Improvements in Electrically Driven Machinery for Cutting Coal or other Minerals.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left. 13th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 19th Dec., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrically Driven Machinery for Cutting Coal
or other Minerals.
I, CLAUDE WILLIAM ATKINSON, of Erwood House, The Avenue, Beckenham, in
the County of Kent, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to electrically driven machinery for cutting coal or other
minerals and has for its object the construction and arrangement of such a machine
whereby simplicity compactness and lightness of design, high mechanical efficiency of
the mechanism and general adaptability of the machine to suit varying circumstances
are obtained.
It has been found in such electric machines as are at present in use that the weight
of the machine when capable of developing sufficient power is very great and that
therefore as a consequence the moving of the machine from place to place is a very
laborious matter involving, great loss of time and requiring considerable amount of
labour.
My invention consists in the arrangement of a high speed electro motor arranged
upon a trolley or other vehicle or itself provided with wheels with its shaft disposed
parallel or approximately parallel to the direction of travel of the trolley or vehicle.
The motor shaft carries or drives a worm, which is provided with suitable thrust
devices to take the end reaction of the worm. This worm gears into a worn wheel
carried by a shaft which is arranged with its axis vertical or approximate vertical.
This shaft carries a sprocket or chain wheel, and an arm or support is adapted to
be supported in a pivotal manner about the axis of the said shaft, suitable means
being provided for actuating the arm in a horizontal or approximately horizontal
plane.
At the outer end of this said arm a second sprocket chain or other wheel is
carried.
The cutters for cutting the coal or other mineral are carried by a chain which is
supported on the chain or sprocket wheels the chain being driven by the sprocket
wheel carried by the said vertical shaft.
The chain may when desirable be further supported by other wheels or rollers
throughout its length, to take the strains when the tools are cutting.
The worm and worm wheels are encased in a dust-proof box which is used as a
receptacle to contain a lubricant and thus form an oil bath.
In order to prevent injury to the mechanism due to sudden retardation of the
heavy high speed revolving parts, I may arrange a breaking piece between the motor
ind the mechanism which shall fracture at a lower stress than will cause injury to the
ther mechanism.
The arm carrying the chain cutters is turned into the face of the mineral and the
nachine is then moved along parallel with the face.
It will be clearly seen that by this particular combination of gearing I obtain a
high speed of motor and a low speed of chain cutter while the mechanism connecting"
hese two elements is extremely simple and gives a high efficiency of transmission.
I may if desirable adapt the arin, the wheels, and the chain carried by them, so

page_text: that they may be raised or lowered, so as to-cut the mineral, at different planes at
varying height from the floor.
Dated this 19th day of February 1896..
FELL & JAMES,
1 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Electrically Driven Machinery for Cutting Coal
or other Minerals.
I, CLAUDE WILLIAM ATKINSON, of Erwood House, The Avenue, Beckenham, in
the County of Kent, Civil 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:-
My invention relates to electrically driven machinery for cutting coal or other
minerals, and has for its object the construction and arrangement of such a machine
whereby simplicity, compactness and lightness of design, high mechanical efficiency
of the mechanism, and general adaptability of the machine to suit varying circum-
stances are obtained.
It has been found in such electric machines as are at present in use that the weight
of the machine when capable of developing sufficient power is very great and that
therefore as a consequence the moving of the machine from place to place is a very
laborious matter involving great loss of time and requiring considerable amount of
labour.
My invention consists in the arrangement of a high speed electro motor arranged
upon a trolley or other vehicle or itself provided with wheels, the shaft of the motor
being disposed approximately in the line of direction of travel of the trolley or
vehicle, and in the special arrangements of driving mechanism for operating the cutters
as hereinafter more fully described.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I will now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the accompanying drawings hereunto annexed,
reference being had to the letters and figures marked thereon. Like letters refer to
like parts in the various figures.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same partly in
section.
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken through the centre of the worm wheel, main
frame and swivelling table.
Fig. 4 is a part sectional view through the centre of the worm, the swivelling table
and cutting gear being omitted.
To carry my invention into effect I mount a suitable electric motor A upon
wheels B which are suitable for travelling upon rails, the axis of the motor being
nearly in the line of the rails on which the wheels B travel, so as to enable the
machine to be made as narrow as possible.
Upon the end of the armature shaft C of the motor A, I mount a worm D which
may consist of one or more threads, which engages with the worm wheel E. The
worm wheel is supported by the boss F and the shaft G in the bearing H. To the
lower end of the shaft GI attach a sprocket wheel I which I form with an upwardly
projecting flange so as to pass up into the main frame of the machine K in order
to retard, or prevent the escape of the lubricant and the ingress of dust to the
bearing H.
I enclose the worm and worm wheel in the space L by the cover M..
The cutters N of suitable form are attached to the links of a chain O which passes

page_text: round and is driven by the sprocket wheel I at one end and round the wheel P at the
other end of a frame Q which projects under the coal or other mineral to be cut.
The frame Q is attached to the swivelling table R which is supported by suitable
clamps to the underside of the main frame K so as to be capable of being turned
about an axis coinciding with the axis of the shaft G. I cause this frame and the
table R to be revolved about this axis by means of a worm S supported in suitable
bearings T attached to the frame Q, which engages with the worm wheel U attached
to or cast integral with the main frame K.
In this way I can cause the chain to cut its own way under the coal, by starting
the motor when the frame Q is in a position parallel to the rails on which the
machine travels and then gradually swinging it round into the position shown in
Fig. 2.
Although I have for the sake of clearness shown the worm S as being made so as
to be revolved by hand I sometimes prefer to make the sprocket wheel 1 drive it
through suitable gearing.
The frame of the motor A may be either fixed by suitable means to or cast integral
with the main frame of the machine K.
I take the end thrust due to the reaction of the worm when it is driving the worm
wheel E, by means of a suitable thrust block in the case V.
The wheels B may when necessary be arranged to be capable of adjustment for
height, so as to regulate the distance of the machine above the rails or to give the
cutting mechanism any desired tilt in either direction.
Although I have shown the cutters mounted on a chain of separate links I would
have it understood that I may use other forms of chains or bands.
I may make the machines to cut on the floor level as shown in the drawings or I
may when desired modify it so as to set it any desired height above the floor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1st. A machine for cutting coal or other minerals consisting of in combination, an
electric motor mounted on suitable travelling wheels with the axis of its shaft
approximately in the direction of travel of the said travelling wheels, a worm and
worn: wheel transmitting the power from the motor shaft to a sprocket wheel and a
chain or band carrying the cutters adapted to be driven by the said sprocket wheel.
2nd. A machine for cutting coal or other minerals consisting of, in combination, an
electric motor, mounted on wheels adapted to travel on rails, a worm gearing enclosed
in a casing driven by said motor, a chain or band carrying cutters driven by a
sprocket wheel driven by said worm gearing and a frame carrying the outer chain
wheel and adapted to be rotated about a vertical or nearly vertical axis, substantially
as described and illustrated.
3rd. in a machine for cutting coal or other mineral, the specific arrangement
of worm, worm wheel, sprocket wheel and their supports, forming a dust proof oil
bath, substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3, of the accompanying
drawings.
4th. The arrangement and construction of a machine for cutting coal or other
minerals, substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of November 1896
FELL & JAMES,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.