US2823908A - Mining planer having traction element behind the conveyor - Google Patents

Description

W. RUSLER Feb. 18, 1958 MINING PLANER HAVING TRACTION ELEMENT BEHIND THE CONVEYOR Filed July 28, 1954 mvszvrozz WULFF RosLER W A TTORNEYS United States Patent 9 MINING PLANER HAVING TRACTION ELEMENT BEHIND THE CONVEYOR Wullf Riisler, Essen-Margaretenhoehe, Germany Application July 28, 1954, Serial No. 446,190 Claims priority, application Germany August 22, 1953 11 Claims. (Cl. 262-8) This invention relates to an improved mining planer. Mining planers, such as coal planers, have a longitudinally extending conveyor and a mining planer cutter is pulled back and forth in front of the conveyor by means of a flexible traction element, as, for example, a chain.

The conveyor may consist of a multiple number of sections, which may be flexibly connected to each other to adapt to the shape of the mine face in connection with which the machine is used. The conveyor has an open trough surface, over which flights of scrapers may be pulled by an endless chain to convey mineral, such as coal, which is deposited into the conveyor trough.

The planer cutter may be provided with two cutting edges facing in opposite directions for cutting in each direction of motion along the forward portion of the conveyor. The planer cutter may be so mounted that the cutting edge facing forward in the direction of motion always penetrates farther into the face being worked than the cutter which faces toward the rear. Similarly, the forward cutting edge may be tilted downwardly, so that it slides sharply over the mine floor and even scratches the same to detach all the mineral, such as the coal, therefrom.

The mining planer is generally used in connection with long-wall mining. The conveyor is set up facing the mine face and extending therealong. The conveyor is continuously urged toward the mine face by means of pneumatic jacks or the like, and the planer cutter is pulled back and forth in contact with the face by means of the flexible traction element, such as the chain. The machine is continuously advanced forward as the mineral is removed from the mine face, and the mine ceiling a distance inback ofthe conveyor may be continuously collapsed.

The planer cutter is generally mounted on a guide beam, which is pulled back and forth in front of the conveyor in guided relationship thereto. With this construction, a relatively large distance exists between the mine face and the conveyor. In operation, the planer cutter does not cut up to the top of the seam, and the coal from this upper part generally breaks off and falls down after the planer cutter has cut the portion of the coal below the same. Due to the spacing of the conveyor from the mine face, this coal generally falls in .frontof theconveyor and must .be plowed on the same by the planer cutter.

One object of this invention is a construction for a .coal planer which ,allows operation with only a very narrow space between themine face and the conveyor. This, and still further objects, will become apparent from the following :description, read in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

Fig. l is aplan view partially in section of a portion of an embodiment of a miningplaner in accordance with .the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the planer shown in Fig. l; and

2,823,908 Patented Feb. 18, 1958 Fig. 3 is a side view of the portion of Fig. 1 showing the wedgeshaped member.

In accordance with the invention, the longitudinally extending conveyor of the mining planer has? forwaid slide surface extending along its front portion and a rear slide surface extending across its back portion. A rearwardly facing guide surface is defined on the pla ler cutter positioned in sliding engagement with the forward slide surface. A guide beam, which defines a forwardly facing guide surface, is positioned for moving back and forth along in a of t e .se v yor wi h the guid .s ra n sliding e a emen w t the ear s ide a rfap A connecting me ber isid se riect t t e plea cutter extends beneath the conveyor connecting the'lcujtztfer and the guide beam. The flexible traction element, such as the chain, for pulling the planer cutter back and forth, is preferably connected to the guide beam and extends along the back of the conveyor.

Referring t the dr w ng the l n tud na ly e ten in conveyor 11 consists of a multiple number of conyeylor sections, which may, if desired, be eonnectedtogether to allow a limited pivoting or flexing there b etw een. The conveyor sections consist of a front side section 1 a back side section 2, connected the. h liize l P tltion 3 defining the conveyor bottom The po rtin of the c m ve w ch in e t n e sth am; fa along which the planer cuttertrave ls, is ldesignatedas the forward portion or front of the conveyor, whereas the opposite side is designated as the rear orb ack. A flight of scrapers (not shown) is drawn over the to-p of the partition 3 to eifect the conveying, and returns beneath the partition 3. Each scraper of the flight connected at each end with an endless chain to effect the movement of the scraper flight. The scrapers in the flight extend between the two endless chains as steps on a ladder .with one chain running along and inside the vertical partition 1 and the other chain running along in the vertical partition 2. l

A planer c t 2 i o a beak an o th l n in front of the conveyor 11. The planer cutter has the cutting edges 13 for cutting in one direction, and the cutting edges 14 for cutting in the other direction.

In accordance with the invention, a forward slide surface 36 is defined longitudinally along the forward portion of the conveyor and a rear slide surface 9 defined along the back of the conveyor. A guide beam 18 19 is positioned for movement back and forth along the back of the conveyor. The planer cutter 12 is connected to this guide beam by means of a connecting member 17, which extends under the conveyor.

The connecting member 17 is rigidly connected to the planer cutter 12 at one end and is rigidly connected I to a guide sleeve 13 at the other end. A beam 19, provided with the shoulders 20 and 21 at its ends, extends through the guide sleeve 18. Qn the other side of the shoulders 25 and 21 are provided guide shoes ZZ andQ S, respectively, which define forwardly facing guide surfaces and to which the flexible tractionelement in the form of the tow chain 24 is connected.

The beam 19 as shown'has a rectangnlar (square) cross-section and is hollow. The guide sleeve l 8 is al so generally rectangular in shape and its bore, through yvhich the beam 19 extends, is shaped like a rectangular tunnel, which progressively narrowsin both the horizontal and vertical planes towardits central portion .and widen wards its ends. This shape will bere ferred ,t-ohereinafter as a double wedge-shaped bore. This wedge shaped bore closely surrounds the bearn 19 at its" central portion 25 and is widened at its two end portions .and' 2 j7,

h respectively.

The planer cutter 12 extends above the side profile of the conveyor 11 with a ledge-like extension 28.

Along the back of the conveyor 11 a vertical wall 29 is positioned, which defines the rear slide surface 9 and which extends above the conveyor. A rear wall 38 is bolted to the wall 29 by the bolts 31 to form a casing for the guide path of the guide beam 1819, and the chain '24. The bolts 31 serve as the bearing pins for the supporting rollers 32 over which the chain returns, as indicated at 33 in Fig. 2. The chain return is covered by the hinged, curved wall portions 34, which may be pivoted upwardly or removed to expose the chain.

The planer cutter defines the rearwardly facing guide surfaces 35 and 39. When the chain 24 is pulled in the direction indicated by the arrow 15, the guide sleeve 18 slides over the beam 19 until it strikes the shoulder 21. Due to the double wedge-shaped bore of the guide sleeve 18, the sleeve may pivot a limited amount about the 'beam 19, so that the cutting edge 13 is tilted forward,

of the guide sleeve 18, the cutters 13 engage more deeply into the mine face while the rearwardly directed cutters 14 are removed and will not be dragged along the mine face. The other guide shoe 23 of the beam 19 is moved somewhat away from the rear slide surface 9.

In order to effect a forward tilting and lowering of the forward directed cutters 13 and thus a better detaching of the coal from the mine floor, Wedge-shaped members 37 and 38 are positioned on the two ends of the beam 19 on its top and adjacent to the shoulders 20 and 21. The wedges 37 and 38 incline toward the center of the beam 19 and, as the sleeve 18 slides along the beam 19 prior to striking the shoulder 21, it rides up the wedge 38, tilting the same so that the cutters 13 are tilted downwardly. In order to adjust this downward tilting of the cutters 13, the height to which the wedges 37 and 38 protrude, may be made adjustable.

In order to make the degree of tilting of the cutters 13 and 14 with respect to the mine face adjustable, the slide shoes 22 and 23 may be made adjustable with re ipect'to their depth of protrusion toward the slide surace 9.

As the planer cutter is pulled along in the position shown, the coal is cut and detached from the mine face and plowed into the conveyor 11. The coal and the upper portion of the seam which is undercut by the cutter 13 will for the most part fall directly into the conveyor 11, due to the closeness of the conveyor to the mine face.

When the planer cutter 12 is pulled along the length of the face in the direction of the arrow 15, the drive for the chain 24 is reversed in the conventional manner, so that the same is pulled in the direction of the arrow 16. At this reversal, first of all, the beam 19 slides longitudinally through the guide sleeve 18 until the latter comes against the shoulder and is carried along therewith. The connecting arm 17, and thus the planer cutter 12, are swung into the opposite position with the cutter 14 tilted into cutting position with the mine face with the cutters 13 tilted away from the face. The cutters 14 are also tilted downwardly toward the floor, since the guide sleeve 18 now runs over the wedge 37. The rearwardly facing guide surface 39 of the planer cutter then pivoted into sliding engagement with the forward slide surface 36 and the forward defacing guide surface of the shde shoe 22 comes into sliding engagement with the rear slide surface 9, while the slide shoe "20 is swung away from the rear slide surface 9.

In all other respects, the operation of the mining planer is conventional with the conveyor being constantly urged toward the mine face by means of pneumatic jacks or the like, and the mined coal being constantly removed by the scraper flights on the conveyor 11.

I claim:

1. In a mining machine having a longitudinally extending conveyor and a mining planer cutter pulled back and forth in front of the conveyor by a flexible traction element, the improvement which comprises means defining a forward slide surface along the forward portion of the conveyor, means defining a rear slide surface along the back of the conveyor, a rearwardly facing guide surface defined on the planer cutter positioned in sliding engagement with said forward slide surface, a guide beam defining a forwardly facing guide surface positioned for moving back and forth along the back of said conveyor with said guide surface in sliding engagement with said rear slide surface, and a plate-like connecting member extending beneath the conveyor connecting the planer cutter and the guide beam.

2. Improvement according to claim 1, in which the flexible traction element is connected to said guide beam for pulling the planer cutter back and forth in front of the conveyor.

3. Improvement according to claim 1, in which said guide beam comprises an elongated beam having a stop member at each end portion and a guide sleeve slidable along said beam between said stops, said guide sleeve defines a bore through which said guide beam extends which progressively narrows in the horizontal plane toward its central portion and Widens towards its ends to allow for limited pivoting of the guide beam, said connecting member being rigidly connected to the planer cutter at one end and to the guide sleeve at the other end.

4. Improvement according to claim 3, in which said guide beam defines a slide shoe at each end, the rear slide shoe defining said forwardly facing guide surface in each direction of movement of the guide beam, said flexible traction element being connected to said guide beam.

5. Improvement according to claim 4, in which said flexible traction element is connected to each end of said beam, said beam extends through a bore which progressively narrows in the vertical plane toward its central portion and widens towards its ends.

6. Improvement according to claim 5, in which said guide sleeve defines a double wedge-shaped bore with said beam extending therethrough.

7. Improvement according to claim 6, including a wedge member positioned at the top of said beam at each end thereof inwardly of said stop member and inclined toward the center of said beam.

8. Improvement according to claim 7, in which said beam has a substantially rectangular cross-section.

9. Improvement according to claim 8, including a casing enclosing the path of travel of the guide beam along the back of the conveyor.

10. Improvement according to claim 9, in which the flexible traction element returns in the casingabove the guide beam. y

11. Improvement according to claim 10, in which the portion of the casing which surrounds the flexible traction element return is removable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,689,716 Bainbridge Sept. 21, 1954 2.691.514 Lobbe Oct. 12, 1954

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