Improvements in Coal Cutting Machines, especially suitable for End Work.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 12th July, 1899-Accepted, 12th Aug., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coal Cutting Machines, especially suitable for
End Work.
We, CHRISTIAN KOERTE, of Victoria Road, Leeds, Engineer, and ISAAC
ATKINSON, of Highfield House, Lower Osmanthorpe, near Leeds, Engineer, both
in the County of York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
-:
This invention refers to machines for cutting coal, and our main object
is to facilitate the cutting of new roads, the same being cut in a square or
approximately square form and without making an excessive amount of waste.
According to our invention, we construct an apparatus having a central main
shaft or barrel, and on the front end of the shaft a crank is situated having a
slot or guide formed longitudinally in the same. An arm having its centre
fulcrumed in the guide in the crank, carries a rotary cutter projecting at or
about right angles to the same, and the inner end of the arm is moved and
guided by means of a crank, eccentric, or other auxiliary movement, in such a
manner that the arm is moved outwards away from the main shaft four times to
every revolution of the crank. The auxiliary movement imparted to the arm may
be made to convert the circular path of the cutter into a square or approximately
square path, and the movement is best imparted by means of a shaft passing
through the main shaft, which would then be made in tubular form.
A convenient arrangement for effecting the auxiliary movement of the arm
is to form the central shaft in a barrel form and to employ an internal barrel
working in the central barrel and carrying the inner end of the arm fulcrumed
eccentrically on the same. The two barrels could then be so geared together that
the inner barrel makes five revolutions to one of the outer barrel, motion being
imparted by chains or other gearing to the revolving cutter from mechanism on
the barrel.
Instead of forming the crank and arm independently of each other, the crank
might be made to expand at the required time and thus enable the circular path
to be transformed into a square or other non-circular path.
The machine could also be employed for undercutting and siding, the crank in
this case being set at any suitable angle and the machine working from the side
and being propelled forward.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coal Cutting Machines, especially suitable for
End Work.
We, CHRISTIAN KOERTE, late of Victoria Road, Leeds, but now of Low Hall
Mills, Holbeck Lane, Leeds, Engineer, and ISAAC ATKINSON, of Highfield House,
Lower Osmanthorpe, near Leeds, Engineer, both in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: -
This invention refers to machines for cutting coal, and the main object is to
facilitate the cutting of new roads which may be cut in an approximately square
form, or in several other convenient sections at the will of the person operating the
machine.
According to our invention, the cutter of the machine is mounted on a driving
arm which may either simply rotate in a circular manner and so cause the cutter
to follow a circular path; or which may be subjected to radial reciprocations
during the rotary motion thus causing the cutter to travel on a path other than
circular, the form of which is regulated by the amount and. speed of the
reciprocations compared with the speed of the rotary movement.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood, we will proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar
letters refer to like parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation, Figure 2 a cross section and Figure 3 an
end view of the machine. Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are diagram views shewing
various sections of roads which may be cut with the machine.
A is the frame of the machine which carries at the front and back wheels B, B
for supporting the machine on the rails of the road. C is a front portion of the
frame which is constructed in cylindrical form so as to carry a rotary barrel D
within same, and the said barrel D carries a slotted crank E and is rotated through
the medium of a worm wheel F. G is an inner barrel carried within the
barrel D, and H is an eccentrically mounted hollow shaft carried within the
barrel G and which carries on its front end an arm or casing J, the movements
of the latter being controlled by a pin or slide K working in the slot in the
crank E. The inner barrel G is rotated by means of a worm wheel L and worm M,
and the latter is mounted on a shaft which through the medium of bevel
gearing M2, shaft M³, worm M4, worm wheel M (see Figure 3), shaft M6 and
worm M, transmits motion to the worm wheel F so as to drive the barrel D at
1 (one-fifth) the speed of that of the barrel G. By withdrawing a pin L' the
worm wheel L may be allowed to rotate loosely on the inner barrel G without
communicating motion to the latter, thus allowing of the two barrels D and G
being rotated at the same speed simultaneously. N are power cylinders, which
through the medium of the rods N¹, connecting rods N2 and crank discs N³,
transmit motion to the shaft N and spur wheel N³. P is a spur wheel gearing
with the spur wheel M5 and carried on a shaft P₁, which through the medium of
chain gearing P2 communicates motion to a shaft P3 carrying a worn P4. The
worm P gears into a worm wheel R carried on a shaft R¹; and through the
intermediate bevel and change gear R2 the motion of the worm wheel R is
caused to rotate a shaft R3 which carries on its fore end one of the wheels of
the bevel gearing M. The shaft P¹ carries a bevel wheel P5 which gears with a
bevel wheel. P6 mounted on a shaft P7 and the latter carries a spur wheel P8.
S is a shaft carrying spur wheels S1 and S2, the former of which gears with the
spur wheel Ps and the latter with an intermediate wheel GI carried on a pin
mounted on the back end of the barrel G. T is a shaft carried in the interior
of the hollow shaft H, and the back end of the shaft T carries a spur wheel T

page_text: which gears with the intermediate wheel G¹, and the front end of the shaft T
carries a chain wheel T. T3 is a chain which communicates motion from the
chain wheel T to a chain wheel T which latter is mounted on shaft T5 carrying
a slightly beveled spur wheel T, and the said spur wheel T gears with a
slightly beveled spur wheel V2 which is carried on a shaft VI of a rotary cutter V.
When the machine is at work, the cutter V is revolved swiftly through the
medium of the spur wheel V2, spur wheel T", shaft T5, chain wheel T, chain T³,
chain wheel T, shaft T, spur wheel T, intermediate wheel G', spur wheel S2,
shaft S, spur wheel S¹, spur wheel P8, shaft P, bevel wheel P, bevel wheel P5,
shaft P¹, wheel P, wheel N³, shaft N discs N³, connecting rods N2, and rods Ni
from the cylinders N, the speed of the cutter V being considerably multiplied by
the gearing. The rotation of the shaft P₁ also operates the chain gearing P³,
which transmits motion to the shaft P³, worm P, worm wheel R, intermediate
bevel gear R³, shaft R³, bevel gearing M², shaft M' and worm M, and as the
latter gears with the worm wheel L, when the pin L' is in position as seen in
the Figure 1, the inner barrel G will be rotated and thus cause the hollow
shaft to be moved eccentrically within the barrel D. This motion of the
hollow shaft H causes the casing J to be moved outwards and then be drawn back
towards the centre of the machine, and as the pin K sliding in the slot of the
crank controls the movement of the casing J, the end of the latter is caused to
reciprocate backwards and forwards in the said crank. It will thus be seen
that with every revolution of the barrel G within the barrel 1), the cutter V is
moved out from and back towards the centre of the machine, and if this is effected
four times to every revolution of the barrel D the cutter V may be made to take
an approximately square path. This is effected by causing the barrel G to rotate
five times to every revolution of the barrel D, and the diagram at Figure 4
illustrates the path of the cutter V, obtained by this proportion in the movements
of the barrel.
The circle a represents the path of the centre of the hollow shaft H, the full
lines represent the centre lines of the crank E, the dotted lines C represent
the centre line of the casing, and d represents the path of the cutter V. The
first position as shewn at 1 shews the two centre lines b and c in line with each
other the cutter V being at its shortest distance from the centre of the machine,
but it will be seen that the rapid movement of the hollow shaft H carries the
cutter V out through the positions 2 3 and 4 until it reaches its maximum
distance at position 5. The return of the cutter V is effected at the same pro-
portion until the centre lines b and c arrive in the position shewn at 9 when the
hollow shaft H has made 1 revolutions to of a revolution effected by the
crank E. From this diagram the remainder of the approximately square path
of the cutter V can be readily traced, and we will now show how this path may be
varied to suit varying requirements.
At Figure 1 a pin L is shewn which connects the worm wheel L to the
barrel G. By removing the pin L' the worm wheel L becomes loose and on its
being turned does not affect the barrel G, so the consequent result of the removal
of tho pin L' is to allow the barrels G and I) to be turned together by means of
the worm wheel F. It will thus be seen that the cutter V may be made to take
a circular path when desired, the radius of the said path varying according to the
position in which the barrels D) and G are situated at the time of the removal of
the pin L. For instance, by allowing the barrel G to move at the same speed
during the upper part of the rotation of the barrel 1), a road of the form seen
at Figure 5 could be cut; or by commencing the circular movement when the
cutter V is at its maximum distance at the base, the road seen at Figure 6 could
be cut. Entire circles could also be cut, of any radius between the maximum and
minimum movements of the cutter V. Figure 7 shews a road cut on the sides
and base only in the square form, and Figure 8 shews a tunnel with segmental
sides and square base, the upper cutting in both of these cases being effected by
such well known means as a shot or wedge.

page_text: It will be readily seen that by varying the proportions of the gearing for
driving the barrels D and G, the cutter V can be made to follow almost any path
desired within the scope of movement permitted by the hollow shaft H.
Although our invention has been particularly described for cutting coal, it is
obvious that the machine could be employed for cutting through other substances
and for mining purposes generally.
A reciprocating percussion tool driven by pneumatic or other power might be
employed in place of the rotary cutter, where it is required to cut granite or other
hard minerals or rocks.
Instead of forming the crank and arm independently of each other for the
purpose of enabling the circular path to be transformed into a square or other
non-circular path, the crank itself might be made to expand at the required
time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The casing J carrying a rotary, percussion, or other cutter on its outer end,
in combination with a crank E and suitable mechanism for reciprocating the
casing J on the said crank E, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. A coal cutting machine consisting of a barrel D carried in a cylindrical
casing C and carrying a crank E, in combination with an inner barrel G mounted
in the interior of the barrel D and carrying a shaft H supporting a casing J,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. A coal cutting machine consisting of a barrel D carried in a cylindrical
casing C and carrying a crank E, in combination with an inner barrel G carrying
a hollow shaft H, casing J regulated in movement by a pin K sliding in a slot
in the crank E, the barrels D and G being rotated at relative different speeds
by suitable gearing, and the casing J carrying a suitable cutter on its outer end,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
4. A coal cutting machine consisting of a barrel D mounted in a cylindrical
casing C and carrying a slotted crank E, an inner barrel G mounted in the
barrel D and carrying a hollow shaft H supporting a casing J regulated in
movement by a pin K working in the slot in the crank E, a rotating shaft T
passing through the hollow shaft H and conveying movement through suitable
gearing to a rotary cutter V, the barrels D and G and the shaft T receiving
suitable proportionate rotary movements from a suitable engine or motor, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
5. In a coal cutting machine of the type hereinbefore claimed, the worm wheel F
- driven by the worm M, and the worm wheel L driven by the worm M, the
relative speeds of the worms M and M7 being regulated by suitable gearing from
the motor of the machine, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
6. In a coal cutting machine of the type hereinbefore claimed, the spur wheel S
driven through suitable gearing from the motor of the machine, the intermediate
wheel G, spur wheel T and shaft T, whereby through suitable gearing in the
casing J, motion is transmitted to the rotary cutter V, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
7. The general arrangement, construction, and combination of the various
parts forming the machine for cutting coal, substantially as set forth and shewn
in the accompanying drawings.