Drive station for an underground plough system and method for repairing recovery ploughs

The invention relates to a drive station for an underground plough system, in particular a coal plough system, with a machine frame to which a plough box can be fastened, and with a wedge trough which is connected to the machine frame and is provided with a plough guide device, which has chain channels for a plough chain, and also a plough end stop on a runout section for a winning plough. In order to facilitate the repair of a winning plough, the plough end stop is formed on an attachment which can be dismantled, when the plough guide device is mounted, to produce a repair section in the longwall-gallery transition of the wedge trough. The invention also relates to a repair method in which the plough end stop is dismantled and the winning plough is moved into the repair section.

This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of International Application No. PCT/EP2008/005196, filed Jun. 20, 2008, which application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of German Application No. 10 2007030646.8, filed Jul. 2, 2007, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference into the specification of this application.

The invention relates to a drive station for an underground plough system, in particular a coal plough system, with a machine frame to which a plough box can be fastened or is fastened for supporting a plough chain wheel for returning a plough chain, and with a wedge trough or connection trough which can be connected or is connected to the machine frame and is provided with a plough guide device, which has chain channels for a plough chain, and also a plough end stop on a runout section for a winning plough. The invention further relates to a method for carrying out repair work on a winning plough which can be moved in the underground longwall between two working stations of a plough system, the drive stations having a machine frame, to which a plough box is fastened for supporting and bearing a plough chain wheel for deflecting a plough chain, and also a wedge trough or connection trough which is connected to the machine frame and is provided with a plough guide device, which is arranged on a runout section for the winning plough, and also a plough end stop.

In chain-pulled winning ploughs for underground winning operations, the plough chain wheels, which serve to drive and to deflect the plough chain, are arranged in a plough box which is built laterally onto the machine frame of a drive station of a scraper chain conveyor. As the plough chain wheels have a relatively large diameter, at least one wedge trough or connection trough, which compensates for the height offset necessary for the scrapers along with the scraper chain, is arranged between the trough pans, which are provided with plough guide pans, of the plough system and the drive stations. A similar height offset also exists for the chain strands of the plough chain and this height offset is also compensated for over the length of the wedge trough. Reference is made, merely by way of example of the drive stations of plough systems, to DE 39 23 320 A1 which is incorporated by reference herein for showing the same.

As, depending on the winning plough used and the drive power required, different drive stations are installed in the underground plough systems, the connection troughs or wedge troughs are usually special designs which at the same time ensure, by way of suitable measures, that the winning plough can be brought up as close as possible to the drive stations arranged in the main or auxiliary section. In order to prevent damage to the drive stations, a plough end stop, which can for example be designed as an impact chock and which the winning plough may strike at the end of a runout section, is mounted in the region of the connection or wedge troughs. If repair work to the winning plough is necessary, efforts are made to bring the winning plough as close as possible to the connection or wedge trough in order to be able to carry out the repair work there, since miners have slightly more freedom of movement in the region of the connection troughs than within the longwall.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

An object of the invention is to improve the design of drive stations for an underground plough system and also to facilitate carrying out of repair work on a winning plough.

In order to achieve this object and others, the invention proposes, in a drive station for a plough system, that the plough end stop be formed on or fastened to an attachment which can be dismantled, when the plough guide device is furthermore mounted, to produce a repair section in the longwall-gallery transition of the wedge trough or connection trough. The solution according to the invention allows, in particular for maintenance or repair work to the winning plough, the plough guide device to remain mounted on the wedge trough, enabling the winning plough to be brought up to the position of the plough end stop. However, the plough end stop, which is fastened to or formed on an attachment, is dismantlable, for which reason the winning plough can be moved further in the direction of the main or auxiliary section when the plough end stop is dismantled. Dismantling the plough end stop, which is formed on an attachment, therefore affords the possibility of obtaining a repair section which is situated, compared to the solutions known in the art, no longer in the longwall end region before the longwall-gallery transition, but rather offset into the longwall-gallery transition or even into the gallery.

The two drive stations of an underground plough system are normally positioned in such a way that the plough boxes, with the drive motors flanged thereon for the plough wheel chains, are situated in the region of the main section or auxiliary section, whereas the connection or wedge troughs are situated, at least in part, in the underground longwall in which the coal is mined and won. If, on the winning plough, repair work has to be carried out for example only on the sliding or guide shoes, it may be sufficient, for a repair to be carried out, to dismantle exclusively the attachment, as this alone makes at least one of the guide shoes relatively readily accessible.

In accordance with another aspect, the attachment has a base plate which can be fastened to the wedge trough or connection trough by means of hook-like interlocking elements. It is particularly advantageous if the wedge trough or connection trough has a holding plate with hook-like interlocking elements for arresting the attachment. The attachment can be mounted or dismantled particularly simply if, in accordance with a particularly preferred configuration, the upper, hook-like interlocking element consists of a dismantlable locking strip. The lower, hook-like interlocking element then does not need to be dismantled for dismantling the attachment, but can remain in its position or be formed integrally with the holding plate. The solution according to the invention with a dismantlable attachment allows, in particular, the plough guide device to consist of a plough guide pan which is securely mounted on the wedge trough. In contrast to the prior art, in which the plough guide devices were in any case in principle dismantlable in the region of the wedge trough, this is no longer required in the solution according to the invention.

According to yet another aspect, at least one, preferably a plurality of, projecting locking body/bodies is formed on the holding plate and recesses, which interact with the locking bodies, are formed on the base plate for form-fitting support of the attachment in the running direction of the winning plough. The locking bodies, which dip into the recesses, prevent relative movements between the wedge trough and the dismantlable plough end stop formed on the attachment when the attachment is mounted. It is particularly advantageous if the recesses in the base plate consist of vertically extending, open-edged slots allowing upward dismantling of the attachment. For vertical dismantling of the attachment, it is particularly advantageous if the upper, hook-like interlocking element consists, as described above, of a dismantlable locking strip. Also preferably, a chain fixing device, which can in particular be formed by a pivotable blocking pawl or consist thereof, can be fastened to the attachment. The provision of a chain fixing device in the dismantlable attachment allows further chain links to be inserted in a relatively simple manner into the plough chain when the attachment is mounted, if for example the length of the plough system is increased by inserting intermediate troughs or the tensioning path of a tensionable drive station is not sufficient for tensioning the plough or conveyor chain. Expediently, the attachment can have a chain channel cover which opposes the base plate, in parallel and at a distance, and can be dismantled at least in the region of the chain fixing device, in order to ensure that the plough chain is readily accessible in the region of the drive station for repair work.

Also preferably, a flange plate for the plough box with hook-like interlocking elements can also be formed on or fastened to the machine frame, the upper, hook-like interlocking element being, in turn, dismantlable and preferably consisting of a locking strip. In a corresponding configuration, both the attachment and the plough box are detachably fastened in a similar manner to the drive station and the wedge trough respectively. This easy dismantlability is particularly advantageous if a running rail is fastened to the wedge trough or the connection trough, when the attachment is dismantled, in order to lengthen the repair section as far as possible into the underground main or auxiliary section. By attaching a running rail instead of the attachment and/or additionally instead of the plough box, the winning plough can if appropriate be moved into the main or auxiliary section in order to be able to carry out there, in particular, relatively complex repair work.

According to yet further aspects of the invention, a method for carrying out repair work is provided, wherein, according to the invention, a repair section is formed in the longwall-gallery transition or in the gallery by dismantling the plough end stop and the winning plough is moved into this repair section for the repair. In the particularly preferred configuration, a running rail is fastened to the wedge trough or the connection trough for producing a repair section, when the plough end stop is dismantled, and also preferably when the plough box is additionally dismantled. It will be understood that the guide elements on the running rail are embodied and positioned in such a way that the winning plough can easily be moved between the plough guide devices in the region of the wedge trough or the trough pans and the running rail.

These and other objects, aspects, features, developments and advantages of the invention of this application will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the Detailed Description of Embodiments set forth below taken together with the drawings which will be described in the next section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same,FIG. 1shows a drive station of an underground plough system10for a winning plough (not shown in the figures), in particular a coal plough, is denoted in its entirety by reference numeral1. In a manner known per se, the plough system10comprises at both ends a drive station1with a machine frame2and also a wedge trough3which adjoins the machine frame in the direction of the winning longwall. A large number of trough pans4, which are constructed so as to be identical to one another and have a plough guide pan5which is built-on at the working face side, then adjoin the wedge trough3in order to move a plough, which is restrictedly guided on the guide elements of the plough guide pans5, for the mining of coal through the longwall. The plough system10can have a length of from, for example 100 to 500 meters and up to 200 and more identical trough pans4with a built-on plough guide pan5can accordingly be arranged between two drive stations1. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the guide elements for guiding the winning plough consist, in particular, of a slideway6resting on the footwall, a lower guide strip7, behind which a chain block, which engages into a lower chain guide channel for a plough chain (not shown), grips, and also an upper guide strip8on which the body of the winning plough is guided by means of a plurality of guide shoes. As this is generally known to the person skilled in the art, the trough pans4, guide pans5or the winning plough will not be described any further here.

The machine frame2has a packing-side side cheek11and a working face-side side cheek12which is arranged set apart therefrom, between which side cheeks a chain shaft13with a chain wheel14is mounted for driving a scraper chain (not shown in greater detail). The scraper chain, which revolves in the trough pans, is used to remove the coal, which is mined at the face using the winning plough, from the longwall and to transfer it to a gallery conveyor. The two strands of the scraper chain run on the chain wheel14further apart from each other than in the region of the trough pans4and this height offset is compensated for by the wedge shape of the wedge or connection trough3.FIG. 1clearly shows that a guide pan5′, which is embodied in an identical manner to the further guide pans5of the trough pans4laid in the longwall, is fastened to the wedge trough3. This plough guide pan5′ forms part of a runout section for the winning plough in the region of the drive station1or the wedge trough3, the distance between the guideway for the winning plough and the runway for the scraper chain increasing slightly in the region of the runout section. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the plough guide pan5′ extends over roughly half the length of the connection or wedge trough3.

A plough box30is dismantlably fastened to the working face-side side cheek12of the machine frame2for supporting a plough chain wheel31, the plough chain (not shown) being alternately driven by means of the plough chain wheel31for moving the winning plough back and forth. A flange plate15, with a lower, securely mounted and in particular welded-on holding rail16, is fastened to the working face-side side cheek12for detachably fastening the plough box30. The holding rail16forms a lower, upwardly open groove17into which the plough box30engages with the lower web32of a packing-side mounting plate33in the mounted state. The mounting plate33of the plough box30is furthermore provided with an upper web34in order to be able to fasten the plough box30to the flange plate15by means of a separate, dismantlable locking strip40. The locking strip40therefore forms the upper interlocking element for the plough box30and has a downwardly projecting web strip41which, in the mounted state, clamps the upper web34on the mounting plate33against the flange plate15. Five fastening screws18are secured in a suitable manner to the flange plate15for detachably fastening the locking strip40. In the mounted state, the shanks of the fastening screws penetrate fastening bores42in the locking strip40in order to fix the locking strip40to the flange plate15by means of robust screw nuts which can be screwed onto the shanks. A projecting locking body19, which engages, in the mounted state, into a vertically extending groove recess35at the back of the mounting plate30, is formed on the flange plate15for preventing displacement of the plough box30in the running direction of the winning plough. The screw connections18can as a result be relieved of transverse forces.

The mounting plate15extends substantially only over the length of the machine frame2. A holding plate20, via which an attachment, which is denoted in its entirety by50and comprises a plough end stop51, can be dismantlably fastened to the wedge trough3, is fastened, in the mounting state, to the wedge trough3between the flange plate15and the plough guide pan5′ which may be securely built-on in the front region of the wedge trough3. For dismantlably fastening the attachment50, the flange plate20is, like the holding plate15, provided at the bottom with an in this case U-shaped guide rail21as the lower, hook-like interlocking element. In the mounted state, a packing-side, relatively robustly formed base plate52of the attachment50engages at its lower end into the groove22of the guide rail21. The base plate52of the attachment50is arrested at the holding plate20by means of a second locking strip60which, like the locking strip40, can be detachably screwed onto the holding plate20and held there by means of five fastening screws (not shown). For fixing the attachment50, the locking strip60is provided with a lower web projection61which grips behind a web strip53at the upper end of the base plate52and clamps the web strip53against the holding plate20. Two vertically extending, open-edged recesses54, which interact, when the attachment50is mounted on the holding plate20of the wedge trough3, with two locking bodies23which are designed as vertical strips and project beyond the surface of the holding plate, are formed here at the back of the base plate52. The locking bodies23, which engage into the recesses54, cause form-fitting anchoring of the attachment50in the running direction of the winning plough and relieve the screw connections for arresting the locking strip60when the winning plough strikes, in plough mode, the plough end stop51. The attachment50with the integrally formed plough end stop51can be detached from the wedge trough3even when not only is the plough guide pan5mounted on the wedge trough3, but also the plough box30remains in its mounted position. The configuration can however also be designed in such a manner that both the plough box30and the attachment50can be dismantled or must be jointly dismantled in order to remove the plough end stop51from the runout section for the winning plough.

FIG. 2shows particularly clearly that the distance between the upper plough chain channel25and the lower plough chain channel26for the plough chain increases between the plough guide pan5′, which is securely mounted on the wedge trough3, and the plough chain wheel31. In order to achieve a course of the plough chain that is as uniform and defined as possible in the upper chain guide channel25, a sliding piece55, which is in the form of a wearing piece and can relatively easily be replaced by a new sliding piece55, is fastened to the plough end stop51of the attachment50, directly behind it. The upper strand of the plough chain is deflected with the underside56of the sliding piece55from its horizontal course in the longwall into an oblique course in relation to the plough chain wheel31. A run-in piece27for the lower chain channel26is positioned below the sliding piece55. The run-in piece27, which is in this case welded onto the guide rail21at the working-face side, has at its upper side a run-in bevel28, which is designed with wear protection, for guiding the lower strand of the plough chain.

Furthermore, a pivotable blocking pawl58, as the fixing device for the upper strand of the plough chain, is arranged between the sliding piece55and the plough chain wheel31, wherein this blocking pawl58can be pivoted downward into the upper chain channel25, as a result of which the plough chain is arrested. In order subsequently to be able to incorporate or remove chain links between the plough chain wheel31and the blocking pawl58, the chain channel cover59(FIG. 1) is dismantlable at least in the region of the blocking pawl58. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the chain channel cover59for the lower chain channel26is provided with a foldable end flap59A.

When the attachment50is dismantled, a winning plough can be moved beyond the plough guide pan5′, which is securely mounted on the wedge trough3, further in the direction of the machine frame2. It might be sufficient to remove just the attachment50with the plough end stop51in order to be able to carry out some of the necessary repair work on the winning plough in a winning section. As the repair section, which is lengthened or laid, in accordance with the invention, into the rear, drive-side region of the wedge trough3, is located in the longwall-gallery transition, it allows staff to move much more freely. In addition, it is at the same time situated closer to the gallery and thus closer to a material replacement store.

FIG. 3illustrates a particularly advantageous configuration facilitated by the invention of a drive station1according to the invention. Of the drive station1,FIG. 3shows substantially only the working face-side side walls12of the machine frame2. The chain edge and also the further parts of the machine frame2of the drive station1are not shown. The wedge trough3is also shown merely schematically with the working face-side plough guide pan5′ which is preferably securely mounted. As both the attachment and the plough box has been removed, it is possible for there to be mounted at their position a running rail80which lengthens the repair section here beyond the machine frame2of the drive station into the underground section. The running rail80can be arrested preferably via the same screw holes as the locking strips (40,60) for the attachment and the locking box, and the guide rail80has preferably a rear fastening lath81which engages with its lower end into the grooves on the guide strips of the flange plate and also the holding plate. The guide rail80is furthermore provided, in the same position as the plough guide pan5′, with a lower slideway86and at least with an upper guide strip88which lengthens the guide strip8on the plough guide pan5′.

The invention is not limited to the illustrated exemplary embodiment and the foregoing description will suggest to the person skilled in the art numerous modifications which are intended to be included in the scope of protection of the appended claims. The repair section can optionally be lengthened by means of a running rail. The running rail could also extend only over the region of the wedge trough or be dispensed with. The further the repair section, with or if appropriate else without the running rail, is laid into the gallery or the longwall-gallery transition, the safer miners who have to carry out repair work or maintenance work will also be. The locking bodies could also be formed on the attachment and the recesses be formed accordingly on the wedge trough or the base plate. Furthermore, it will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the repair method according to the invention can also be altered in various ways as, for the repair method, it is above all advantageous to be able to dismantle the plough end stop in order to move the plough in a relatively simple manner out of the longwall. It goes without saying that this may require the plough chain to be severed. The embodiment of the plough end stop may vary from winning plough to winning plough and it may if appropriate also be in the form of a detachable and/or spring-mounted impact chock. The guide rails and also locking strips for supporting and arresting the attachment and the plough box can extend in one piece over the entire length of the flange plate or holding plate or, as a plurality of partial pieces, each only over a partial length.

Further, while considerable emphasis has been placed on the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that other embodiments, and equivalences thereof, can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above can be combined to form yet other embodiments of the invention of this application. Accordingly, it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.