Patent GB-783412-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in scraper conveyors
Inventor: SANDEMAN CARGILL SPEARS
IPC: B65G19/10
Filed: 1952-11-01
Abstract: 783,412. Endless scraper conveyers. MAVOR & COULSON, Ltd. Nov. 10, 1954 [Nov. 1, 1952], No. 27527/52. Class 78 (1). In a scraper conveyer for use at a mine face .comprising a floor plate having a housing for .the return run at one side and a kerb plate at the other side between which the conveying run passes, each of the scrapers is in two parts which are pivoted together at their proximal ends by a connector and connected at their dietal ends to a pair of endless chains, the .scraper parts and connector being designed to .prevent the connector rising from the floor plate on the conveying run, whilst allowing the scraper parts to fold downwardly when the scrapers are inverted on the return run. In one form, Figs. 2-4, the scraper parts 33 are carried at their outer ends by cable chains 25 to which they are connected by shackles 37 and are interconnected by a connector 34 to which the parts are pivoted at 35. In the working run, pivoting of the parts from aligned position is prevented by trapping the ends by retainer flanges 21 and 22 and by the engagement of lower strengthening ribs 33A on the scraper parts with the connectors 34. Upper strengthening ribs 33B on the scraper parts do not engage the connectors 34 so that when the scraper chain is inverted on the return run it may be moved aside and simultaneously folded by engagement of a guide rail 39 with the connectors 34, to take up the folded position shown, Fig. 3. The conveyer casing is in sections, the normal sections 10, Fig. 3, including a cover-plate 20 for the return run which at the same time prevents spillage from the working run at the side remote from the face, and a sloping face 16 for enabling the sections to be pushed laterally under a pile of coal to be conveyed away. The end sections 11-14 are as in Fig. 4 with an additional floor 28 rising from the portion of the floor 17 of the normal sections which carries the working run of the scraper chain to enable the return run to pass underneath. Either or both pairs of sprockets 23, 24 at the ends of the conveyer are driven by motors 23A, 24A, while each pair of sprockets may also be driven by an additional motor, not shown, at the side opposite the motors 23A, 24A. Compensating means is provided to ensure that the paths of the chains 25 are of equal length. In a second form, not shown, the connectors 34 are replaced by shackles similar to the shackles 58, Fig. 16, for connection to a third central chain. In a third form, Figs. 13, 16, also having three chains 50 to which the scraper parts 51 are connected by shackles 53, 58, the ribs 51A, 51B are similar to those of the previous forms except that they are extended to embrace shackles 53 and hold these rigid, whereby they may co-operate with the side walls of a gable-sectioned guide channel 59 in sections approaching the end sections of the conveyer for causing folding of the parts on the return run, in which they rest on the floor 56. In this form the working run is also raised to a higher floor at the forward end but the height of this floor is less than that of the previous forms since the return run is deflected completely to one side before folding commences. The inner ends of the scraper parts are preferably provided with rubber bushes for the bolts 57A, pivotally connecting them to the shackles 58. In a fourth form the shackles at the outer ends of the scraper parts are omitted, each scraper part having a detachable outer end top portion which can be removed to allow the halves of split swivel blocks 61, Fig. 22, to be inserted, these being recessed internally to engage the longitudinal portions 64A of the links of the side chains.