Improvements in Machinery Used in Getting Coal and other Minerals.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Machinery Used in Getting Coal and other
Minerals.
We THOMAS WILLIAM HENDERSON TURNBULL, Draughtsman, of Sunderland and
ROBINSON PEARSON, Certified Colliery Manager, of Tramwellgate Moor, both in
the County of Durham do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY USED IN GETTING COAL AND OTHER MINERALS
to be as follows:-
"
For undercutting coal or other minerals that is forming a horizontal groove
along the face of the coal or mineral which is being worked we employ a number
of circular saws of different diameters fixed concentrically one above the other on
a vertical spindle carried at the end of a horizontal arm. The top and bottom
saws are the largest in diameter, and the saws between them are made smaller.
The central saw we form of an endless chain which serves as a driving chain for
driving the spindle.
The teeth or cutters of this endless chain may either be made as scoops or cutters
merely to remove the superfluous coal cut away by the saws above and below them
or the endless chain may be made as a belt saw. The chain is driven by a larger
wheel or pulley at the opposite end of the arm.
The central links only of the chain we employ as driving links, whilst the top
and bottom links of the chain we make to slip around the bearings at the end of
the arm between which the pulley fixed on the spindle of the circular saws is
carried, thereby exposing nothing but cutting edges to the coal at the cutting end
of the arm.
The arm extends from a small truck which runs on rails on a bed plate so that
it can be moved towards or away from the face of the coal or mineral which is
being worked, the bed plate is also mounted on wheels which run on rails laid
parallel with the face of the coal or mineral. The truck may be moved forwards
along the bed plate by a pinion upon it, gearing into a toothed rack on the bed
plate and the pinion may be driven either by self acting gear or otherwise.
The truck we make with a standard rising up from it and carrying a spindle
which can be driven by manual power by crank handles at its ends or by power if
required, and motion is transmitted from this spindle by bevel gear to the vertical
spindle of the wheel which drives the endless chain.

page_text: For vertical cutting the saws are carried on the end of a lever arm, turning on a
horizontal joint and which can be set at any angle by a chain and winding barrel
or by other suitable gear The saws can be driven by a rope or belt when the
chain cutters are not needed or the saws might be dispensed with and the coal cut
by a chain or belt saw with the teeth or cutters made of any required pitch to suit
the material and work they have to contend with.
The horizontal and vertical machines may either be carried on the same bed or
they made be made as separate machines When carried on the same bed plate
the lever arm used for vertical cutters may be mounted loosely on the driving
shaft of the machine and provision be made either for driving the cutters carried
by this arm or for driving the horizontal cutters as may be required.
By the use of machinery such as above described for cutting horizontal grooves
into coal which is being worked the coal can be obtained with less manual labor
for hewing and more quickly and with a greater percentage of large or round coal
than when the coal is got in the ordinary way by the use also-of the machine for
cutting or nicking the coal in a vertical direction the coal can be wedged or broken
down without the use of dangerous explosives.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery Used in Getting Coal and other
Minerals.
We THOMAS WILLIAM HENDERSON TURNBULL, Draughtsman, of Sunderland and
ROBINSON PEARSON, Certified Colliery Manager, of Tramwellgate Moor, both in the
County of Durham 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 :-
For undercutting coal or other minerals that is forming a horizontal groove
along the face of the coal or mineral which is being worked we employ a number
of circular saws of different diameters fixed concentrically one above the other on
a vertical spindle carried at the end of a horizontal arm. The top and bottom
ɛaws are the largest in diameter and the saws between them are made smaller.
The horizontal arm is so mounted upon a truck that it can be moved towards or
away from the face of the coal or mineral which is being worked. The truck is
mounted on wheels which run on rails laid parallel with or at right angles to the
face of the coal or mineral and may be moved forwards by self acting gear or
otherwise.

page_text: The truck we make with a standard rising up from it and carrying a spindle
which can be driven by manual power by crank handles at its ends or by. power
if required and motion is transmitted from this spindle by bevel gear to a
horizontal wheel from which the circular saws are driven by an endless rope or
belt or chain.
For vertical cutting the saws are carried on the end of a lever arm turning on a
horizontal joint and which can be set at any angle by a chain and winding barrel
or by other suitable gear. These saws also can be driven by a rope or belt or
chain.
The horizontal and vertical machines may either be carried on the same bed or
they may be made as separate machines. When carried on the same bed plate the
lever arm used for vertical cutters may be mounted loosely on the driving shaft of
the machine and provision be made either for driving the cutters carried by this
arm or for driving the horizontal cutters as may be required.
By the use of machinery such as above described for cutting horizontal grooves
into coal which is being worked the coal can be obtained with less manual labour
for hewing and more quickly and with a greater percentage of large or round coal
than when the coal is got in the ordinary way by the use also of the machine for
cutting or nicking the coal in a vertical direction the coal can be wedged or broken
down without the use of dangerous explosives.
A is
The drawings hereunto annexed show a machine constructed in the manner we
prefer for carrying out our Invention. Figure 1 is a side elevation Figure 2 an
end elevation and Figure 3 a plan view of the machine. Figure 4 shows a vertical
section on a larger scale of the way in which the several saws forming the cutter
are carried by their spindle and also the way in which the spindle is carried
the bed plate mounted on wheels which run on rails laid parallel with the face of
the coal which is being worked or at right angles to the face when the machine is
being used for driving a heading. B is an upper bed supported on the bed A and
capable of being swivelled around the bolt C, which connects the two beds together
so that the machine can be arranged to travel in towards the coal or arranged to
run parallel with the face of the coal by laying the rail or tramways to suit-D is
a horizontal arm capable of being slid end wise through bearings which stand up
from the upper bed B. E are the saws mounted on a vertical spindle F. at one end
of this arm.
Some of the saws are above and others below the bearings in which
the spindle F turns so that the whole assemblage of saws can pass into the groove
which the saws cut. On the centre of the spindle F. is fixed a grooved pulley G
and this is driven by an endless rope belt or chain H. of wire or other material.
The top and bottom flanges or edges of the pulley G, are formed into saws in order
that they may cut away any coal left by the larger saws E. The pulley lies
between the upper and lower bearings in which the spindle F. turns. The endless
rope is passed around a grooved wheel I. and driven by it, this wheel is fixed on
an upright shaft J, which by bevel gear is driven from a horizontal shaft J which
may have motion given to it by crank handles on driving wheels K, or may be
driven by power by an endless rope or otherwise.
The bearings of the shafts J. and J¹ are carried by standards which rise up from
the upper bed B as shown.
To move the machine forwards along rails laid along in front of and parallel
with the face of the coal or mineral that is being worked we employ by preference
a chain wheel Y made to engage with a chain which is laid along in front of the
face of the coal and fixed at one or both ends.
The chain wheel we drive as shown at Figure 2 by a worm wheel on its axis
driven by a worm on the vertical shaft J.
The saw cutters at the end of the arm D are used for undercutting the coal or
other material. When driven they can be moved forwards into or below the coal
or mineral at right angles to the face which is being worked by moving forwards
the arm D To permit of the arm being moved forward in its bearings or supports
it is formed with a toothed rack L along its under side into which a toothed

page_text: pinion M is made to gear. The spindle of this toothed pinion is carried in bearings
on the upper bed B so that when the spindle is turned the bar will be moved
forwards or backwards as desired. The endless driving rope H passes as shown in
Figure 3 around the grooved pulley on the axis of the saws over another pulley at
the opposite end of the arm D and over the driving wheel 1-O. O are guide
pulleys around which the rope also passes where it is led off to the driving wheel L
By moving the bearings which carry these two pulleys towards or away from one
another by screw bolts O¹ the endless rope may be tightened or slackened as may
be required Z is a castor wheel to give support to the arm D and keep the bottom
saw from bearing against the bottom of the groove which is being cut-P. P are
the saws used for vertical cutting or nicking the coal so that it can be wedged
down without resorting to the use of dangerous explosives These saws are carried
on a horizontal spindle at the end of a lever arm Q which can turn loosely on the
driving shaft J. The lever arm can be raised or lowered so as to carry the saws
upwards or downwards by a chain attached to its rear end and which can be
wound on to a drum R or other suitable gear may be provided for raising or
lowering the lever arm. The spindle carrying the saws is driven by an endless
rope from a grooved wheel S on the driving axis J as shown.
When the machine is to be used for horizontal cutting the lever arm Q can be
taken off or when the machine is to be used for vertical cutting the arm D can be
removed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is.
1. The combination of machinery for getting coal and other minerals substantially
in the manner hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawing annexed.
2. The cutting mechanism composed of a series of saws mounted on a spindle
together with a pulley by which the spindle can be driven-the whole being so
formed that it can pass into the groove which it cuts.
3. The combination of machinery for undercutting coal or other mineral substan-
tially as described.
4. The combination of machinery for cutting or nicking coal or other mineral in
a vertical direction.