U.S. patent application number 11/077338 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-22 for drum turning mechanism for continuous miners and longwall shearers.
This patent application is currently assigned to Joy MM Delaware, Inc.. Invention is credited to O'Neill, Michael L..
Application Number | 20050206216 11/077338 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34465811 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050206216 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
O'Neill, Michael L. |
September 22, 2005 |
Drum turning mechanism for continuous miners and longwall
shearers
Abstract
A mining machine including a cutting drum, a plurality of bits
mounted on the cutting drum, a base, and a boom extending between
the base and the cutting drum for mounting the drum on the base.
The mining machine further includes a primary cutting drum turning
mechanism attached to the boom and in driving connection with the
cutting drum for causing cutting movement of the cutting drum at a
cutting drum cutting speed, and a secondary cutting drum turning
mechanism attached to the boom and in driving connection with the
cutting drum for causing turning movement of the cutting drum at a
speed much less than the cutting drum cutting speed.
Inventors: |
O'Neill, Michael L.;
(Lucinda, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JAMES EARL LOWE, JR.
15417 W NATIONAL AVE # 300
NEW BERLIN
WI
53151
US
|
Assignee: |
Joy MM Delaware, Inc.
Wilmington
DE
|
Family ID: |
34465811 |
Appl. No.: |
11/077338 |
Filed: |
March 10, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11077338 |
Mar 10, 2005 |
|
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10799843 |
Mar 13, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
299/95 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21D 9/1013 20130101;
E21C 31/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
299/095 |
International
Class: |
E21C 037/00 |
Claims
1. A mining machine including: a cutting drum, a plurality of bits
mounted on the cutting drum, a base, a boom extending between the
base and the cutting drum for mounting the drum on the base, a
primary cutting drum turning mechanism attached to the boom and in
driving connection with the cutting drum for causing cutting
movement of the cutting drum at a cutting drum cutting speed, and a
secondary cutting drum turning mechanism attached to the boom and
in driving connection with the cutting drum for causing turning
movement of the cutting drum at a speed much less than said cutting
drum cutting speed.
2. A mining machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said primary
cutting drum turning mechanism includes a gear case attached to the
boom, a cutter motor attached at one end to the gear case and
attached to the boom and in driving connection with the cutting
drum through the gear case, a hollow motor drive shaft supported
within said cutter motor, and a torque shaft extending through the
hollow shaft and transmitting motor power to the gear case, with
one end near said gear case and another end opposite the gear case
attached to said secondary cutting drum turning mechanism.
3. A mining machine in accordance with claim 2 and further
including a clutch housing mounted on the other end of the cutter
motor and including a clutch assembly, and wherein said torque
shaft end opposite the gear case is attached to the clutch
assembly, and said clutch assembly is attached to said secondary
cutting drum turning mechanism.
4. A mining machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said primary
cutting drum turning mechanism includes a gear case attached to the
boom, a cutter motor attached at one end to the gear case and
attached to the boom and in driving connection with the cutting
drum through the gear case, and means connecting said cutter motor
other end to said secondary cutting drum turning mechanism.
5. A mining machine in accordance with claim 2 wherein said means
connecting said cutter motor other end to said secondary cutting
drum turning mechanism is a shaft assembly.
6. A mining machine in accordance with claim 5 and further
including a clutch housing mounted on the other end of the cutter
motor and including a clutch assembly, and wherein said shaft
assembly is attached to the clutch assembly, and said clutch
assembly is attached to said secondary cutting drum turning
mechanism.
7. A mining machine including: a cutting drum, a plurality of bits
mounted on the cutting drum, a base, a boom extending between the
base and the cutting drum for mounting the drum on the base, a
primary cutting drum turning mechanism attached to the boom and in
driving connection with the cutting drum for causing cutting
movement of the cutting drum at a cutting drum cutting speed, said
primary cutting drum turning mechanism including a gear case
attached to the boom, a cutter motor attached at one end to the
gear case and attached to the boom and in driving connection with
the cutting drum through the gear case, a clutch housing mounted on
the other end of the motor and including a clutch assembly, a
hollow motor drive shaft supported within said cutter motor, and a
torque shaft extending through the hollow shaft and transmits motor
power to the gear case, with one end near said gear case and
another end opposite the gear case attached to the clutch assembly
and a secondary cutting drum turning mechanism attached to the boom
and in driving connection with the cutting drum for causing turning
movement of the cutting drum at a speed much less than said cutting
drum cutting speed, said secondary cutting drum turning mechanism
comprising an adapter having a shaft and including torque shaft
connecting means for connecting said adapter shaft to said torque
shaft, and means for rotating said adapter at a speed significantly
slower than said cutting drum cutting speed.
8. A mining machine in accordance with claim 7 wherein said torque
shaft connecting means includes an overrunning clutch.
9. A mining machine in accordance with claim 8 wherein said means
for rotating said adapter at a speed significantly slower than said
cutting drum cutting speed comprises a hydraulic motor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to machines having cutting drums with
bits mounted thereon, and, more specifically, to mechanisms for
turning the cutting drums to permit bit removal.
[0002] Dull, broken, or missing bits can have a serious impact on
the cutting performance of a mining machine. Such bits can also
cause rough cutting, and rough cutting can place unnecessary
stresses on the machine. Both of these factors can lead to customer
dissatisfaction with the machine.
[0003] Due to the difficulty in changing bits, operators frequently
put off the chore well beyond the time the bits should optimally be
changed. A significant part of this difficulty is because of the
difficulty in rotating the drums to provide access to the bits.
There are also safety concerns. It is illegal in the USA for the
main power to be applied to the machine when anyone is in the
vicinity of the drums.
[0004] The current methods of turning a drum to replace the bits
include:
[0005] 1. Jogging the drum forward with the cutter motors. This is
illegal as above unless all persons exit the vicinity of the drums,
the drums are turned, and then the persons return to change the
bits after the main power is removed. It is also difficult to
control the amount of rotation.
[0006] 2. Putting the boom down so the drums are on the floor, then
moving the whole machine forward or backward to turn the drums.
This has the same concerns as (1), and if the cutter motors are
accidentally energized, this can cause the machine to lurch
suddenly.
[0007] 3. Turning the drums manually by several persons pulling on
the bit holders. This is usually done by putting the feet on bit
holders near the bottom of the drum, and grabbing the bits near the
top of the drum with the hands. With several people hanging on the
drums in this manner, enough weight is applied to slowly turn the
drums. Since the bit holders are usually wet and covered with
residue, there is a potential for one or more of these people to
fall in the area of the sharp bits.
[0008] 4. Turning the drums with a bar. The bar is placed through a
bit hole and one or more persons pull on the bar. The same concerns
as (3) apply, plus there is a danger of leaving the bar in place
when cutting resumes.
[0009] 5. Pulling on the bits with a boat winch mounted on top of
the machine. This was done in a laboratory environment but is
unpractical underground due to the time to mount the winch and
connect straps or cables each time the bits need to be changed and
then stowing the winch afterward.
[0010] The cutter motors used on continuous miners have a cutter
drum drive that includes, for each end of the drum, a motor
including a hollow motor shaft and a torque shaft located within
the motor shaft. The motor shaft engages the torque shaft, and the
torque shaft drives the drum through a gear case. As a result, if
something were to prevent the drum from turning, the torque shaft
can be replace, thus saving the more difficult to repair motor
shaft. More specifically, the motor shaft engages the torque shaft
via a splined connection at the end opposite the gear case.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide
a simple mechanism that permits turning of the cutting drum in a
slow, easy manner so that cutting bits can be replaced.
[0012] Another of the principal objects of the invention is to
utilize as much as possible the existing cutting drum structure to
provide such a turning mechanism.
[0013] Another of the principal features of the invention is to
utilize the above torque shaft to create such a turning
mechanism.
[0014] This invention provides a drum turning mechanism that fits
on the rear of the cutter motor and that provides a small amount of
torque to the motor shaft when desired for drum turning at slow
speed. It can be either a manual turning mechanism or one utilizing
a power source separate from the main machine power. Such power can
be energy stored in a battery or hydraulic accumulator.
[0015] More particularly, this invention provides a mining machine
including a cutting drum, a plurality of bits mounted on the
cutting drum, a base, and a boom extending between the base and the
cutting drum for mounting the drum on the base. The mining machine
further includes a primary cutting drum turning mechanism attached
to the boom and in driving connection with the cutting drum for
causing cutting movement of the cutting drum at a cutting drum
cutting speed, and a secondary cutting drum turning mechanism
attached to the boom and in driving connection with the cutting
drum for causing turning movement of the cutting drum at a speed
much less than the cutting drum cutting speed.
[0016] Currently, the end of the torque shaft opposite the gear
case is accessible with minor modifications to the clutch housing
on the rear of the motor. An adapter fits this hole and allows
torque to be applied to the torque shaft. As the gear case provides
a considerable speed reduction and torque multiplication (typically
30:1), very little torque would need to be applied to the adapter
to slowly turn the drums. This torque can be manually applied by a
crank, pull rope mechanism, or ratchet. In one embodiment, the
auxiliary turning mechanism is disengaged from the torque shaft
during normal cutting. This could be accomplished with an
overrunning clutch, or sliding gears like an automotive starter.
When drum turning is required, the auxiliary motor is energized by
closing a conveniently located switch or by opening a valve. The
switch or valve can also be activated remotely by providing this
functionality on the machine's radio remote control.
[0017] In other embodiments, the auxiliary turning mechanism can
remain connected to the torque shaft during normal cutting, but not
be powered. Further, the auxiliary turning mechanism can be used to
store power for later drum turning. When drum turning is required,
the auxiliary motor is powered to slowly turn the drums.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a side view of part of a cutting mechanism
including a boom, a cutting drum, and a cutting drum drive and an
auxiliary drive of this invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a side view, partially broken away, of the
auxiliary drive of this invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a side view, partially broken away, of an
alternate embodiment of the auxiliary drive of this invention.
[0021] Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in
detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in
its application to the details of the construction and the
arrangements of components set forth in the following description
or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other
embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various
ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and
terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and
should not be regarded as limiting. Use of "including" and
"comprising" and variations thereof as used herein is meant to
encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as
well as additional items. Use of "consisting of" and variations
thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed
thereafter and equivalents thereof. Further, it is to be understood
that such terms as "forward", "rearward", "left", "right", "upward"
and "downward", etc., are words of convenience in reference to the
drawings and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and
2. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 1, the invention comprises a
mining machine 8 (only part of which is shown) including a cutting
drum 42, bits 50 mounted on the cutting drum 42, a base 54, and a
boom 58 extending between the base 54 and the cutting drum 42 for
mounting the drum 42 on the base 54. The mining machine 8 also
includes a primary cutting drum turning mechanism 62 attached
(indirectly in the illustrated embodiment) to the boom 58 and in
driving connection with the cutting drum 42 for causing cutting
movement of the cutting drum 42 at a cutting drum cutting
speed.
[0023] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the primary cutting drum turning
mechanism 62 includes a gear case 66 attached to the boom 58, and a
cutter motor 70. The cutter motor 70 is attached at one end to the
gear case 66 and is in driving connection with the cutting drum 42
through the gear case 66.
[0024] The motor 70 further includes a motor housing 71 attached to
the boom 58, and a shaft assembly including a hollow drive shaft 74
rotatably mounted within the motor housing 71, and a motor torque
shaft 22 coaxial with and within the motor drive shaft 74. The
torque shaft 22 extends through the hollow shaft 74 and transmits
motor power to the gear case 66 in a conventional manner.
[0025] The primary cutting drum turning mechanism 62 further
includes a clutch housing 26 mounted on the end of the motor 70
opposite the gear case 66. The clutch housing 26 encloses a
conventional clutch assembly 75 that is attached to the torque
shaft 22 and to the motor drive shaft 74, so that the motor drive
shaft 74 can engage or be disengaged from the torque shaft 22.
[0026] The mining machine 8 further includes a secondary cutting
drum turning mechanism 10 for causing slow gradual movement of the
cutting drum 42. The secondary cutting drum turning mechanism 10 is
attached (indirectly in the illustrated embodiment) to the boom 58.
The secondary cutting drum turning mechanism 10 is in the form of
an adapter 83 having a shaft 82 and including a torque shaft
connecting means for connecting the adapter shaft 82 to the torque
shaft 22. An opening 81 in the clutch housing 26 provides access to
the end of the torque shaft 22. The torque shaft connecting means
is in the form of the adapter shaft 82 having a threaded end that
fits into a threaded hole 18 in the end of the torque shaft 22 to
allow torque to be applied to the torque shaft 22.
[0027] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the secondary
cutting drum turning mechanism 10 further includes means for
disengaging the end of the torque shaft 22 when the motor 70 is
running. More particularly, in this embodiment, the disengaging
means comprises an overrunning clutch 30. In other embodiments (not
shown), sliding gears like on an automotive starter can be used.
The secondary cutting drum turning mechanism 80 further includes
means for rotating the adapter 83 at a speed significantly slower
than the cutting drum cutting speed. In the preferred embodiment, a
hydraulic motor 34 is used and is operable by a remotely operated
switch 86 that opens a valve 46, and is powered by an accumulator
47. In other embodiments (not shown), the adapter rotating means
could be pull rope, or a crank, or a ratchet, or a small auxiliary
electric motor. A hydraulic system is chosen for this embodiment
because it avoids the need for an explosion-proof housing that an
electric motor would need, and has sufficient torque without
additional gearing. The overrunning clutch 30 is attached to the
hydraulic motor 34, which is mounted to the clutch housing 38, as
shown.
[0028] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, no disengaging
means, such as the clutch 30, is used. In other words, the adapter
shaft 82 is directly connected to the hydraulic motor 34. In this
embodiment, the primary motor 70 drives the hydraulic motor 34
during drum cutting. Turning of the hydraulic motor 34 can either
cause hydraulic fluid to flow freely (not shown) between the outlet
and inlet of the hydraulic motor 34, or turning of the hydraulic
motor 34 can repressurize the accumulator 47, in a conventional
manner. Another embodiment (not shown) of a suitable means for
rotating the adapter shaft 82 when no disengaging means is used is
an electric secondary motor that has its leads disconnected from a
secondary energy source by a switch, or has its electric fields
de-energized, during normal cutting. In other embodiments (not
shown), the electric secondary motor can act as a generator to
replenish an energy source, such as by charging a battery.
[0029] During normal machine operations, the accumulator 47 is
pressurized by the machine hydraulic system. When the machine's
main power is disconnected, the pressurized fluid in the
accumulator provides energy to run the hydraulic motor 34. When it
is desired to slowly turn the drums 42 for bit maintenance, the
operator will open the valve 46 allowing oil to flow under pressure
to the hydraulic motor 34. The accumulator's size will be chosen to
provide sufficient oil for several complete rotations of the drums.
The oil flow will be constricted to provide slow drum rotation.
Although there are two main cutting motors on the continuous miner,
it would only be necessary to add the turning mechanism to one of
them.
[0030] A similar mechanism can also be applied to a longwall
shearer (not shown), in order to provide for bit replacement on the
shearer.
[0031] Various other features and advantages of the invention will
be apparent from the following claims.
* * * * *