US2658739A - Coal cutting or loading machine - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 10, 1953 J QUQNIAM 2,658,739 COAL CUTTING 0R LOADING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1950 50 M 7 25 7.9 22 75 b I. .9

Fig-I T 1 In venfor f Jean MQMFMQMWWW7 Patented Nov. 10, 1953 COAL CUTTING OR LOADING MACHINE Jean Maurice Quoniam, Heinitz, Sarre, France,

assignor to Regle des Mines dela Sarre, Sarrebruck, France Application April 1, 1950, Serial N 0. 153,379

Claims priority, application France April 15, 1949 6 Claims. (01. 262-30) This invention relates to machines for cutting and loading coal or other extracted material, and has for its object to provide an arrangement for transforming, at the point of operation, a coal cutting machine into a machine for loading the coal brought down on the coal-face, with a View to doing away with the various operations that would otherwise have to be effected, namely: withdrawing the cutter backwards in a manner to by-pass the coal loading machine, placing the latter upon the runway and moving it ahead close to the coal-face, and the reversed operations, after loading, to clear the passage and bring the cutter back toits working position. These operations get still more complicated when it .is necessary to cause the cutter and loader booms to pivot by reason of the fact that the accessgalleries are narrower than the coal-face under attack,

All these operations, resulting from the use of two distinct machines, are obviated with the arrangement proposed, in which the loading boom is the boom of the cutter itself transformed on the point of operation into a loading machine by mounting on the latter named boom a paddle chain intended to convey the coal (or other extracted material), over the runway on which the cutter is displaced, into hauling means disposed on the other side of this runway with reference to the loading boom, or along its axis to bring the coal toward the front of the machine,

In order that the cutter boom may perform this loading role, it is inclined toward its remote end by transversely inclining the main body of the cutter, the driving means of which are utilized for actuating the conveying chain which replaces the cutting chain.

This inclination may be obtained by any appropriate means, such as for example hydraulic means or prismatic wedges fixedly interposed between the cutterbody and a carriage serving to displace the cutter upon the ground or on rails, or alternatively on section irons forming the frame of haulage way. This arrangement is completed by securing to the underside of the cutter boom, thus inclined, a deflector which has its lower edge disposed parallel to, and at a short distance from, the ground and which forces the coal to rise toward the chain when the cutterlcader is advanced along the coal-face with the aid of the means which served to advance the cutter prior to its transformation. The coal is then dragged along by the chain and rises so as to pass over the runway and the elevated portion constituted by the carriage which is located at the forward end of the cutter (this portion may be adjusted in the transformation, if the carriage sticks out insuificiently when the cutter is operated as such), and to fall onto coal removing means such as a wagon or conveyor, placed sidewise, thus being automatically loaded. In order to prevent the coal, elevated by the deflector, from passing over the boom, the latter is provided, on its top, with a separating ridge formed from sheet metal. In order to permit the loading boom to incline forwardly so as to diminish the width of the loading front, which may be necessary for example if coal-winning be locally incomplete, there is provided an opening in the forward wall of the deflector close to the cutter. This opening is closed by means of a suitable curved body conveniently secured to the cutter carriage and adapted to prevent the coal, elevated by the deflector, from passing through the gate.

Behind its separating ridge the loading boom is provided with a sheet metal part secured thereto and taking the form of a downwardly open enclosure to protect the miners from being injured by the chain paddles in motion.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, the same will now be described by referring to the accompanying dia grammatic drawings which show, by way of example, an arrangement embodying the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing the arrangement transversely of the cutter body;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line X--Y of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that designated by the reference numeral I is the cutter body housing the driving means and other mechanisms of the cutter, while designated by the reference numeral 2 is the cutter boom pivoting about the axis 3.

In the. arrangement according to the invention, this boom is provided with a chain 4 carrying paddles 5, which chain replaces the cutter chain and is driven in the same way as was the cutter chain by the cutter mechanism, in the direction of the arrow 6.

The body I is stationarily inclined on the carriage l by means of interposed wedges 8 having their friction angles fixed or variable with the aid of screwing or hydraulic means or any other means. The assembly comprising the parts i, 1 and 8 is slidably displaceable on rails 110. The

In order to prevent the coal from passing under the boom '2 and force it to be driven between the chain paddles 5, there is provided along the boom 2 a deflector l5 madeof "a frontally concave or bent metal sheet, stiffened by gussets I6 and secured to the underside of the boom by means of a plate I! and bolts 18.

The lower edge of the deflector i5 is situatedat a constant distance (h) from the ground, and the height thereof, of course, increases toward the-cutter *body I In order'that the boom 2 may be oriented as above stated, by being turned about the axis 3, it is necessary to providethe deflector 15, at its elevatedend, with an opening [9, such as shown in the drawings, for permitting the boom to turn through the-largest possible angle, when the machine'is operated as loader.

Inorder to close this opening and permit the coa'l-to passup and over the carriage i and runway [0, there is secured to the carriage l a closing body, made of sheet metal for example' In'order to reduce to minimum and render constant the clearances between said closing body and the-opening l9 provided in the deflector 55, it is expedient to form this body with a conicalupper portion '22, having for its axis the axis 3, anda hyperboloidal lower portion 23 accommodated to the conicalportion 22. Such a construction of the portions 22 and 23 permits the contour of the opening to bedefined by two con-' secutive straight lines. In this way there is obtaineda body'more favorable, for closing the opening and guiding the coal displaced ahead of the upper portion of the deflector, than a body formed by two conjugated conical surfaces.

The lower edge of the body portion 23 lies in a horizontal plane passing at the theoretical distanoe-Jt from the ground maintained by the supporting part 9.

The coal elevated along the deflector I5 is prevented from passing over the boom '2 by means of a sheet metal ridge, for example in theform of a roof having two slopes '24 and 25, as shown. This ridge is secured to the upper faceof the boom by means of bolts, which may be the aforesaid bolts [8, passing through the ridge bottom 26. i

A recessZ'I' is provided for the passage and the operation of the connecting bar H.

The front part 24 of the ridge is removable to afford free access to the nuts of bolts l8.

The rear part 25 of the ridge receives, afilxed thereto, a sheet metal part 28 bent downwards overlthe rearpaddles 5 of chain 4 and intended to prevent the miners from being injured by the chain paddles in motion.

The operation of the arrangement is readily understandable from the foregoing. The cutter, being easily equipped at the site ofoperationuwith the various parts transforming the sameintothe cutter-loader, is pushed ahead in the direction of the arrow I4 against the coal brought down and cut. The latter, being elevatedWith -the aid-of the parts [5, 22, 23 and driven by the chain paddles 5 in the direction of the arrow 6, may pass in the direction of the arrow 20, over the runway l0 and carriage I, to fall upon coal removing means placed by the side of the machine, as at 30, or it may be stopped by a sheet metal part (not shown) secured to the machine plumb -like fashion on the left (or right) side of the runway l 0 which serves as the track for the machine.

' Modifications may be effected in the particular constructions;described and shown, without substantially departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, for example, the deflector l5, ridge 2425 and closing body 2'223 may take the forms varying within large limits, particularly in respect to their curvatures, magnitudes and fastening means.

Also, the paddles 5 may take any form, magnitude and spacing suitable for driving coal, provided that they may, together with the chain supporting and driving them, bemounted-with facility on the cutting boom,- in lieu ofthe cut ter chain, and similarly actuated,

What is claimed is:-

1. A combination coal cutting and coal loading machine adapted to be transformed alternately for cutting and for loading at the site ofoperations, comprising a carriagega boom pivoted'to said carriageand inclined downwardly toward'its' free end to rest upon the'mine' floor substantially only at said "free end, said boom havinga coal engaging forward side and a rear side, an endless coal conveying paddlechain removably mount-'- able upon said boom, said boom'bei'ng constructed to support alternately said endless coal conveying paddle chainand an'andless" coalcutting chain, said paddle chainand'said cutting chain being adapted to be temporarily'securedto and removed from said boom at will and to be driven by the same driving means, coal deflecting means rigidly but removably secured "to said "boom on the coal-engaging side-thereof for cooperating With'the conveying chain paddlesto elevate -the coal gradually to 'a discharge pointat the pivoted end of said boomand substantially above'the free end thereof, coal separating means: rigidly but removably mounted on the top surface of the boom for preventing the coal from passing over the boom, protectivemeans on the rearside of said boomrigid with said separating' means for protecting themi-ners from injury by thepaddles of the paddle chain, -extensible means pivotally connecting said boom with said carriage: to 'hold the boom inpredetermined position, an opening in said deflecting means at theupperend thereof to permit pivotal movement of the 'boom, and closing and guiding means: fixed to said carriage for filling said opening to prevent coal'from passlng thereinto and to guide the coal aheadof the opening.

2. A machine as definedin claim-'1, wherein said deflectingmeans comprises a frontally concave reinforced sheet metal member removably secured to the underside ofthe boom having'its lower edgedisposed substantiallyat a constant distance from the ground and having' -its upper portion increasing in height gradually toward the upper end of the boom.

ii. A machine as defined-in claim'l, wherein sa d separating means comprises a double-slope roof-like ridge removably secured tothe upper side of the boom.

f1. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said protective means comprises a plate bent downwardly over the paddles at the free end of the boom.

5. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said extensible means comprises telescoping tubular members.

6. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said closing and guiding means comprises a body having a conical upper portion arranged with its axis coincident with the axis about which the boom is pivoted and a. hyperbolic lower portion.

JEAN MAURICE QUONIAM.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS

Images