Patent GB-190420265-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Coal-cutting and like Machines
Inventor: HAMILTON WILLIAM EDWARD
Filed: 1904-09-20
Granted: 1905-08-10
Abstract: 20,265. Hamilton, W. E. Sept. 20. Undercutting &c. - A coal-cutting machine comprises means for undercutting, overcutting, breaking dowo without the use of explosives, and conveying away the dÚbris. A truck A carries, and is secured in position by, a screwed anchor column 8 provided with a spherically-convex loose collar 13 supported by a hand-wheel 12, which works on an externally screwed part of the column. A radial frame B, carrying at one end the cutting-apparatus and at the other end a spherically-concave bearing 14, is mounted on the collar 13 and supported at the cutting end on an arcuate rack 1 terminating in eyes 2, 3 which rest on nuts carried by screwed columns 9, 10. A motor 15 fixed to the frame B drives a shaft 16 having a bevel-wheel 18 which meshes with a wheel 19 mounted on a shaft 20 journalled in a projecting part of the frame B. An eccentric 21 fixed to the hub of the wheel 19 serves to drive a lever 23, connected by means of a vertical shaft with a lever 25 having a spring pawl. A wheel 29 is mounted in the frame B on a shaft 30, which carries a pinion 31 held in gear with the rack 1 by means of rollers 32. The wheel 29 is driven by a pawl and causes the frame B to travel across the chamber. A U-shaped frame 34 formed integrally with a wormwheel 46 is mounted for rotation on the exterior of the bearings 20', 20". A link 37 is pivoted at one end to the arm 25 and at the other end to an arm 38 pivoted on a vertical shaft journalled to the frame B. The arm 38 carries a spring pawl in gear with a wheel 40 mounted on a vertical shaft having at its lower end bevel-wheels which serve to drive a worm 45 in gear with the worm-wheel 46. By these means, the frame 34 is given a step-by-step movement which is desirable at the beginning and the end of the sweep of the frame B. The mechanism for undercutting comprises a casing 47 which may be attached to the frame 34 by bolts 53. Sprockets 49, 50 are journalled in the casing 47, the sprocket 49 being provided with a squared opening to receive the lower end of the shaft 20. A sprocket chain 51 passes around the sprockets 49, 50 and carries staggered cutters 52. The undercut having been made, the undercutting-mechanism is removed, a conveyer inserted in its place, and a dislodging and breaking - down mechanism is attached to the rotatable frame. A bevel-wheel 54 mounted on the shaft 20 drives a horizontal shaft 56 journalled in the frame 34. A Z-shaped bracket attached to the frame 34 carries a cutter wheel 62 having bevel gear on its underside in gear with a bevel-wheel carried by the shaft 56. A bifurcated bracket attached to the frame 34 carries journals in which two breaking-levers 68 following the cutter wheel 62 are pivoted. The levers 68 are caused to oscillate by a link connected to an eccentric 69 on the hub of the bevel gear 19. The loading mechanism comprises an initial conveyer 77, an intermediate conveyer 78, and a final conveyer 79. The initial conveyer 77 consists of a number of serrated plates mounted for alternate reciprocation in a frame which may be secured to the radial frame B by means of a vertical bolt passing through ears on the two frames. The intermediate conveyer 78 is mounted on a truck D which may be slid back on the truck A, and the conveyers are driven by a motor 80. In order that the forward end of the conveyer 78 may be raised and may also sweep across the chamber, without throwing the transmission mechanism out of gear, the conveyer is journalled on the truck D so as to be capable of turning about a horizontal and a vertical axis. When the first undercut and overcut have been made and the material has been broken down, the feed-rack 1 and the radial frame B are raised and the operation repeated.