of the fact that there is always'fa Y yielding member in the chain. of mechanism which holds the pin inengagement with the gear. y [115 The cutter used in this` machine is of the loop form, and is attached to the ends of the axle 75 having an unobstructed core opening therethrough, as shown in Figs. 7, 9 and 18. The cutter frame carries an endless 120 chain 118 provided with bits 119 for orm ing the kerf in the material being mined. The chain 118 is driven by the motor 85 through a train of gearing not shown herein but disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 49,689 filed Sept. 9, 1915, for an improvement in mining and loading machines. lt has been found desirable to entirely enclose the severed material, and to accomplish this result a pair of l plates or guards 120 is provided, one being A is curved upwardlyand backwardly to com` secured to each end of the drum 75, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Theseguards are'of arcuate formation, and form a continuation of the side bars of the cutter trame 6.' rlhey are arranged to follow in the kert formed by the sides of the cutter` as it is fed upwardly, and extend substantially to the curve formed at the corner of the hert. rllhe rear portions of the lguards 120 are cut away, as shown at 121, so that the guards will not interfere with the parts of the machine frame and operating mechanism when the cutter is swung to its lowermost position. ln order that there may be no opening left at the. side of the cut when the frame 6 is in its upper position, a pair of sliding guards or sideboards 122 is provided, one at each side of the machine, and positioned just outside of the guards 120. These guards are controlled by racks 123, which are connected with the sideboards 122 through slots 124 formed in the sides ot the machine frame. Hand wheels 125 are secured to the side of the machine trame, and carry pinions for operating the rack 123 to move the guards 122 into and out ot operf ative position. rlhe sides of the machine :trame are provided with forwardly and downwardly extending plates 126, which are positioned just outside ot the guards 122 to assist in holding the guards 122 in place, and to supplement them in their function ol' enclosing the sides of the machine. rEhe stationary plates 122 can be extended downwardly a sufficient distance to entirely close the space left open by the gua-rds 120, for the reason that if they were so extended they would interfere with the moving of the machine into and out ot the mine.

A shield 127,' Figs. 8 and 9, is supported adjacent the front surface of the axle 75, and

pletely cover the axle and the operating mechanism connected therewith, so that any coal which may fall 'from the upper part of the mine wall will be directed forwardly into the pocket formed by the out.

For receiving the severed coal and for transferring it rearwardly to a position where it may be loaded into a transporting device, an apron 128 is provided. .This apron, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, is drawn into the lrerf formed by the cutter 6 hy mechanism to be described, and co-operates with the' guards 120 to form a completely enclosed Rocket for the severed 'materiaL As shown inFigs. 27, 28 and 29, the apron consists of a seriesof apron sections 129 connected together at their edges by hinged connections 130:, and provided at each end with upwardly curved portions 131. The curvature of the portions 131 is the same as that at.,.the corners of the cutter 6. rl'he lower edges of the guards 120 are provided with grooves as shown at'132 in Fig. 29. and

raadt/ee the ends of the upturned portions 131 are arranged to lit into these grooves when the apron 128. is drawn into the hert formed hy the cutter ti. p have their edges suthciently heveled 'to permitthe apron to follow the curve 'of the hert formed by the cutter 6. By this construction the severed coal is' completely enclosed and no opening is left, not even at the corners of the cut, through which any of the coal may escape. Pivoted to the hing'e 130 at the end of the apron 128 next the cutter is a plate 130', Figs. 7, 9 and i29a. The plate 130 is curved to conform to the curvature of the hert formed by the cutter, and is ar.

retain the fine aswell as the coarser mate.

rial. A stop 130 is attached to the plate to The upturned portions 131 Iprevent its turning backwardly under pressure 4of the coal.

rlhe apron 128 is 'arranged to slide over4 a hed plate 133 extending longitudinally the full length of the machine, and inclined downwardly at the forward portion of ythe machine' as shown at 134 in lFig. 9. rlhe apron is guided by lianges 133 co-operating with the upturned edges '131 of the apron 128. The flanges 133', as shown in Fig. 10, are continued below the bed plate 133 to support the under run of the apron in a horizontal position. ln order that the apron may he supportedthroughoutits entire length when in operation, a portion o the bed plate 134 is provided with an' ad- .justable extension 135, Figs. 9, 16 and 17. rlhe extension 135-is carried by slides 136 movably mounted in slots 137 in the lower portion of the bed plate 134. The slides 13G are providedwith rack teeth '138 which' mesh. with pinions 139 carried on a. shaft 140 extending transversely of the machine,

and provided on each side thereofl with operating hand wheels 141. Catches 142, one on each side of the machine, are provided or holding the extension 135 in ad-Y justed position. When` the attendant is operating the machine from one side', he may leave the catch 142 at the opposite side of the machine thrown bafckwardly into inoperative position, where it will he held by one of the pins 143. The lower portions or the side plates of the machine frames are providedwith a pair of notches or slideways 144, Fig. 17, in which the, lower edges Ihat the guards 122 slide.

The apron 128 is operated and controlled hy a pair of cables 145 and 146, attached respectively one to each end ot; the apron. rlhe ropes 145 and l146 are operated and controlledkby a pair of drums 147' and 148 respectively. These drums are mounted on a shaft 149, Figs. l() and 36, extending trolled by operating levers 154 and 155.

The operating levers 154 and 155 are connefcted by a bar 156 extending transversely across the machine, and so arranged that but one of the drums 147 and 148 may be connected with the shaft 149 at a time. It

will be seen from Fig. 36 that when one of the drums is in operative engagement with the shaft, the other will be free to ro- -tate thereon. When the levers 154 and 155 are in intermediate position both drums are free to rotate upon the shaft. The cable 145 extends rearwardly fro the drum 147, and passes over a pulley 157 at the rear portion of the miachine frame.

From the pulley 157 the cable 145 extends forwardly, as shown in Figs. 7 and 10, in a depression -158 (Fig. 17) in the upper surface of the bed plate 133 of the machine frame. The depression 158 is continued throughout the entire length of the bed plate and its extension 135, as shown iu Figs. 9 and 17, and the cable 145 extends forwardly throughout the full length o-f this extension, and toa pulley 159, Figs. 9, 19 and 22, secured to the rear central portion of the cutter bar 6. The cable 145, after passing around the ipulley 159, 1s again extended rearwardly and secured to the forward end of the apron 128, as shown in Figs. 47 and 9. rEhe depression 158 is provided in the bed plate 133 in order that the forward run of the cable 145 will not be interfered with by the apron 128`when it rests upon or is drawn over the bed plate 133. The cable 146 extends from the drum 148 to the rear portion of the machine v frame, where it passes over a pulley 160,

and is thence brought forward and attached to the rear end -of the` apron 128.. It will be apparent from the construction described that if the apron 128 is in a position at the rear of the machine, it maybe drawn forward by winding the cable 145 lon the drum 147 provided, of course, that the cutter 6 and pulley 159 are at the same time held stationary. It 1s also apparent that the apron may be drawn from the forward to the rear portion of the machine by winding on the drum 148, and allowing the cable 145 to run loosely from the drum 147.

Mechanism is provided, as best shown in Figs. 8 and 18-22 inclusive, for controlling the movement of the cable 145 through the pulley 159 at various positions of the cutter 6 in its cycle of operation. As shown in Fig. 19. a slide bar 161 is secured to the rear edge z' of the cutter bar 6, and carries a cam wedge 162 arranged to be drawn into contactl with the cable 145 where it passes over the pulley 159, to hold the pulley 159 from rotation and to prevent movement of the cable 145 thereon. A flexible cable 163 is attached to the end of the slide bar 161 (Fig. 18), and extends to the side of the cutter frame, where it is guided around the corner of the frame lby. extension 164, and thence along a groove inthe guard 120 to a position adjacent the end of the hollow axle 75. The end of the cable 163 opposite the slide bar 161 is attached to a slide 166, carried by guides 165 secured to the outer side of the guard 120. The slide 166 is provided with a projecting pin 167, to which is attached a coil spring 168, and which is connected with a short arm 169^of a bell crank lever 170, Figs. 8 and 18.

The long arm 171 of the bell crank lever 17 0- is provi ed with'an inwardly turned extension 172 arranged to contact with the lug 173 carried on the support 73 for the hollow axle 75. It will be apparent from the construction as shown anddescribed, that the spring 168 will normally draw the bar 161 in a direction to force the wedge 162 into contact with the cable 145, and prevent movement of the cable relative to the pulley 159. This will Ybe the condition of the parts during the cutting operation of the machine.A As will be seen from Fig. 8, however, when the cutter 6 has reached the extremity' ofits downward movement,the inwardly bent-extension 172 of the bell crank 17 O will strike the 4projection 173, and rotatethe bell cranklever 17 0 thus release the pull on the slide bar 161.

The operation of the apron is as follows: Assuming that the apron is at the rear portion of themachine frame, and that the machine is in position to take a cut, the cutter bar 6 will be in its lowermost position, and the tension of the slide bar 161 will therefore be released. The drum 147 is first clutched to the shaft 149, and the cable 145 is wound upon the drum. This will produce a tension upon the run of the cable 145 at the right of the pulley- 159 in Fig. 19, and the apron will be pulled forwardly until its front end is adjacent the rear portion of the cutter 6.V

YVhen the belt has reached this position, the lever 154 will be moved by the operator to rele-ase'both drums147 and v148. The cutter bar 6 will now be started `on its forward movement, and as soon as this movement begins the lever 170 will move away from the stop 173, and the spring 168 will be permitted to operate to draw'the wedge 162 into position to hold the cable 145 from lmovement on the pulley 159. In thisway the apron 128 is drawn around after the cutter 6 throughout its entire movement, and thus encloses the severed material. After the cut has been completed and the cutter brought to a stop at its upper limit of movement, the

drum 148 is clutched tothe shaft149, and

lthe cable 146 is wound upon the drum 148 (Fig. 36), thus exerting tension on the rear end of the apron 128 to draw it together with the material deposited upon'it, and with the cutter bar 6, backwardly until the cutter bar reaches its eXtreme lower position. When this occurs the lever 170 will strike the `stop 173 and the tension of the cable 163 will be released, thus freeing the pulley 159. The

rearward movement of the apron continues under the inuence of the drum 148 until the material carried by it is dischargedat the rear end of the machine into a car orl otherreceptacle placed upon the-track 7 to receive the material. i

To assist in moving the machine forward as the cuts are made -in the wall of the chamber, a section of movable track 175 is lprovided, which comprises a pair of rails 176 t. so held` that theyT form a support for the flanges of the wheels 21. When the machine is first placed in the mine chamber it will occupy the position shown in Fig. 8, and

I the drum 40 is secured to the rear cross bar' one cut 'may be taken with the machine in this position. After this cut has been taken, there is still room on the permanent track to move the machine forward a suliicient distance to take a second cut. After this second cut has been takenthe brakes of the supporting truck are set, and the cable 44 carried by 177 of* the movable, tracksection 17 5 by means of hook 178 and eye bolt 179, Figs. 10, 14 and 15. The drum 40 is then clutched to the shaft 39 and theA cable 44 wound "thereon, thus drawing the track section 175 forwardly. The machine may-now be run forward on the extended portion of the'movable track section and other cuts-be taken. New rail sections-7 may be placed at intervals to extend the main track by fastening the same to the ties.

Current for driving the diderent motors is supplied from the trolley line, 180 secured to the roof of the mine, and arranged to contact with'trolley wheels carried on the trolley poles 181, either of which poles may be used. A conductor 182 .extends downwardly from the terminal of the trolley pole, and branches of this conductor .extend to the controller 64 for the motor 23, and to controllers 183 and 184 for the motors 150 and 85" respectively.

. transportation.

These controllers are arranged both to govern the speed and to reverse the direction of the motors. The current is carried from the controller 184 to the motor 85 by means of a cable 186 (Fig. 7) .and-a sliding brush 187 arranged to bear upon insulated slip rings 188 carried on the casing 87 of the motor'85.

In Figs. 31-35 inclusive is shown ,a modified form of guard for enclosing the sides of the cut made bythe loop cutter. The guard shown in these figures is composed of a series of plates 190 having their edges pivoted together to form a some-what flexible chain of upright plates arranged to extend from the upturned edges of the apron 128 inwardly to the periphery of the hollow axle 75. Each of these platesis provided with two bearing lfianges 191 and 192 respectively, offsetl from one another so that the bearing flanges of the adjacent pla-tes will overlap one another, andform a substantially continuous surface in a common plane at each side oli the chain of plates. The plates are held together by pivot pins 193 'extending through openings in the bearing'iianges 191 and 192. The forward plate 190 is pivoted to the cutter 6 at 1,94. NVhen the cutter 6 is swung forwardly in making a cut the plates 190 move along with it, and arrange themselves in the manner indicated in 'Fig'.

31 to completely enclose the severed material.. 0n the return movement of the cutter 6 the plates are forced backwardly ina slideway 195 provided on the l"side plates guards are made unnecessary, the single pivoted guard-'operating to enclose the entire opening at the side of the cut. y

When the machine is being transported into and out of the mine chamber the cutter bar 6 may be swung upwardly, as shown in Fig. 8, thus raisingthe guard 120 a i ficient distance to clearthe track 7 and any otherv obstacles that may be in the way of The apron 128 will also be drawn vback onto its bed plate, and the guard 122 will be retracted. The bed-plates extension 135 will also be moved rearwardlyY until itjslower end is raised above the level of the track 7. lin this way all ofthe for- .ward lower parts of .themachine are retracted, and the entire mining and loading machine may be moved freelv by its motor to and lfrom the mine wall.

The operator, by actuating` the controller 64 shown in Fig. 8, may start, stop, reverse and control the speed of the electric motor 23 shown in Fig. 11, by a well known electric mechanism. The operator can control the transportation of the truck together with the mining and loading machine thereon along the track by operating the clutch 33 by means intense make irlarious changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by t-he appended claims. sire therefore not. to be restricted to the precise construction herein,disclosed.-

From the foregoing it will be seen that the loading machine disclosed comprises a supporting truc-k on which is mounted an element 24 between the aXles of the truck.' As shown in Figs. 8, 10 and 15, `a rearward extension 25, 133 is slidably mounteduponv the element 24 to move sidewise. The gearing illusti'atedat 47,48 1n Figs. 9 and 15 constitutes means for imparting movementV to the rearward extension 25, 133. The conveyer is supported upongthis 'eX-tension, as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 10.

What l claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States 1s.:-

1. In a mining-machine, the combination .with cutting mechanism, of means for operating the same, a supporting frame for s aid cutting mechanism and said operating means, a truck for carrying the aforesaid, a curved support for said frame on said truck, and an interlocking,connection between said support andsaid frame to pre vent vertical tilting lof the latter relatively to said truck.' n

2. The combination with a mining machine comprising cutting mechanism, of a truck on which said mining machine is mounted, a horizontal curved slideway carrie'd by saidztriick, a cooperating curved slideway on said mining machine yarranged to rest on said first-mentioned sliddway, and means for holding said slideways against relative movement longitudinally of the truck.

3. The combination lwith a. mining machine comprising cutting-mec anisin and an elongated frame, of a truck supporting saidmining machine frame, means for movably supporting said frame on said truck and for causing said elongated mining machine frame to swing about the rear portion thereof as apivotal center when saidI frame isf 'longitudinal movement of the -mining machinereltively to said truck. i

4Q-The combinationl with a mining machinecomprising cutting mechanisml and an elongated frame, of a truck for supporting said frame in an approximately balanced position, means for confining said mining I de-v machine to lateral arcuate movements relatively to said truck and preventing tilting movements of said mining machine up and down relatively to said truck and by pre- -venting forward and backward movements of said mining machine'relatively.to said truck, and means for swinging said mining machine laterally on said truck and the end of the said elongated frame remote from the cutting mechanism as a pivotal center.

5. The combination with a portable truck, of an arcuate Supporting platform carried by said truck and having spaced-apart parallel arcuate edges, a loader frame mounted on said truck,a slideway carried by. said frame and arranged to rest on said supporting platform'. and to conform to the shape thereof and with the center of arcuate movement of said frame relatively to said truck towardthe rear of said frame, and means for moving said frame laterally relatively to said truck where such slideway between the 'parallel arcuate edges of said platform prevents longitudinal movement of said frame relatively to said truck.

6. The combination with a mining ma; chine having an elongated frame, of a truck for supporting Vsaid elongated frame with one end ofthe latter overhanging the rear end of said truck, an arcuate platform on the upper side of said truck, a flat plate on the under side of said elongated frame resting in sliding contact with the upper surface` of said arcuate platform, arcuate connections between said arcuate platform and said arcuate plate to guide said elongated frame laterally relatively to said truck with the center o f arcuate movement of saidl frame, of means extending longitudinally of said frame for transferring material from the forward portion of said frame to the rear end thereof, a portable frame for supl porting said elongated frame near the center of gravit-ythereof, arcuate guiding-connections between said supporting frame and said elongated frame comprising an arcuate groove in said elongated frame, and driving mechanism on the supporting frameto said elongated frame adjacent said arcuate guiding connections forswinging said elongated frame transversely of said supporting frame approximately about the discharge end of said elongated frame as a pivotal center.

8. The combination with a mining machine comprising a frame, of a truck on which said frame is mounted, a supporting platform carried by said truck and having the front and rear edges thereof curved as a center located at a distance from the rear end of said truck, means on said frame ar-

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