Transfer station from a longwall chain conveyor to a drift chain conveyor

A transfer station from a longwall chain conveyor to a drift chain conveyor have upper and lower reaches which cross alternately. The upper belt section of the longwall conveyor comprises a scraper over the upper belt section of the drift conveyor. The working face side of the longwall conveyor has a plane guide for a coal plane and a plane chain which at least at the drift-side end of the longwall conveyor is guided via guide wheels to a gob-side drive unit. These two drift-side guide wheels are arranged with a vertical spacing from each other in the lower belt section of the longwall conveyor such that they form between them a passage for the chain belt and for the tappets of the longwall conveyor attached thereto. The drift-side guide wheels are arranged so close to the drift conveyor that in its drift-side and position the coal plane can transfer the won coal directly into the drift conveyor. In all, an especially compact plane chain deflection integrated into the longwall conveyor is realized.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates in general to mining machines and in particular to a 
new and useful transfer station construction extending from a longwall 
chain conveyor to a drift chain conveyor. 
The invention relates particularly to a transfer station construction 
where, in the drift region of a mine, the belt sections and trough bottoms 
of a longwall conveyor alternately cross those of a drift conveyor. The 
upper belt section of the longwall conveyor is arranged over the upper 
belt section of the drift conveyor. Toward the working face of the 
longwall the logwall conveyor has a plane guide for a coal plane and a 
plane chain. Upper and lower plane sections of the plane chain are guided 
at the end regions of the longwall conveyor, to drive units on the waste 
or gob side of the longwall conveyor by means of superposed guide wheels. 
In such transfer stations, the trough bottom in the upper belt section of 
the longwall conveyor normally includes a passage opening for fine coal or 
the like, in the area of the drift conveyor. 
A hauling and planing system for underground operations is known which 
comprises a longwall chain conveyor with a coal plane guided thereon and 
installed at the working face of a mine. A loading conveyor is associated 
with the longwall conveyor in the area of transition from the longwall to 
the drift of the mine. The longwall conveyor has, at its waste or gob 
side, drive units both for the conveyor chain and for the plain chain. 
Guide boxes having a chain inlet, a chain outlet, and superposed guide 
wheels are also provided for the upper and lower belt sections of the 
plane chain. These boxes are at the ends of the longwall conveyor and thus 
are not in the way when working with a drift-side loading conveyor. Such a 
loading conveyor is located away from the plane area on the working side, 
but on the gap side the loading conveyor. Such a loading conveyor is 
located away from the plane area on the working side, but on the gob side 
the loading conveyor is brought back onto the longwall conveyor and 
includes a discharge end disposed above the longwall conveyor. It is then 
possible to move the coal plane directly into the area of transition from 
longwall to drift and to mine what would otherwise be a dead area. On the 
other hand, such guide boxes cannot be used in a transfer station from a 
longwall conveyor to a drift conveyor due to the alternately crossing belt 
sections and trough bottoms, at least at the drift side head end of the 
longwall conveyor. Consequently, in the case of such a transfer station, 
it becomes impossible to move the coal plane along the coal face into the 
drift area, so that a dead area is left in the vicinity of transition from 
longwall to drift, which must be cleared manually. This is to be remedied 
by the invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention provides a transfer station from a longwall chain conveyor to 
a drift chain conveyor where the coal plane can be moved directly up to 
the drift conveyor, so that the otherwise remaining dead area in the 
transition from longwall to drift can readily be mined by the coal plane. 
The invention includes a transfer station having two drift-side guide 
wheels which are vertically spaced from each other and arranged in the 
bottom belt section of the longwall conveyor such that they form between 
them a passage for the chain belt. The pushers connected to the longwall 
conveyor chain belt also pass through this passage. The guide wheels are 
so close to the drift conveyor that, in its drift-side end position, the 
coal plane loads the won coal into the drift conveyor or transfers it to 
the drift conveyor. According to the invention, the deflection of the 
plane chain is integrated into the longwall conveyor in such a way that 
the cross station of longwall conveyor and drift conveyor remains 
practically unaffected by the plane chain deflection. Also, the plane 
chain deflection requires no additional space in the hauling direction of 
the longwall conveyor and therefore can be placed extremely close to the 
drift conveyor. This makes it possible to advance the coal plane as far as 
possible toward the drift conveyor and therefore not only to mine what 
would otherwise be a dead space in the area of transition from longwall to 
drift, but also to transfer the coal practically directly to the drift 
conveyor. To optimize this coal transfer, the drift conveyor may include a 
loading ramp on its longwall side. The result is a compact plane chain 
deflection in the area of the transfer station. 
The invention provides that the passage for the chain belt and for the 
pushers is defined by an upper intermediate bottom and a lower 
intermediate bottom in the lower belt section of the longwall conveyor. 
The two intermediate bottoms extend through the drift conveyor between the 
crossing upper belt section and lower belt section thereof. This forms a 
prolonged chain belt and pusher guide through the drift conveyor. A closed 
chain belt and pusher guide in the lower section of the longwall conveyor 
is thus achieved. This is both in the region of the transfer station and 
in the region of the plain chain deflection. 
To achieve a satisfactory suspension of the guide wheels for the plane 
chain in a manner which is protected against the penetration of fine coal, 
the invention further provides that the two intermediate bottoms form 
bearing housings for the two guide wheels with the trough bottom in the 
upper belt section and also with a bottom plate in the lower belt section 
of the longwall conveyor as well as with spacer plates for the 
intermediate bottoms disposed on both sides of the guide wheels crosswise 
to the hauling direction. 
An especially simple mounting of the guide wheels is achieved according to 
the invention, by providing wheel hubs for the two guide wheels, with 
slide-in cheeks on each side of each hub. A bearing housing for the wheels 
has corresponding slide-in cut-outs for receiving the slide-in cheeks and 
for centering the guide wheels. The wheels are thus closed between the 
slide-in cheeks, the intermediate bottoms and the bottom plate. The trough 
bottom in the upper belt section of the longwall conveyor, which is closed 
anyway, may have on its underside, slide-in strips for the top slide-in 
cheek of the upper guide wheel. 
The advantages obtained with the invention include the provision of a 
transfer station from a longwall conveyor to a drift chain conveyor which 
is very compact. The plane chain deflection is integrated into the 
longwall conveyor in such a way that the coal plane not only can mine what 
would normally be a dead space in the area of transition from the longwall 
to the drift, but can transfer the coal won there directly to the drift 
chain conveyor. This is because the coal plane can be moved right up to 
the drift conveyor. Moreover, an especially protected construction is 
realized for the longwall conveyor, permitting easy and fast assembly and 
disassembly of the guide wheels for the plane chain. In all, the 
functionality of the transfer station remains intact, while through the 
plane chain deflection according to the invention, the working field of 
the coal plane is lengthened and loading is optimized. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a transfer station 
from a longwall to a drift which comprises a drift chain conveyor and a 
longwall chain conveyor which each have upper and lower conveyor chain 
belt reaches and a construction providing a passage for a chain belt from 
the longwall conveyor between the upper and lower reaches of the drift 
chain conveyor. First and second longwall coal plane chain guide wheels 
are rotatably mounted above and below the passage adjacent the drift wall 
conveyor so as to accommodate a drive for these wheels and thus for the 
coal plane, at a location such that the coal plane may move to deposit 
coal directly onto the drift conveyor at the transfer station. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a transfer station from a 
longwall chain conveyor to a drift chain conveyor which is simple in 
design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture. 
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are 
pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part 
of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its 
operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference 
is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which 
preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied therein 
comprises a transfer station from a longwall chain conveyor 1 to a drift 
chain conveyor 2 wherein the drift chain conveyor 2 has upper and lower 
drift wall conveyor chain belt reaches with respective upper chain belt 
section 6 and lower chain belt section 19. The longwall conveyor has upper 
and lower conveyor chain belt reaches with respective upper chain belt 
section 4 and a lower chain belt section 14. In accordance with the 
invention, means are provided which define a longwall chain belt passage 
13 for the lower reach chain belt having the lower reach chain belt 
section 14 with pushers (now shown) connected thereto, for the longwall 
conveyor 1. The passage 13 for the chain belt section 14 is defined 
between an upper intermediate bottom 17 and a lower reach intermediate 
bottom 16 which both extend between the upper and lower sections of the 
drift conveyor 2. A guide 18 is also provided to guide the chain section 
14 and its pushers. In addition, the construction is such that first and 
second longwall coal plane chain guide wheels 10a and 10b are rotatably 
mounted respectively above and below the passage 13 at a location adjacent 
the drift wall conveyor 2 in a position such that a coal plane 8 may 
remove coal from the face 30 and deposit it directly onto the drift chain 
conveyor 2. The upper and lower belt sections and trough bottoms of the 
longwall and drift conveyors 1, 2, cross each other in the transition area 
between the drift and longwall, in a vertically alternating manner, with 
the upper longwall conveyor section and trough bottom being uppermost. 
In the figures, a transfer station from the longwall chain conveyor 1 to 
the drift chain conveyor 2 is shown, where, in the drift zone, the 
sections and trough bottoms 3 of the longwall conveyor 1 and of the drift 
conveyor 2 alternately cross and the upper chain belt section 4 of the 
longwall conveyor 1, with a scraper 5 is arranged over the upper chain 
belt section 6 of the drift conveyor 2. Toward the working face the 
longwall conveyor 1 comprises a plane guide 7 for the coal plane 8 and a 
plane chain 9. The upper section 9a and lower section 9b of the plane 
chain, in the end regions of the longwall chain conveyor 1, are guided by 
means of superposed guide wheels 10a, 10b, to gob-side drive units 11. At 
least the two drift-side guide wheels 10a and 10b are arranged with a 
vertical distance H from each other in a bottom section 12 of the longwall 
conveyor 1 such that they form between them part of passage 13 for the 
chain belt 14 and the pushers of the longwall conveyor 1, attached 
thereto. The two drift-side guide wheels 10a and 10b are arranged so close 
to the drift conveyor 2 that in its driftside end position, the coal plane 
8 loads the won coal into the drift conveyor 2 or transfers it thereto 
directly, possibly with the interposition of a loading ramp 15. 
The passage 13 for the chain belt 14 and its pushers, is limited by the 
upper intermediate bottom 17 in the intermediate bottom 16 of the lower 
belt section 12 of the longwall conveyor 1. Both intermediate bottoms 16, 
17 pass between the crossing upper belt section 6 and lower belt section 
19 of the drift conveyor 2 and form the prolonged chain belt and pusher 
guide 18. The two intermediate bottoms 16, 17, the trough bottom 3 of the 
upper belt section 4, a bottom plate 20 in the lower belt section 12 of 
the longwall conveyor 1 and spacer plates 21 for the intermediate bottoms 
that are arranged on both sides of the guide wheels 10a, 10b crosswise to 
the transport direction of the longwall conveyor 1, together form bearing 
housings 22 for the two guide wheels 10a, 10b. The two guide wheels 10a, 
10- are mounted for rotation on wheel hubs which each have slide-in cheeks 
23 on both sides thereof. Slide-in cut-outs 24, for receiving the slide-in 
cheeks 23 and for centering the guide wheels 10a, 10b, are provided in 
bottoms or plates 17, 16 and 20. The uninterruptedly closed trough bottom 
3 carries on its underside, slide-in strips 25 for the top slide-in cheek 
23 of the upper guide wheel 10a. During assembly, therefore, the guide 
wheels 10a, 10b can be pushed into the bearing housing 22. 
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described 
in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the 
invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied 
otherwise without departing from such principles.