Improvements in Machines for Cutting Coal or other Hard
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th July, 1895-Accepted, 17th Aug.,
1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Cutting Coal or other Hard
WILLIAM PATTERSON
Substances.
Hardwicke Terrace Gateshead, Co. Durham
Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
This novel improvement in coal cutting machines has for its object 1st the
supporting of the bar in which are placed the tools which cut the coal and which
shall hereafter be called the cutter bar I do it somewhat in the following manner,
immediately behind the cutter bar I place an arm of steel or other suitable
material which extends somewhat as far under the coal as the cutter bar and I
have for preferrence a shaft placed lengthways in this arm and on this shaft at one
or more convenient places I fix a round or other shaped piece of steel, brass, iron,
or other suitable metal and on this there are openings or groves cut in it so as to
allow the cutting tools to revolve the other part of the above steel or other metal
whilst allowing the tools to revolve at the same time presses against the bar and
thus reduces the friction to a minium and I prefer to give the revolveing motion to
the above by means of wheels which work on the cutter bar and the supporting
shaft so as to ensure the accurate revolutions as between the cutter bar and its
support it will be understood that I do not confine myself to impart the revolveing
motion to the supporting bar in this way alone.
The cutter bar gets its revolveing motion by means of geared wheels and as the
end of this cutter bar shaft next the machine is assisted in its support by a novel
bearing specially adapted to connect this horizontal cutter bar to a vertical shaft
thus enableing the cutter bar and its support to be swung round on a centre without
its wheels being taken out of gear, provision is also made for automatically clearing
away the cuttings as they are being cut.
:
A suitable arrangement by means of a rack and pinion is also provided to move
the cutting bar with its support both into the coal to do its work and out of the
coal when it has finished its work. The cuttings are carried away by means of
scrapers on an endless chain or belt which is driven by a series of wheels connected
to one of the main driving shafts and no matter the position of the cutter bar this
cleaning arrangement is always in gear.
Dated this Fourth day of September 1894.
CUMI LEID DIUITIATION.
Improvements in Machines for Cutting Coal or other Hard
Substances.
I WILLIAM PATTERSON, of 5, Hardwicke Terrace, Gateshead, in the County
of Durham, Mechanical Engineer, 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 relates to machines for cutting coal or other hard substances.
such as
are referred to in the Specifications accompanying Letters Patent

page_text: Nos. 12997 of 1891 (as amended) and 15533 of 1893 granted to me and others,
and in which machines an arm or bracket is employed to support the cutter bar, or
bar in which are placed the tools which cut the coal.
My present invention consists in certain important improvements upon the
apparatus described in the above cited Patents, and has for its object the better
mounting and supporting of the cutter bar, and the more efficient working thereof,
and to render said cutter bar capable of being swung radially about its centering
without disengaging the driving and other gear wheels, and generally to improve
the machine.
I will describe my improvements in reference to the accompanying drawing, in
which Fig. 1 is an elevation, Fig. 2 is a plan (both partly broken), and Fig. 3 an
end view of supporting bracket and cutter bar showing my improved construction
of same.
H is the cutter bar carrying the cutting tools h. h. which are mounted
longitudinally in slots formed in enlargements or bosses G fixed at suitable intervals
to the bar H. Immediately behind this I place an arm or supporting bracket A
of steel or other suitable material of about the same length as the cutter bar so as
to extend under the coal as far as the cutter bar. This arm is or suitable strength,
and its inner end is enlarged so as to form a bearing D for attachment to
the carriage or tram P, and this enlargement is of suitable weight to balance the
arrangement, and of such form as is required to carry the various spindles,
bearings, and parts connected with same as hereinafter set forth. Upon the arm A
in bearings B, C, and D I mount a longitudinal rotary shaft E to which is or are
fixed in convenient places one or more round or other shaped enlargements or
bosses F of steel, brass, iron, or other suitable metal. These bosses engage and
press against the above said bosses G of the cutter bar so that they revolve
together, and those of the arm A give the required support to the cutter bar while
reducing friction to a minimum. In the bosses F are cut longitudinal grooves cr
openings for the purpose of allowing the cutting tools h h to clear and revolve
freely therethrough, but the remaining parts of the surfaces engage as above
stated. I may however form in both bosses circumferential grooves f and
for
the purposes hereinafter explained.
In the figures one pair only of such bosses F and G is illustrated which serve to
give the required support to the cutter bar at its outer end, the inner part being
carried in the bearing D.
I prefer to impart the revolving motion to the cutter bar by means of gear
wheels I, J, K, L, the driver I being driven by any convenient power. The
shaft E is driven by and sychronously with the cutter bar H by the gear
wheels M N fixed to the respective shafts H and E so that absolutely synchronous
rotation is ensured and a continuous bearing assured between the bosses F and G.
I do not however confine myself to the precise mechanical mode of transmission
referred to, since equivalent arrangements may readily be devised.
The inner end of the horizontal cutter bar shaft H is or may be additionally
supported by the revolving bearing X which also carries the foot of the vertical
main driving shaft V, and this bearing also serves a purpose hereinafter stated.
According to my improvements also I provide for the free swinging of the
cutter bar and arm in required directions, both into the coal to do its work, and
out of the coal when required. For this purpose I form the end of the carriage
or train P adjoining the support A as shown in Fig. 2, and I mount the inner
end D of the supporting arm A upon the carriage by means of vertical bolts R R
working in slots S S formed in the carriage P concentric with the vertical
shaft V, and secured by clamping plates Q if required. The means I provide for
swinging the arm A in the slots S consist of a segmental rack T formed on the
carriage P with which engages a pinion U mounted upon the bearing D of the
support A and adapted to be operated by a wheel or pulley such as u either
manually or by power. By the above arrangement, and preferably, though not
essentially, with the use of the central bearing X which connects and steadies the

page_text: parts, the cutter bar and its support can be swung round in required directions
without throwing out of gear the driving mechanism, and thus the cutter can be
made to advance by rotating the pinion U at the required speed, or to retire from
the work without stopping the machine, whereby great economy of both time and
labour accrues.
W is a locking pin to secure the supporting arm A in normal
working position as required.
The debris removing apparatus is fitted practically as described in the earlier
Patents above recited, and it is operated by the wheels a. b. c, the one a being
secured upon the main shaft V, and b and c on two spindles carried by and moving
with the bearing D of the arm A, the spindle on which the wheel c is mounted
being extended as shown, and so serving as an extra connection between the
bearing D and the carriage P, and by this arrangement also the driving gear of
the debris apparatus remains in gear during the swinging of the arm A. The
function of the circumferential grooves ƒ and g in the bosses F and G above referred
to is to allow any debris falling between the bosses to escape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a machine for cutting coal and other hard substances such as is above referred
to, the arrangement upon the arm A, which supports the cutter bar H, of a rotary
shaft such as E, revolved synchronously with the cutter bar and provided with
grooved enlargements on bosses engaging corresponding formations upon the cutter
bar, so that the cutters can rotate freely and the cutter bar is effectually supported,
substantially as above set forth.
2. In a machine for the purposes specified, mounting the arm A supporting the
cutter bar H upon the tram or carriage in such manner that both are capable of
radial swinging motion thereupon as required, said motion being effected by a
rack and pinion or equivalent mechanical device, so that the cutters can be fed
up to or retired from the work without stopping the machine, substantially as set
forth.
3. The arrangement of the supporting arm A upon the carriage P in combination
with the apparatus for swinging same as required, and for driving the supporting
shaft E and cutter bar synchronously, and for driving the debris removing
appliance, whereby the swinging can be performed without throwing any of the
driving wheels out of gear, substantially as described and illustrated.
4. The improved construction and arrangement of machine for the purposes
specified, substantially as described and illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this 8th day of July 1895.
For the Applicant,
ALFRED CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
3, St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent.