Mining machine

Abstract

A mining machine includes a propelled chassis for movement along a mine floor toward a facade of the mine. A cutter head is rotatably carried by a beam that is, in turn, supported by the chassis for universal movement whereby the beam is positioned about a horizontal axis spaced above the chassis and about a vertical axis passing through the chassis. The universal support for the beam is laterally spaced from the longitudinal center plane of the chassis. A conveyor includes a curved section that is supported at the other side of the chassis. An ore loading scoop with a downwardly-sloping end includes mechanical arms which move the ore to the receiving end of the conveyor. The ore is conveyed to the rear of the chassis along the curved section at one lateral side of the chassis to the rear thereof where the discharge end of the conveyor is movable from the central plane of the chassis.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an improved mining machine which is propelled along the floor of a mine incident to loosening ore from the facade of the mine and conveying the ore to the rear of the machine. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing an improved construction and arrangement of parts to reduce the overall height and to improve the operation of such a mining machine.

There are well-known types of propulsion units which can be moved along a mine floor, for example, by means of a caterpillar-type drive. Such propulsion units have been equipped with a cutter head that is carried by a support beam which is, in turn, positioned in the horizontal and vertical directions. The cutter head takes the form of a tool that loosens the ore from the facade of a mine to recover the mineral deposits. The propulsion units are also equipped with a loading scoop or shovel that slopes in the direction of the facade of the mine. Two loading beams are carried by the scoop for directing the ore removed from the facade toward the center of the scoop. These loading beams transfer the ore to a center chain conveyor extending along the longitudinal direction of the mine. The center chain conveyor is carried by the propulsion unit such that it traverses a portal opening in the structure used to support the beam. Due to the required height of the portal opening in the support structure to convey the ore, a propulsion unit of this type has a certain predetermined overall height that cannot be altered. Furthermore, the conveyor used in the transportation system for the ore frequently malfunctions since the portal opening may form a restriction that causes the ore to back-up particularly when conveying coarse, or large pieces of ore.

Heretofore, since the cutter head was displaced about a relatively large area about a facade of the mine, a loading bucket or scoop was symmetrically arranged about the central plane of the mining machine. In these known mining machines, it was a common practice to follow a design providing that the conveyor which received the ore at the central plane of the machine would extend along this plane toward the rear of the machine. The support beam for the cutter head was carried by a structure symmetrically located with respect to the central plane of the mining machine. Since the beam was supported for movement about the horizontal axis as well as a vertical axis, a bridge-type structure was used to span the distance required to accommodate the width of the conveyor. In this design of the mining machine, the conveyor must traverse the relatively large structure used to carry the support beam. This has two inherent and serious disadvantages. First, the beam for the cutter head must operate at a higher elevation above the chassis of the propulsion unit. Secondly, the material transported by the conveyor is readily subjected to back-ups and malfunctions, particularly when one attempts to provide a small-sized opening through the support structure for the beam.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved mining machine, particularly by reducing the required height of the mining machine of the type discussed above as well as to render the operation of the mining machine less sensitive to malfunctions with respect to the conveying of ore along the length of the machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mining machine having a conveyor with a curved section that is supported by the chassis of the machine at a laterally-spaced location from the structure employed to support and position a cutting head of the machine.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved mining machine by providing a construction and arrangement of parts which will reduce the height of the mining machine and render the operation of such a machine less sensitive to malfunctions, particularly with regard to the conveying of ore from the front of the machine by a conveyor supported by the machine.

According to the present invention, there is provided a mining machine adapted to move along a mine floor relative to a facade of the mine, the mining machine comprising, in combination, a propulsion means including a chassis for movement along the mine floor, a cutter head for working upon the facade of the mine, a support beam for carrying the cutting head, a universal support carried by the chassis of the propulsion means for positioning the beam about a horizontal axis spaced above the chassis and about a vertical axis passing through the chassis, a loading scoop projecting from the chassis and having an extended end projecting downwardly toward the mine floor, and a conveyor including a laterally-curved section carried by the chassis along one lateral side thereof, the laterally-curved section of the conveyor extending below the axis defining the horizontal movement of the beam for supporting the cutter head and the curved section being laterally spaced from the vertical axis for conducting ore received from the scoop in the general direction away from the cutting head.

In order to provide the features and advantages of the present invention, we have started out from the premise of providing a propulsion unit that is equipped with a cutting tool affixed to a support beam that can be moved in the horizontal and vertical planes to bring the cutting head into an operative relation with the facade of a mine together with the provision of a loading scoop that slopes in the direction of the facade and slopes toward the mine floor. The loading scoop is equipped with two laterally-spaced loading beams that are rotatable for transporting ore to a center chain conveyor arranged in the center of the loading scoop between the two loading arms. The conveyor extends in the longitudinal direction of the mine and it is arranged upon the chassis of the propulsion unit.

In accordance with the features of the present invention, the center chain conveyor is designed so that it conducts ore in a curved manner at one side of the structure used to carry the support beam. The discharge end of the conveyor is designed to swivel in the vertical and horizontal planes. When the discharge end of the conveyor is in its central position, it is centrally located within a vertical plane extending longitudinally through the center of the mining machine. The cutting head, when located in its central position, will also lie along the vertical longitudinal plane of the machine. The lateral displacement of the center chain eliminates the need to construct a portal passageway in the support structure for the cutting head to conduct ore beyond this structure. Consequently, obstructions caused by the ore are eliminated particularly with regard to back-ups occurring as the ore is transferred by a chain conveyor. Moreover, the elimination of the portal opening in the support structure for the cutting head enables the support beam carrying the cutting head to be supported at a lower elevation which also achieves a reduction to the overall height of the mining machine. Thus, mining machines constructed in accordance with the present invention may be employed within a wider range of uses and applications, particularly in mines with smaller ceiling heights and widths.

The structure used to carry the support beam for the cutting head is laterally spaced from the center plane of the machine toward one lateral side thereof where it is arranged beside the center chain conveyor. Two piston and cylinder assemblies carried by the chassis of the mining machine are connected at their rod ends at symmetrically-spaced horizontal locations to the support beams about a vertical longitudinal plane, the beam which extends diagonally to the central longitudinal plane of the mining machine. These planes intersect at the location of the axis of the cutting tool when in its central location. This enables displacement of the cutting tool within a work area while the tool remains, to a great extent, symmetrically disposed with respect to the vertical longitudinal plane of the mining machine.

In accordance with a further characteristic of the present invention, the loading scoop at the front of the mining machine consists of several parts forming symmetrically arranged side portions which enclose between them a central portion of the scoop where there is mounted the conveyor chute section of the center chain conveyor. The side parts of the scoop are detachably joined to the central portion of the scoop. The central portion of the scoop is constructed with a trapeze-like area with side edges that taper in the direction of the facade of the mine such that the minimum distance between the side edges at the extended end of the scoop corresponds to the width of the conveyor. The central portion of the scoop is equipped with a recess extending along its length and corresponding to the width and height of the conveyor. This recess serves as a receptacle for the chute of the center chain conveyor.

These features and advantages of the present invention as well as others will be more readily understood when the following description is read in light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side elevational view of the mining machine in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view of the mining machine shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of the ore loading scoop extending from the front of the mining machine illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the mining machine includes a caterpillar-type propulsion unit 1 having a chassis 2 that is displaced along the floor of a mine. The chassis carries a support beam 3 for movement about a horizontal axis 4 extending along a pivot shaft carried by a universal support member 5. Two piston and cylinder assemblies 6 are mounted to the universal support member 5 and have their rod ends connected to the support beam for moving it about axis 4. The support beam is movable about a vertical axis 8 extending along the universal support member 5 by two piston and cylinder assemblies 7 that are connected by clevis-type mountings to the chassis 2. At the extended end of the support beam 3, there is provided a boom 9 which can be rotated about a pivot pin defining a horizontal axis 11 by two piston and cylinder assemblies 10. A roller-like cutting tool 12 is carried at the end of the boom 9 for rotation about an axis 23 for cutting and loosening ore from the facade 13 of the mine.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the chassis 2 is in the form of a caterpillar-type drive which carries a loading scoop 14 situated at the front portion thereof. The loading scoop 14 is located beneath the support beam 3 and slopes toward the mine floor at the ore entry edge of the scoop. A rotating-type loading beam 15 is located at both lateral sides of the loading scoop. These loading beams transport the ore released by the cutting tool 12 toward a center chain-type conveyor 16 located with its ore receiving end at the center of the loading scoop. The conveyor 16 may take the form of a double-chain conveyor or other known types of conveyors may be used as desired. The center chain-type conveyor is preferably in the form of a scraper chain conveyor and it includes a curved section supported by the chassis of the propulsion unit at a laterally-spaced location from the universal support member 5. The ore received by the conveyor is transported to the rearward portion of the mining machine where the ore is conveyed by other means such as other conveying systems. The discharge end of the conveyor shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is adjustable in the horizontal and vertical planes. When the cutting tool 12 and the discharge end of the conveyor 16 are in their nominal central positions, they lie within a vertical longitudinal plane 17 of the propulsion unit 1. Therefore, both the cutting tool and the discharge end of the conveyor have a rotating area that is symmetrical to the longitudinal plane 17.

The horizontal position of the cutting tool 12 is adjusted by the piston and cylinder assemblies 7, their rod ends secured by clevis-type mountings to the universal support member 5. The clevis-type supports 22 are arranged in such a manner that they are located symmetrically to a vertical plane 24 passing centrally along the support beam 3. The plane 24 extends diagonally to the vertical longitudinal center plane 17 of the machine. The planes 24 and 17 intersect at the axis 23 of the cutting head 12.

FIG. 3 illustrates the arrangement of parts forming the loading scoop 14. The scoop includes two side-by-side scoop plates 18 and 19 disposed at one side of a central scoop plate 20 and side-by-side scoop plates 18' and 19' at the other side of the scoop plate 20. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the plates 18, 18' having a similar shape and to their exterior sides there is connected in a detachable manner the plates 19, 19', respectively. Between the side plates there is located a trapeze-shaped area wherein there is located the central scoop plate 20. The area between the side plates tapers in the direction of the facade of the mine and reduces down to a dimension corresponding to the width of the center chain conveyor 16. This construction forms a receptacle for the center chain conveyor which extends along a recess portion 21. In this way, the conveyor chute is located beneath the loading surface of the scoop which serves as a working plane for the loading beams 15. The conveyor is detachably secured within the recess 21.

Although the invention has been shown in connection with a certain specific embodiment, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

We claim as our invention:

1. A mining machine adapted to move along a mine floor relative to a facade of a mine, said mining machine comprising in combination:

a propulsion means including a chassis for movement along the mine floor relative to a facade of the mine, said chassis having two lateral sides lying symmetrically at opposite sides of a longitudinal plane extending along the center of the chassis;

a cutter head for working upon the facade of the mine;

a support beam for carrying said cutter head;

a universal support carried by said chassis at one lateral side thereof and spaced from said longitudinal plane of the chassis, said universal support including means to pivotally position said support beam about a horizontal axis spaced above the chassis, said universal support further including means to pivotally position said support beam about a vertical axis passing through the chassis at a horizontally spaced location from said longitudinal plane of the chassis;

a loading scoop supported by said chassis and including a projecting ore receiving surface sloped in a downward direction toward the mine floor outwardly of the chassis, said loading scoop having a central ore discharge surface intersected by said longitudinal plane of the chassis; and

a conveyor extending along said chassis for conveying ore in the general direction away from said cutting head, said conveyor essentially having an ore receiving end intersected by said longitudinal plane of the chassis, said ore receiving end being disposed in an ore transferring relation with the ore discharge surface of said loading scoop, said conveyor essentially including a laterally-curved conveyor section supported by said chassis at the second of said two lateral sides of said longitudinal plane in a manner such that the laterally-curved conveyor section extends below said horizontal axis and spaced laterally from both said horizontal axis and said longitudinal plane.

2. The mining machine according to claim 1 further comprising two ore loading arms laterally spaced from said longitudinal central plane for conducting ore onto said conveyor.

3. The mining machine according to claim 2 wherein said chassis supports the ore discharge end of said conveyor for movement in a horizontal and a vertical direction with respect to a centrally-arranged position wherein the longitudinal central plane of the chassis intersects the discharge end of the conveyor, said cutter head being horizontally movable with respect a centrally-arranged position intersected by the longitudinal central plane of the chassis.

4. The mining machine according to claim 1 further comprising piston and cylinder assemblies supported by said chassis for displacing said beam about said vertical axis, said piston and cylinder assemblies being symmetrically arranged at opposite sides of said vertical axis and operatively connected to said beam at spaced-apart locations.

5. The mining machine according to claim 2 wherein said ore loading scoop further comprises a central scoop plate aligned with and extending outwardly from the ore removing end of said conveyor, and two side-by-side scoop plates at each side of the central scoop plate and therefore at each side of the ore receiving end of said conveyor.

6. The mining machine according to claim 5 wherein said central scoop plate lies within an area defining a trapeze shape formed by tapering side edges of said side scoop plates that are separated by a minimum distance corresponding to the width of said conveyor at the end of the central scoop plate most remote from the facade of the mine.

7. The mining machine according to claim 5 wherein one of said side-by-side scoop plates supports one of said ore loading arms at each side of said longitudinal plane of said chassis.