IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING MACHINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Howell Doubleday, of the City of Washington,
District of Columbia, United States of America, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING MACHINES." A communication by Francis
Marion Lechner, of Waynesburg, State of Ohio, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Howell Doubleday at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th April 1881.
HENRY HOWELL DOUBLEDAY, of the City of Washington, in the District of
Columbia, United States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MINING MACHINES."
A communication by Francis Marion Lechner, of Waynesburg, State of Ohio,
United States of America.
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a mining machine embodying my improvements;
Figure 2 is a central vertical section of the rear end of the machine shown in
Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a transverse section of the machine, showing also the rear
brackets and pulleys of the cleaner chains; Figure 4 is a front elevation of the rear
sliding standard, and the detachable nut carried thereby; Figure 5 is a side
elevation of the devices shown in Fig. 4; Figure 6 is a side elevation of part of
the devices shown in Fig. 1; Figure 7 is a view of an octagonal sprocket adapted
for use upon the chain driving shaft.
The Invention relates to an improved arrangement of the operative parts of
a mining machine relative to the supporting frame, whereby the engine may be
made stationary and the sliding carriage which supports the cutting apparatus may
be relieved of the weight of the engine. The Invention relates also to an improved
arrangement of the parts of a mining machine whereby it requires or occupies a
space much less than that heretofore required. It relates further to the com-
bination with the engine and cutting mechanism (the latter arranged both to
reciprocate and also to rotate) of a screw shaft constructed and arranged to
convey the power which reciprocates the cutting mechanism, and also the power
which rotates said mechanism. It relates also to the combination with an engine
and a sliding cutter carriage of a screw threaded shaft, and mechanism arranged
to engage with said shaft, for the purpose of withdrawing the cutter carriage
after the cutting has been completed. It relates to an improvement in details of
[Price 6d.l

page_text: construction and arrangement which will be hereinafter fully set forth. I have
heretofore constructed mining machines in which use was made of engines having
cylinders whose longitudinal axes were on vertical lines, and which engines also
were attached to and carried by a sliding cutter carriage.
This style of construction necessitated the use of a high frame and of a complication
of parts, which under some circumstances are undesirable, and one of the main
purposes of this Invention is to so construct and arrange the operative parts of a
mining machine that it shall occupy but a short diameter or dimension vertically.
Another object is to relieve the sliding carriage of the weight of the engine or
engines, and the weight of the parts to which the engines first impart motion. In
the Drawings A, A¹, represent the side sills of a stationary bed frame, and A' a
cross piece or brace. Upon the inner side of the side pieces A, A', ways are formed
to support and guide a sliding frame. These ways may be of any approved
character. B, B₁, represent engine cylinders constructed to operate by means of
compressed air, or steam, or other motive agent. They are situated upon
substantially horizontal lines, and are secured to the stationary frame work.
They may be attached in any preferred manner.
C is the main shaft of the engine supported above the rear end of the frame. It
is mounted in bracket arms C¹, C2, bolted to the rear end of the frame, as shown in
Figs. 1 and 6. The pistons B2, B2, are connected with the engine shaft C in any
suitable manner. In the construction shown in the Drawings b, b, are slotted arms
or yokes engaging with the crank pins c in the well known manner. Instead of
this construction use may be made if desired of pitmen or of oscillating engines.
A frame is arranged to slide upon the stationary frame above described, the
sliding frame being supported on the stationary frame by means of tongue bars
or T-bars D.
The sliding frame is represented as being formed of a substantially horizontal
plate E, an arched standard E' at the front end of the sliding frame, and an arched
standard E2 at the rear end of the said frame. These parts may be formed in one
piece of metal, or in separate pieces bolted together. The plate E is secured to
the T-bars D, adjustably by means of bolts and nuts at e, e, inserted through
slots e¹.
F is a standard or upright secured to the stationary frame A, A¹, at its rear end.
The sliding frame above described is moved forward by means of a screw threaded
shaft G, which is supported in the standard F at the rear end of the stationary
frame, and in a corresponding standard at the front end of the stationary frame.
H is a bevel wheel keyed to the screw shaft G, which latter extends to the rear
of the standard F sufficiently far to support it; I is a small bevel wheel mounted
on and rotated by shaft C. It engages with the bevel wheel H, and through these
devices the power is transmitted to the screw shafts G; K represents the nut holder,
and indicates the position of the nut which is caused to engage with the screw
shaft when the sliding frame is to be thrust forward into the coal. The con-
struction of this nut holder and the nut need not be here described in detail, as
devices of substantially the same construction, and operation are shown in my
Patent dated February 21, 1878, No. 728. Sections of nuts are arranged within
the conical shell K, and are attached to the screws k². An ordinary shipping lever
engages with the shell fitting in a groove k³, and by it the shell may be moved
longitudinally. When moved rearward the nut sections are forced into engage-
ment with the screw G; when moved forward said sections are released from
engagement with said screw.
When the nut is engaged with the shaft the forward cylindrical part 1 of the
nut holder bears against the front standard E' of the stationary frame.
I not only
carry the cutting apparatus forward by means of the screw threaded shaft, but
also impart the required motion to said apparatus from the shaft.
L represents the cutter bar, and L', L', are the chains for rotating said bar. The
chains receive motion from a shaft M mounted on the plate E of the sliding frame;
M is a miter pinion attached to the shaft M. N is a short supplemental shaft

page_text: mounted in said plate E, on a line situated in the same vertical plane as the screw
shaft G, and in the same horizontal plane as the rear chain shaft M.
N' is a miter wheel mounted at the front end of the short shaft N, and engaging
with the miter wheel M¹. Power is applied to the shaft N by means of a spur
wheel O keyed to the front end of said shaft, and a spur wheel P mounted on the
screw shaft G. The shaft G engages with the wheel P by means of a feather gⓇ or
spline on the wheel fitted within a slot g¹ running parallel to the axis of the screw.
Thus the wheel while rotating with the screw is at the same time permitted to
traverse the screw longitudinally, and as the cutter carriage is moved forward said
wheel is moved along the shaft by means of the rear standard E2, which as will be
seen by an examination of the Drawings is so situated as to bear against the rear
face of the wheel. p is a boss projecting from the face of the wheel, and arranged to
provide a mounting for it within the standard E'; p¹ is also a boss projecting from
the opposite side or face of the wheel. It will now be seen that if power be applied
to shaft C in the proper direction the screw shaft will be rotated, and as a result
the wheels P, O, N₁, and M¹ will be rotated in such direction as to rotate the cutter
properly for cutting the coal; and if the nut at K be held in engagement with the
screw the cutter carriage will be at the same time moved forward. But as it is
desirable to move the machine forward with a speed different from that which it
would obtain in the manner last described, I interpose between the nut and the
power devices the following mechanism :-
Qis a spur wheel keyed to shaft N, and Q¹ is a spur wheel of diameter equal
thereto and keyed to the cylindrical portion k¹ of the nut holder. By an examina-
tion of the Drawings it will be seen that the wheels Q, Q₁, differ in diameter from
the wheels O and P' to such an extent that while the wheel O is rotating the.
cutters the wheel Q is rotating the nut holder in the same direction as the screw
shaft G is rotating, and that the result of the rotations of the shaft and of the nut is
to move the nut forward with a speed lower than it would have if operated directly
by the screw shaft G. The nut holder can readily rotate around the screw shaft.
In order to prevent wear of the parts to as great a degree as possible, washers g, g¹,
may be employed at the points where the screw shaft bears backward against the
stationary standard F, and where the nut bears against the sliding standard E¹. The
rear end of the nut carrier surrounds the boss p¹ on wheel P, which provides a
bearing for it. By means of the slotted plate E and the adjusting bolts at e, e¹, the
chains L', L¹, may be adjusted so as to keep them always properly tight. By
mounting the engine in the manner which I have described, and applying power
directly therefrom to the screw threaded shaft, and by arranging the parts so that
said shaft shall not only move the carriage forward but shall also rotate the cutters,
I am enabled to provide a much simpler construction than heretofore, and to place
the parts of the machine more compactly than can be done when several chains
are necessitated for imparting the power to produce the various required motions.
In many mines the material to be operated upon is so hard that it is almost
impossible to cut it with steel, and I have devised a peculiar construction of cutter
bar and cutters for the purpose of producing a kerf. My improved cutter bar
is represented by L, and is shown to be mounted and rotated in sliding bearings
L, L. represents a helical projection around the bar. The outer face of the helical
projection is armed with diamonds 1. These diamonds are so placed that when
revolving.each vertical plane throughout the whole face or space of the kerf shall
be covered or traversed by one or more of the diamonds. I am aware that
diamonds have been used upon the ends of drills both reciprocating and
revolving.
But when thus arranged they are not available for my purpose. It will be seen
that I arrange them between the ends of the revolving support in such position that
they shall rotate in planes transverse to the axis of said revolving support. This
arrangement enables me to cut a long kerf by thrusting forward the bar which
supports the diamonds. The cutter bar may be of any desired length and diameter,
and the projection of the diamonds from the bar may be varied as circumstances

page_text: require. I prefer a projection of about 3/4 of an inch. The pitch of the coil or
helix may also be greater or less than that shown. In order to remove the
material lying in the path of the chains and the sprockets L³ of the cutter shaft,
said sprockets may be provided with diamonds 12 for cutting away the material in
said path. The diamonds may be if preferred arranged in lines parallel with the axis
of the cutter, or without regularity relatively to each other. To withdraw the
cutting mechanism from the coal after the operation of cutting has been completed,
I make use of the following devices :-D' represents a screw threaded shaft mounted
on the stationary frame of the machine, parallel to the shaft G. D² is a spur
wheel attached to the shaft D¹ at any suitable point, and meshing with a
wheel G on the screw threaded shaft G. F1, F2, represent respectively the
upper and the lower part of a nut carried by the movable frame, and arranged to
be engaged with or disengaged from the shaft D' at the will of the operator.
When the cutter frame is moving forward, the nut F, F, is disengaged from
shaft D¹, the nut k being at that time in engagement with the shaft G. When
the cutter bar is to be withdrawn, the nut sections attached to screws k³ are
disengaged from screw shaft G, and the nut F1, F2, is thrown into engagement
with screw shaft D¹. The thread upon shaft D' runs in the same direction as the
thread upon shaft G, but as the shaft D' rotates in a direction opposite to that of
shaft G, it will be seen that the cutter frame will be withdrawn, although the
shaft G revolves continually in one direction. The nut F1, F2, may be attached to
the frame at any desirable point, though I prefer to join it thereto by means of the
standard E2 at the rear end of the frame, said standard being formed in a peculiar
shape adapted to support the nut, the supporting device being distinctly shown in
Fig. 4. Es is an upright attached to or formed with the standard E2. It is provided
with a dovetail groove e2 upon its outer face. The parts F1, F2, of the detachable
nuts carry dovetailed tongues or plates f, f¹, which are fitted within the groove.
E is a stud shaft projecting outwardly from standard Es. E and Ee represent
cams or eccentrics rigidly secured to the stud E, and situated diametrically opposite
to each other. E is a handle attached to the eccentrics E' and E, and by means
thereof said eccentrics may be simultaneously rotated around the stud shaft E*.
F3 is a strap around the eccentric E, and pivoted to the dovetailed plate f. F' is
a stirrup or yoke pivoted at its lower end to the dovetailed plate f¹, and at its
upper end formed with a strap F5 which fits the eccentric Eº. By examining
Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that by means of the devices just described the
nut F1, F2, may be at any instant disengaged from shaft D', or engaged therewith
by simply turning the handle E7. Referring particularly to Fig. 1, 0¹ represents
a shaft mounted on the sliding carriage ou a line parallel to the cutter bar, and
between said bar and the front standard A* of the stationary frame. At the
outer ends of this shaft there are sprockets o. 02, 0%, are short shafts mounted in
yokes or stirrups O³, 0³. These yokes or stirrups are supported by the brackets P¹
bolted at their inner ends to the sliding carriage of the machine, as shown at p².
The brackets P' extend outwardly over the top of the stationary sills A, A¹. The
yokes or stirrups Os are attached to the overhanging brackets P' by means of screw
threaded stems or shanks 04 which pass through apertures in the brackets made for
their reception. The position of each yoke or stirrup can be readily adjusted by
means of the nuts 05, and in this way the tension of the chain can be regulated.
The short shafts 02 are provided with sprockets o¹. The cleaner chains Q³ are
mounted upon the shafts O¹ and O2, and are arranged to engage with the sprockets o
and o QQ are loops of metal attached to the side of the chain at suitable intervals.
They are formed with lugs q, through which pass the pivots or connecting pins of
the chains Q3; these loops Q2 serve to gather and withdraw the slack or cuttings
made by the cutters and to carry them away from the kerf. I prefer to operate
the cleaner chains by means of a chain K2, driven by the spur wheel M² on the
shaft M. The chain K2 engages with a sprocket wheel K¹ on the shaft O¹. Octagonal
sprocket wheels, such as shown in Fig. 7, may be employed upon the rear chain
shaft instead of the square or four sided sprocket wheels shown in the other

page_text: Figures, though either may be employed as desired. Under some circumstances I
may prefer to arrange the withdrawing screw above the screw G. It may be
rotated by a solid nut thereon operated by a chain from the short shaft N or the
screw shaft D' may be dispensed with and a rope and reel may be used. When
the screw shafts are situated as shown in the Drawings, the spur wheels D2 and G'
may be disengaged while the machine is advancing.
Having now described my Invention and the manner in which the same may be
carried into practical effect, what I clain is,―
1st.. In a mining machine, the combination of the following elements :-A
rotating cutter, a sliding carriage for said cutter, a screw theaded shaft, arranged
substantially as set forth to advance the cutter carriage and also to rotate the
cutter, and mechanism intermediate between said screw threaded shaft, and the
cutter and arranged to transmit the rotary motion from the screw threaded shaft to
the cutter.
2nd. In a mining machine, the combination of the following elements, viz. :—A
stationary bed frame, a cutter frame arranged to slide upon said bed frame, a
rotating cutter mounted upon the sliding frame, an engine secured to the stationary
frame, and mechanism operated by said stationary engine, and arranged substantially
as set forth to advance the cutter frame and rotate the cutter.
3rd. In a mining machine, the combination of the following elements, viz.:-A
stationary bed frame, a cutter frame arranged to slide upon said frame, a rotating
cutter carried by said sliding frame, an engine cylinder situated on a substantially
horizontal axis, and an engine shaft mounted in rear of the sliding frame,
substantially as set forth.
4th. In a mining machine, the combination of the following elements, viz. :-A
stationary bed frame, a cutter frame, which slides upon said bed frame, a rotating
screw shaft, and a nut which engages with said shaft to advance the cutters, and
which rotates in the same direction with the shaft.
5th. In a mining machine, the combination of the following elements, viz. :-A
stationary frame, a sliding cutter frame, a cutter mounted upon said sliding frame,
mechanism arranged substantially as set forth to rotate said cutter, a rotating
screw shaft which advances the cutter frame and which is provided with a
longitudinal slot whereby it can engage with the cutter rotating mechanism as
described.
6th. In a mining machine, the combination of the following elements, viz. :-A
stationary bed frame, a sliding cutter frame, mechanism which withdraws the cutter
frame, and a continuously rotating screw threaded shaft arranged substantially
as described to alternately advance the cutter frame and to operate the withdrawing
mechanism without being reversed.
7th. In a mining machine, the combination of the following elements, viz. :-A
stationary bed frame, a sliding cutter frame, a screw threaded shaft, arranged to
advance the cutter frame, and a second screw threaded shaft arranged to with-
draw the cutter frame, and to be operated by the other said screw threaded shaft,
substantially as set forth.
8th. The combination with a stationary frame, a sliding frame, and a rotating
screw threaded shaft mounted upon the stationary frame of the detachable nut
sections F1, F2, the pivoted eccentrics E5, E6, and the straps F³, F5, respectively
attached to the nut sections F¹, F*.
9th. In a mining machine, the combination with a rotating bar of diamonds
arranged between the ends of said bar to rotate in planes transverse to the axis of
the bar, substantially as set forth.
10th. In a mining machine, the combination with rotating bar L of the
projection extending from the face of the bar, and the diamonds l' embedded
within said projections between the 'ends of the bar, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
11th. The combination of the following elements, viz. :-The screw threaded
shaft G, the sliding cutter frame, the nut at K which engages with the thread of

page_text: shaft G, to advance said sliding frame, a rotating cutter, the mechanism which
rotates said cutter, and the spur wheel P, which operates the cutter rotating
mechanism and which is rotated by the shaft G, and traverses said shaft
longitudinally, substantially as set forth.
12th. The combination with the cutter, a sliding cutter frame, the shaft G, and
the nut at K, of the wheels P, and O which operate the cutter, and the wheels Q
and Q which rotate the nut K, substantially as set forth.
13th. The combination with the sliding cutter frame of the overhanging
brackets P¹, the yokes, or stirrups O³, the sproket shaft O³, and the chains Q.
14th. The combination with the cleaner chains Q¹, of the loops Q³, attached to
the links of said chains, substantially as set forth.
In witness, whereof I, the said Henry Howel Doubleday, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
HENRY HOWELL DOUBLEDAY. (L.S.)