Improvements in Mining Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 26th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mining Machines.
I, MOSES ALEXANDER MICHALES, Mechanical Engineer, residing at 52 Fayette
Street, in Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, and United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in that class or kind
of mining machines, in which the cutting is effected by a tool reciprocating rapidly
in a direct line, as distinguished from that class of machines wherein the cutting tool
has a lateral movement. In the class of machine to which this invention pertains,
the blow or outward movement of the tool is effected by a spring generally arranged
around the drill-bar and placed under the requisite tension by a cam or crank arm
rotating on an axis at right angles to the axis of the drill-bar. Such an arrangement
of the cam
or crank necessitates the employment of comparatively complicated
mechanism for the transmission of power from the motor to the crank or can, and
also of a greater power to retract the drill-bar. The object of this invention is such
a construction and arrangement of the retracting cam, that its axis of rotation may
coincide with or lie in a plane parallel with the axis of the drill-bar, thereby permitting
of the arrangement of the driving and transmitting mechanism in substantially the
same manner, i.e. with their axes in planes substantially parallel with the axis of the
drill-bar. In general terms the invention consists in the construction and arrange-
ment of mechanical devices or elements all as more fully hereinafter described and
claimed.
•
In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a
view in side elevation of my improved machine, in operative position within a mine ;
Fig. 2 is a top plan view, the motion and protecting shell being removed; Fig. 3 is
a rear end elevation; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line a, a, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a
view partly in elevation and partly in section on an enlarged scale, the plane of
section coinciding approximately with the axis of the drill-bar; Fig. 6 is a detail
view on an enlarged scale of the retracting cam and the portion of the drill-bar
adjacent thereto; Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line y, y, Fig. 6, showing the
manner of connecting the retracting shoulder to the drill-bar; Figs. 8 and 9 are top
plan views of the machine having a modified arrangement of actuating spring, and
showing the position of the parts at the two limits of the stroke of the drill-bar;
Fig. 10 is a sectional detail view of the actuating spring, the section being indicated
by the line z, z, Fig. 8; and Fig. 11 is a detailed view showing a modification as to
the arrangement and operation of the circular wedge or screw..
In the practice of my invention the bed 1 is secured in any suitable manner to the
axle 2, which is provided with wheels 3, thereby facilitating the movement of the
machine from place to place, and also the angular adjustment of the machine, while
at work. Upon pillars 4 formed integral with the side pieces 5 of the bed, are
secured the feet of the electric motor A, which is arranged with its armature shaft 6
longitudinally of the bed. On the rear end of the armature shaft 6 is keyed a
pinion 7 intermeshing with a gear wheel 8 on the short countershaft 9, which is
mounted in suitable journal boxes arranged in the pillow blocks 10, 10ª. On the
shaft. 9 is also keyed a pinion 11 arranged to intermesh with a gear wheel 12 on the
shaft 13, which is mounted in suitable bearings in the pillow block 14 and bracket 15
secured as shown in Figs. 2, and 8, to one of the side pieces of the frame. By
reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the adjacent ends of the yoke 16 and 17,
which hold the journal boxes within the pillow blocks 10 and 14 are secured by a
common bolt 18 passing through the ends of said yokes, the yoke 17 being held in

page_text: place by a sleeve 19 surrounding the bolt 18, and the yoke 16 by the nut 20. The
outer ends of the yokes are held by separate bolts 21, in the usual manner.
On the front end of the shaft 13 is keyed a pinion 22 intermeshing with a gear
wheel 23 loosely mounted on the drill-bar 24, which is mounted in suitable bearings
in the abutment 25, and in the front end of the tube 26, secured at its rear end in
said abutment. The loosely revolving gear wheel 23 is provided on its front side
with a hub bearing against the abutment and on its rear side with a circular
wedge or screw 27 surrounding the drill-bar and constructed to engage a shoulder
or projection 28 formed integral with the drill-bar or else formed on a collar 29
screwing on the drill-bar and held from turning by a pin 30 as shown in Figs. 6
and 7. The inclined or active edge of the wedge 27 makes one complete turn as
shown and its highest and lowest points are connected by a vertical wall, thus
permitting the free movement of the shoulder 28 and drill 24 under the action of
the spring 31, surrounding the drill-bar and interposed between the abutment 25,
and a shoulder 32 formed on the drill-bar as shown in Fig. 5. In order to mitigate
to a large extent, the shocks to which the machine would be subjected, in case the
bit 33 in the drill-bar should not strike against the coal or other material, a
cushion 34 formed of rubber or other elastic material, is interposed between the
shoulder 32 on the drill-bar and a distance block 35 located against the inner face of
the head in the front end of the tube 26. The ends of the cushion 34 are bevelled
and adapted to fit in the under-cut recesses formed in the adjacent ends of the
shoulder 32 and the distance block 35. The drill-bar is guided and held from
rotation by an angular stem 36 projecting from its rear end and sliding through a
block 37 having an angular opening therethrough and secured as shown to the bed
plate of the machine.
In lieu of arranging the spring 31 around the drill-bar, as bereinbefore stated, it
may be arranged around a pin 38 mounted as shown in Fig. 10 in the bed plate 1.
One end of the spring is secured to an overhanging ledge 39 forming the upper
support for the pin 38, and the other end is secured to an arm 40 loosely mounted at
one end upon the pin 38 and having its opposite end connected by a link 41 to rear
end of the stem 36 of the drill-bar. In this construction the guide tube 26 is made
of a length approximately equal to the length of stroke of the drill-bar, so as to
provide for the operation of the shoulder 32 in connection with the cushion 34.
The operation of the machine will be readily understood, as the annular wedge or
screw is rotated the projection 28 rides up the inclined edge, thereby drawing the
drill-bar back against the tension of the spring 31, as the vertical wall of the wedge
passes beyond the projection, the drill-bar is forced violently forward by the action of
the spring, the projection 28 returning to the bottom of the incline.
It will be noticed that all the operating parts are arranged parallel with the axis of
the drill-bar, thus enabling the mechanism to be compactly arranged especially as
regards the transverse dimensions, thus avoiding the employment of transverse shafts
and reciprocating parts except the drill-bar itself.
If desired the circular wedge may be secured to the bed-plate 1 and the drill-bar
caused to rotate therein, as shown in Fig. 11, in which case the gear wheel 23 would
be formed independent of the wedge, and would be so connected to the drill-bar as to
cause the latter to rotate while free to move longitudinally.
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 :
1. In a mining machine, the combination of a drill-bar provided with a shoulder or
projection, a circular wedge or screw engaging the shoulder on the drill-bar, and a
spring for operating the drill-bar against the action of the wedge, substantially as set
forth.
2. In a mining machine, the combination of a drill-bar, provided with a shoulder or
projection, an electric motor having its armature shaft arranged parallel with the
drill-bar, an annular wedge or screw mounted on the drill-har and engaging the

page_text: shoulder thereon, a system of gearing and countershafts connecting the motor and
the annular wedge or screw and having their axes arranged parallel with the axis of
the drill-bar, and a spring for operating the drill against the action of the wedge,
substantially as set forth.
3. In a mining machine, the combination of a drill bar provided with a shoulder or
projection, a gear wheel loosely mounted on the drill-bar, an annular wedge or screw
on one side of the gear wheel engaging the shoulder on the drill-bar, an electric
motor having its armature arranged parallel with the drill-bar, a system of gearing
connecting the motor and gear-wheel, and a spring for operating the drill-bar against
the action of the wedge, substantially as set forth.
4. In a mining machine, the combination of a drill-bar provided with a shoulder
or projection, a circular wedge or screw mounted on the drill-bar and engaging the
shoulder thereon, and a spring for operating the drill-bar against the action of the
wedge, substantially as set forth.
5. In a portable mining machine, the combination of a tube having heads, a drill-
bar passing through said tube and heads, a shoulder on the drill-bar, an actuating
spring between the shoulder and rear guide head, a distance block arranged inside
the front guide head, and a buffer cushion having bevelled ends, interposed between
the shoulder and distance block, the shoulder and block having their adjacent faces
undercut, substantially as set forth.
D-1
1
D
1
m
1 1
1
1000
8
MOSES ALEXANDER MICHALES.
Witnesses:
DARWIN S. WOLCOTT.
R. H. WHITTLESEY.