Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Coal and other Minerals.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 24th Aug. 1891-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Coal and other Minerals.
We CLAUDE WILLIAM ATKINSON and LLEWELYN BIRCHALL ATKINSON
both of Woodfield Road Harrow Road in the County of London W. Civil Engineers
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to the improvements in machinery for cutting coal or other
mineral and consists in the relative arrangement of the electrical motor, the driving
shaft and gear and the turntable carrying the cutter bar, so that the cutter bar may
be used to cut at any desired fixed height from the floor or may when necessary be
made to cut below the level of the rails on which the machine runs, and further the
height of baring may be altered within certain limits without alteration of the
general arrangement.
To carry this invention into effect, we apply a suitable rotary electrical motor
upon a carrying frame provided with wheels for ruming upon rails, and the said
motor may be conveniently arranged with its shaft parallel or nearly so, with the
direction of these rails, so as to occupy as little width as possible in a narrow
heading.
The cutter bar which projects beyond the frame of the machine with its bearing,
is carried upon a turntable, supported by the frame carrying the motor, which may
be rotated in a horizontal or inclined plane by suitable worm or other gearing, so
that the cutter bar may be made to sweep through a suitable angle for cutting into
the mineral.
When it is desired to cut near the floor or roof or below the level of the rails on
which the machine runs this turntable is placed in an inclined plane, while the
cutter bar is maintained in a nearly horizontal plane, so that as the table is rotated
the distance of the cutter from the floor or roof is varied; and the obstructions are
avoided.
Motion is transmitted from the motor to the cutter bar in the following way.
At the extremity of the motor shaft is a bevel pinion, gearing into a bevel wheel
upon a driving shaft placed at right angles to the plane of the turntable, and at
the other end of this shaft is another bevel wheel gearing into one placed on the
cutter shaft, so that the motion may be communicated from the motor to the cutter
while the cutter sweeps through any angle.
All the driving gear is conveniently enclosed within a casing and covers to keep
out grit and dust.
The electrical motor is also protected by cases or jackets throughout, so that no
danger can arise from sparking at the commutator in inflamable atmospheres as
already patented to us under Nos. 126767 & 16623*.
.
The wheels on which the machine runs may be supported on vertical slides, so
that the height of baring may be varied, or the inclination of the cutter to the
horizon adjusted to meet the different requirements.
Dated this 24th day of November 1890.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Coal and other Minerals.
We, CLAUDE WILLIAM ATKINSON and LLEWELYN BIRCHALL ATKINSON
both of Woodfield Road, Harrow Road, in the County of London, W. Civil
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 relates to improvements in machinery for cutting coal or other
minerals and consists in the relative arrangement of the electrical motor, the driving,
shaft, and gear, and the cutter bar swivel table so that the cutter bar can when
desired be brought down to, or below, the level of the bearing rails and also in the
special arrangement and construction of the relative parts of the machine so as to
permit of the ready attachment and detachment of the motor to or from the cutting
machines of special form to suit varying conditions such as height of cut and right
or left hand rotation in conjunction with any direction of traverse.
This machine is equally applicable for cutting close up under the roof timbers,
as it is to cut close to the floor, only requiring to be inverted, and mounted on a
higher frame.
In order that our invention may be the better understood we will now describe it
as a machine for cutting close to the floor as an example of one way of carrying
out our invention in relation to the drawings hereunto annexed, reference being had
to the sters, and figures, marked thereon, like letters refer to like parts in the
various figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of our machine.
Figure 11 is. a plan.
Figure 111 is an end view looking at the motor.
Figure IV is an end sectional elevation, the section being taken through the
swivel table.
To carry our invention into effect, we apply a suitable rotary electrical motor A,
upon a carrying frame B, provided with wheels C, the motor A. being conveniently
arranged by preference with its shaft D in the longitudinal axis of the frame B, so
as to occupy as little width as possible in a narrow heading.
At the extremity of the motor shaft D is a bevil pinion E gearing into a bevil
wheel F upon a shaft or sleeve G.
The shaft or sleeve G is carried in a frame H so as to revolve therein and a flat
bearing surface is provided on the frame B so as to form a bearing in a plane at
right angles to the shaft or sleeve G to support the swivelling table I carrying the
cutter bar axle K which projects over the side of the carrying frame B and has an
angular rotation with the swivelling table I in any desired plane obliquely to the
horizontal.
The cutter bar K is driven by a bevel wheel L gearing with a bevel pinion M
carried on the shaft or sleeve G.
The object of this obliquity of the swivelling table is that the cutter bar K
when being turned into or out from the face of the coal is caused to travel in a
plane oblique with the floor or roof and this avoids fouling the bearing rails or the
timbers in the roof during its motion, as in its definite cutting position at right or
about at right angles to the face of the coal, of the bearing rails or above the roof
timbers and would foul the same were the turning in and out movement effected in
a horizontal plane.
All the driving motion is conveniently enclosed within a casing forming part of
the frame and covers, to keep out grit and dust.
The motor A. is also protected by cases or jackets throughout (preferably
according to the arrangement described in Patents Nos. 1267667 1662387 and 5364

page_text: so that no danger can arise from sparking at the commutators in inflammable
atmospheres.
The swivelling frame I is maintained in its proper position against its bearing
surfaces by the ring N which is screwed or bolted to the swivelling frame I and
thus forms its top supporting surface.
P
Around the swivelling frame we arrange a ring or segment of a ring O having
cogs or teeth upon its periphery into which gear the worm P, the shaft of which
carries a worm wheel Q, which is driven by a second worm R operated by the
spindle S or through the bevel gearing U and shaft V from the opposite end of
the frame.
The object of this gear is to effect the rotation of the swivelling frame I upon
its oblique bearing plane, so as to turn the cutter bar into and out from the face of
the coal.
A pin T is arranged to penetrate through the casing and engage with a hole
in the swivelling frame I to maintain it in a fixed position when so desired..
The wheels Care each carried upon an axle, mounted on a nut running in
recesses upon the brackets b, the nut being raised and lowered in the bracket by
means of screws &, in order to raise or lower the machine in relation to the bearing
rails.
The frame B is divided into two parts, one part carrying the motor and the other
part carrying the cutting mechanism and gear.
The object of this is that the motor can be removed from one machine of specific
description such as for right hand cutting and be attached to another machine say
for left hand cutting.
To effect this with case and precision we have made special provision for this
attachment to attain the above requirement.
The wheel E is formed with a sleeve e the exterior of which forms the journal
on which it turns.
The end of the shaft D is adapted to slide within this sleeve e, and drive the
same by means of a key or keys in one, engaging with keyways in the other.
In order to effect the drawing together of the parts with case we provide a
shaft W journalled in the frame B and having its end projecting from the end of
the frame, so that it may be turned by means of a handle or spanner, the end
being made square to effect the engagement of the latter.
The opposite end of the shaft W is formed as a screw which will engage with a
nut X carried behind a shoulder by the portion of the frame containing the cutting
mechanism.
Taper pins Y provided with slots are arranged on each side of one part of
the frame and adapted to engage with holes in the other part, so that when the
two parts are brought into close proximity with one another by the screw on
the shaft W engaging with the nut X, cotters Z can be inserted into the slots
of the pins Y behind shoulders on frame B, so that when driven home tight the
two parts of the frame are firmly locked together.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1st. A machine for cutting coal or other minerals consisting of an electric motor
mounted on a main frame carried on wheels, and a swivelling frame carrying an
arm in which the cutter bar is held, this swivelling frame being adapted to rotate
in a plane obliquely angular to the horizontal, the motor and cutter bar being
connected together by wheel gearing substantially as described and illustrated.
2nd. In such a machine the dividing of the main frame, one part containing the
motor, and the other part the cutting mechanism and means of attaching them
together consisting of a screwed shaft and taper slotted pins with cotters on one
part, and a nut and holes on the other part to engage respectively with each other,
substantially as and for the purposes specified.

page_text: 3rd. The arrangement and construction of a machine for cutting coal or other
minerals substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of August 1891.
FELL & WILDING,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.