Improvements in and relating to Mining Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 11th July, 1893-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Mining Machines.
We, ADAM KEIL and ANTON RUDOLPH WESTERDAHL, citizens of the United
States of America, residing respectively at No. 31 Fourth Avenue in the Town
of McKeesport County of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and No. 502
Fiftieth Street, in the City of Chicago, County of Cook, and State of Illinois,
United States of America, Gentlemen, 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 :-
Our invention relates to mining machines. The special objects of our invention
are to provide an improved form of mechanism for feeding and retracting the
machine; a means for elevating the machine on suitable castors, when not in
operation, for convenience of transportation from one part of the mine to another;
an improved device for tightening the cutter chain, as well as devices for retaining
the machine rigidly in position during the cutting operation to prevent jolting and
backing of the machine.
To these ends our invention comprises certain improvements and combinations of
parts, as will be fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of our improved machine ;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2, Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a cross section on line 3-3, Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of one of the castors;
Figure 5 is a side view of a portion of the front end of the frame, showing the
devices for bracing the machine against lateral movement;
Figure 6 is a view of the chain tightening device;
Figure 7 is a vertical section of the castor, and
Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8, Figure 2.
Like letters indicate like parts.
The main frame A is composed of the side angle beams a connected at their
ends by the cross beams b, 61, while below said cross beams at each end of the
machine are the supporting shoes or feet. To form the depending feet at the rear
end of the machine, the plate d is secured to the horizontal flange 62 of the rear
cross beam 6' in the centre thereof and then extends down at the ends to form
feet upon which the machine rests. Practically the same construction is employed
at the forward end of the machine, except that the depending frame E on which
the frame is supported, is placed centrally in front of the frame, so as not to
interfere with the movement of the cutter chain. The frame E has the shoe e
which is connected to the main body of the frame E by the blocks e², the edges of
which form the inner edges of the guide-ways for the plates or bars f of the
sliding frame F. At the outer end of the shoe e are lugs e, which act as the
outer guides for said plates f.
The
The sliding frame F comprises the carriage f¹, the bars f extending forward
therefrom, and the sprocket or front cross frame f2 around which the chain passes
in forming the cut, being guided on sprockets f³ at the ends thereof.
carriage is supported on flanged wheels or rollers g which travel on. the
horizontal plates or flanges a¹ of the side beams of the frame A. The ends of
the plates enter seats formed for them in the carriage, so that the rear ends of
the plates fare directly supported by the carriage, which runs on the track formed
by the side beams of the main frame. At or near the centre of the carriage f
is the boss in which is mounted the vertical shaft carrying at the lower end
thereof the sprocket wheel which depends below the frame A close to the floor,
1

page_text: and which imparts the necessary motion to the cutter chain i. The cutter chain i
travels around the sprockets f³ in the front cross frame and around the guide
wheels depending from said carriage f¹.
n
The machine may be operated by an electric motor or other source of power
which is connected in any suitable way to the shaft ¹ to drive the same.
In order to feed and retract the movable frame F we employ a stationary screw
bar G which is secured by set screws g² at its ends within suitable seats or
sockets g¹ on the cross beams b, b', just at one side of the centre line of the machine.
The nut H engages with the screw bar G. To provide for the rotation of the
nut H to feed and retract the frame F, said nut has the feathers j formed thereon
with which the clutch j engages, said clutch engaging with said feathers by means
of the groove formed therein, whereby said clutch may be moved to and fro on
said nut.
A gear wheel k, provided with the hollow journal k¹ is journalled in the
bearings on the frame F. The hollow journal kis formed with the clutch
face thereon, with which one end of the clutch is adapted to engage. A
second gear wheel / provided with a hollow journal is journalled in the bearings 12
on the frame F. The journal is likewise provided with the clutch face 13. The
screw bar G passes through the hollow journals k, l, without coming in contact
with the interior faces thereof.
In order to drive the gear wheels k and in
opposite directions to provide for the feeding and retracting of the machine, we
employ the following mechanism :-A bevel pinion m on the vertical shaft meshes
with a bevel pinion m² on the horizontal shaft m² journalled in suitable bearings in
the frame. A gear wheel n on the shaft m² meshes with the gear wheel k aforesaid.
On the outer end of the shaft m² is a pinion o which meshes with a gear wheel o
on a horizontal shaft p journalled in suitable bearings pl. A small pinion p² on the
outer end of the shaft p meshes with the gear wheel 1. In this manner the gear
wheels and have an opposite rotary movement imparted to them, so that by
throwing the clutch alternately in engagement with the clutch faces k³ and
machine is caused to advance or recede. The clutch is arranged to be operated
by the rocking shaft q supported in suitable bearings in the frame. The clutch j¹
is connected to the rocking shaft q by means of the rod q', said rod 91 being pivoted
to the clutch lever and to the carriage. The yoke 92 of the clutch lever engages
with the annular groove j³ in said clutch. The rocking shaft 7 is operated by the
hand lever r.
the
To provide for the tightening of the cutter chain i to take up any slack which
said chain may have acquired in use, ratchet faces s are formed on the plates f of
the frame F adjacent to the rocking shaft q with which the pawls s'engage; said
pawls are loosely mounted on pins passing through the bifurcated ends of the
arms. The arms are secured to the sleeve which surrounds the rocking
shaft 9 said sleeve being adapted to move on said rocking shaft independently of
any movement on the part of said rocking shaft, and vice versa. To turn the
sleeves in order to operate the pawls s¹, a lever s engages with said sleeve, and
by raising or lowering said lever, the said sleeve is turned. A drop latch t is
adapted of its own weight to drop into the several teeth of the ratchet faces sas
they are brought directly under said drop latch. The drop latch t fits within the
socket t¹ and is formed with the head t2 which rests on the top of said socket.
The lower end of the drop latch t is formed with the inclined face t³ so as to
coincide with the teeth of the ratchet face s, while at the same time, as the
ratchet face s is forced forward the inclined face 3 permits of the raising of the
drop latch to allow it to engage with the next succeeding tooth.
The castors U support the entire machine and are arranged at suitable points,
three such castors being shown in the present instance, one on each side and one at
the forward end. The castors U consist of the brackets u formed with the inwardly
projecting ledge u¹ and the shoulder u2 between which the side beams a of the
machine fit when the brackets u are bolted to said side beams. The brackets u
are also formed with the half-sections u³ of the partible bearings v vl, cast integral
therewith, the sections u being bolted to said brackets to form the complete

page_text: bearings after the other parts composing said castors have been adjusted, as will
more fully appear. Fitting within the lower bearing is the hollow stud or
journal w provided with the cam face w at the upper end thereof which rests upon
the bearing v.
To prevent the rotation of the hollow stud w within said bearing v,
said bearing is furnished on its interior with the key which fits in the groove
in said hollow stud w. A cam face a similar to the cam face w¹ is cast integral
with the hollow stud or journal which is provided with the head ³. The cam
face is adapted to rest in contact with the cam face w', while the headrests
upon the bearings vl. The hollow stud is permitted to turn within the bearing vl,
and for this purpose the head 2 can be furnished with a bar for turning said head.
A spindle carrying at its lower end a roller as journalled within the bifurcated
end thereof, passes up through the hollow stud w, and thence up through the
stud a¹. In order to hold said spindle in place and. to prevent its dropping out
when the machine is raised, said spindle is formed within the annular groove 20
with which a set screw 27 passing through the hollow stud to engages. From the
above construction it is apparent that with the cam faces w¹ and x in the position
shown in Figure 4, the machine will be in its raised position. If the head a² be
turned to bring the cam face x into the position shown in Figure 7, with relation
to the cam face w², the bearing will be lowered, the key 2 thereof sliding down
the groove of the hollow stud w until said bearing rests upon the shoulders
formed by the bifurcated ends of the spindle *. In this manner the bracket u is
lowered, and with it the entire machine.
The forward end of the machine is provided with the sockets y preferably
secured to the side beams a of the frame. Within said sockets y fit the threaded
bars y', said threaded bars having pivoted to their forward ends the clutches y².
A hand wheel y³ engages with the threaded bars y', whereby when the machine is
in a position to cut, and the clutches have been brought into contact with the
wall of coal, by turning the-hand wheels y³ the said clutches may be further driven
into the coal to retain the machine in place.
To further brace the machine against undue jolting and shifting during the
cutting operation, self-adjusting brace rods z are employed. These brace rods z
are preferably of the form shown in Figures 4, and 5; being composed of the
vertical portion z¹, and the inclined portion 22. The upper ends of said brace
rods z are pivoted at 3 to the bolt 2 fitting in the socket on the side beams a,
and said bolt is held in said socket by the nut, engaging with the lower end
thereof. This construction permits not only of the swinging up and down of the
brace rod on a pivotal point 23, but also of the lateral swinging of said rods
through the bolt free to turn in the socket 2. These brace rods z may be placed
at different points, as may be found necessary. The upper end of the rod is
provided with the lug 28, which is adapted to enter the seat in the socket 20
when said rod is swung around close to the sides of the machine, whereby said
rods are locked against swinging during transportation.
The operation of our improved machine is as follows:
In bringing the machine to the place where the cut is to made, the machine is
elevated, that is, the several parts of the castors are in the position shown in
Figure 4, so that the machine is a sufficient distance from the ground or floor of
the mine to readily clear any ordinary obstructions, and enables it to be easily
When the machine
moved from one point to another by means of the rollers 5.
has been brought to the proper position with reference to the body of coal to be
cut, the heads² of said castors are turned to bring the cam faces to position with
relation to the cam faces w¹, as shown in Figure 7. This will act to lower the
machine and bring the cutter chain close to the floor of the mine. The jack I at
the rear end of the machine, is adjusted with its lower end engaging with the floor
of the mine and its upper end with the roof thereof. The claws y' on the threaded".
bars y are then forced into contact with the body of the coal, while the brace
rods z adjust themselves at different angles according to the nature of the floor of
the mine, the sharp ends of said rods entering the floor and so acting to brace the

page_text: machine against lateral movement. Power is then applied to rotate the vertical
shaft, which, through the connections described, will act to drive the cutter
chain i. The clutch will be in engagement with the clutch face ³, whereby upon
the revolution of the gear wheel k through its connection with the vertical shaft /
the nut H will be driven in the direction to feed forward the sliding frame F. The
screw bar G remains stationary while the nut H advances along said screw bar.
When the cut has been made of the desired depth, and it is desired to retract the
machine, the operator by throwing back the lever r throws the clutch out of
engagement with the clutch face ³ and into engagement with the clutch face 13.
This movement will act to reverse the direction of rotation of the nut H and
consequently result in the retraction of the machine.
In case it is desired to take up any slack in the cutter chain i, the lever so is
drawn back, whereby the pawls engaging with the ratchet faces s will drive
forward the bars fof the sliding frame F. By this movement the drop latch t is
forced out of its socket t' and enters the next succeeding tooth of the ratchet
face s.
After the cut has been made and the frame F has been withdrawn, the head of
each castor is turned to bring the cam faces into position shown in Figure 4, when
the machine will be again raised and in position to be readily transported to another
part of the mine.
The advantages possessed by the machines which make a cut close to the floor of
the mine, will be readily understood, and the employment of the castors for raising
the machine when not in use, add greatly to the convenience in the operation and
transportation of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :
screw.
1. In a mining machine, the combination with the main frame having a stationary
bar mounted thereon, of a sliding frame having a nut engaging with said
screw bar, clutch boxes on each side of the nut, rotating around the screw bar, and
a clutch fitting around and having a sliding connection with the nut and engaging
with said clutch faces, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In a mining machine, the combination of a main frame having a stationary
screw-bar mounted thereon, of a sliding frame having the nut engaging with said
screw bar, sleeves on each side of the nut rotating around the screw bar, and
connections from the nut to said sleeves, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
3. In a mining machine, the combination with the main frame having a stationary
screw bar mounted thereon, of a sliding frame having a nut engaging with said
screw bar, a vertical shaft mounted in said sliding frame, the horizontal shaft m²
connected by bevel gearing with the vertical shaft, the horizontal shaft p at one
side of said shaft m² and cog gearing between said shafts m², p, for rotating the
gear wheels kand in opposite directions, the clutch fitting around and con-
nected to the nut by a feather, and mechanism for throwing said clutch into
engagement with said gear wheels k and I, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
4. In a mining machine, the combination with the main frame, of a castor giving
support to said frame, and a cam on said castor for raising and lowering said frame,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
5. In a mining machine, the combination with the main frame, of a castor giving
support to said frame, sleeves fitting around the castor spindle and also fitting in
bearings on the main frame, said sleeves having opposed cam faces and one sleeve
being mounted in its bearing so as to revolve but be held from longitudinal move-
ment, and the other sleeve being mounted in its bearing so as not to be kept from
sliding but be held from rotation.
6. The combination with the main frame A, of the castor U comprising the

page_text: bracket น, the bearings v, vl, the journal w with the cam face w¹, the feather v²
fitting in the groove v³ in said journal w, the cam face a with the journal x¹ and
head, and the spindle . and roller x, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
7. In a mining machine, the combination of a main frame, having horizontal
sockets extending longitudinally of said frame at the forward end thereof, threaded
bars fitting within the sockets and their ends provided with two or more teeth
adapted to engage the mine face and prevent the bars from turning, and nuts
engaging said threaded bars and bearing against the sockets and adapted to force
the toothed ends of the bars into the body of coal, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
8. In mining machines, the combination of a main frame having a vertical socket
thereon, a bar journalled in the socket and a brace rod pivoted to said bar, whereby
said brace rod is free to swing vertically as well as laterally, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
9. In a mining machine, the combination with the main frame having the vertical
socket 2, of the threaded bar or bolt 2 mounted therein and held by the nut z,
and a brace rod z pivoted to said bolt, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
8
10. In a mining machine, the combination with a main frame, of a carriage,
plate extending longitudinally therefrom, a cutter chain supported by the carriage
and plate, a ratchet and pawl connection between the carriage and plate, and
mechanism operating the pawl to force forward the plate and regulate the tension
of the cutter chain.
11. In a mining machine, the combination of a main frame, a carriage having a
sprocket wheel mounted therein, a plate extending longitudinally forward from the
carriage, said plate having a ratchet face and carrying one or more sprockets at
the forward end, a cutter chain supported by the carriage and plate, a pawl on
the carriage engaging said ratchet face, and mechanism for operating said pawl to
force forward said plate to regulate the tension of the cutter chain, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
12. In mining machines, the combination of a main frame, a carriage having a
vertical sprocket wheel mounted therein, the plate fextending forward from the
carriage and provided with a ratchet face and carrying one or more sprockets at the
forward end, a cutter chain supported by the carriage and plate, the pawl s¹ mounted
on the carriage engaging with the said ratchet, the sleeves and the lever s³,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 11th dow of Il 1000
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.