Apparatus for underground mining

Dec. 6, 1938.

G. S. JENKINS

2,139,162

FIGI.

APPARATUS FOR UNDERGROUND MINING

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Dec. 6, 1938. g. s. jenkins 2,139,162

APPARATUS FOR UNDERGROUND MINING

Filed May 12, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2

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Dec. 6, 1938. g. s. jenkins 2,139,162

APPARATUS FOR UNDERGROUND MINING.

Filed May 12, 1937 ³ Sheets-Sheet 3

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FIG.6.

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Patented Dec. 6, 1938

2,139,162

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,139,162 APPARATUS FOR UNDERGROUND MINING Gerald S. Jenkins, St. Louis, Mo. Application May 12, 1937, Serial No. 142,160

Claims. (Cl. 214—83)

This Invention relates to apparatus for underground mining, and with regard to certain more specific features, to coal mining apparatus.

Among the several objects of the invention may 5 be noted the provision of apparatus for underground mining which eliminates the necessity for laying rails in the mine rooms; the provision of transportation apparatus which effects increased flexibility but with much simplified form and 10 reduced amount of machinery, whereby larger output may be effected by reason of the better organization of drilling, cutting and loading operation thereby made possible; and the provision of apparatus of this class which is easily loaded 15 and unloaded and which is simple in construction and operation. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of 20 construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are 25 illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1' is a side elevation showing a tractor with a coupled semi-trailer;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 2—2 of 30 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on line 3—3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an alternative form 33 of trailer; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of a mine system employing the machinery herein described.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of ^4f) the drawings.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 6, there is shown a diagrammatic plan view of an underground mine in which numeral I indicates an . entry I in which is a railway track 3 for accom’’ modating passage of a main line locomotive 5 which hauls a string of cars 7.

Connecting with the entry I are rooms 9, II and 13, for example, between which are cross 50 passages 15. The props which necessarily must be used are shown at numeral 17.

At the ends of the rooms 9, 11 and 13 are the usual drill 19 (shown for example in room 9), cutting machine 21 (shown for example in room 55 II), and loading machine 23 (shown for example in room 13). In room 13 the coal which has been shot down is indicated at numeral 25.

At about the part where the first cross passages 15 intercept the room 11 is located a hopper 27 with a feeder to a conveyor 29 which extends 5 out into the entry I for purposes of successively loading the main line cars 7. The conveyor 29 is driven by a suitable motor drive 31.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown, at numeral 33 a caterpillar tractor. This tractor 10 includes oppositely located chains 35 of endlesstrack lugs, the respective chains 35 being independently driven by motors 37 (Fig. 4). The drives are effected through lantern gears 39 meshing with sprockets 41, which in turn mesh 15 with and drive the respective chains 35. The motors 37 are energized from a battery 43 carried on the tractor.

Mounted on the tractor are two forward-andreverse controls 45, each being respectively con- 20 nected to suitable controlling switch gear for one of the motors 37. For example, one of the controls controls the left-hand motor and the other the right-hand motor. When a given control is thrown forward, the chain of lugs controlled 25 thereby moves that side of the vehicle forward, and when the same control is pulled backwards, that side of the vehicle tends to move backward. Thus, if both endless-track chains 35 are moving forwardly at the same rate, the vehicle moves 30 forwardly in a straight line; if they move backwardly at the same rate, the vehicle moves backwardly in a straight line. Likewise, when one of the chains of lugs moves forwardly at a faster rate than the other, then the vehicle turns; or, 35 if one of the chains is moved forwardly and the other rearwardly, the vehicle turns on an axis between the chains of lugs. This feature of an endless-track tractor is quite favorable to its use underground, and this has not heretofore 40 been recognized, to my knowledge.

Individual foot brakes 47 are also provided for the respective chains of tractor lugs for more complete control. A driver’s seat 49 is provided adjacent the controls 45 and 47. &lt;5

At the rear of the tractor 33 is a coupling 51 having horizontal axes 53 and 57 providing a universal movement. The coupler 51 is for coupling a trailer 57, which in the example shown in Figs. 1-4, 5 and 6 is of the semi-trailer class. 50

In Figs. 1-4 the trailer comprises a frame 59 supported upon stub-axles 61 and wheels 63. The frame 59 supports a bottom plate 65 and a hopper 67.

At the opposite ends of the trailer 57 are carried 55

3,130,162 pairs of sprockets IS for accommodating endless lengths of conveyor chains 71. Each conveyor chain 71 forms a reach which Is above the plate IS and a reach which Is below said plate, as 6 shown. Each lower reach is carried along upon one flange of an angle Iron 71, as shown In Fig. 3. Between the lengths of chains 11 are supported scraper lugs 71.

The sprockets IS at the front end of the trailer 10 are driven by means of a drive 77 from a motor 71 which Is energized by a flexible plug connection SI from a control box IS on the tractor IS. When the motor 7S is energized, the scraper lugs 71 are caused to traverse the Inside of the bottom 15 SI from front to rear, and to traverse the angle Irons 71 from the rear to the front. The lugs enter the hopper 17 at an opening II and leave by means of an opening 17.

The opening 17 Is normally covered by a door SO II which is hinged above the opening as shown at 11 and tends to gravitate shut. Without material in the trailer, the door normally hangs downwardly over the opening, and by reversing the motor 71, the direction of movement of lugs 71 85 may be reversed bo that a lug may be forced against the outside of the door II as shown In Fig. 1 to hold the door shut, against the gravity action of material within the trailer.

The control II for the motor 71 has a forward 30 position and a reverse position, the latter incorporating known means for reducing the power of the motor in reverse, so that the conveyor flight, when It runs backwards to hold shut the gate II, will not be broken by the resistance mlet. For 35 example, the introduction of resistance into the battery circuit upon reversal accomplishes this result

Another feature of the motor 71'is that it includes a solenoid brake and release to prevent 40 the motor shaft from turning except when the motor Is energised. The details of the solenoid brake and of the control II are not further particularized, because electrical apparatus of this class Is known per se.

An advantage of a semi-trailer of the type shown in Mgs. 1-4, wherein a conveyor flight Is used, as described Is that upon reversing the motor 71, the trailer Is put Into condition for receiving a load. Then, when It is desired to ₆₀ dump the load as shown In Fig. 3, it is necessary merely to set the controller IS to a position such that the motor 79 drives the conveyor flight to force the lugs 71 to the right (Figs. 3 and 4), thereby causing door 19 to open automatically 55 and to push material therethrough, until the hopper 97 is entirely empty. The sloping sides 91 of the hopper assure that all of the material gravitates to the lugs 71, and thus assure that all of the material will ultimately be emptied from _e0 the trailer.

Advantageous features of the general combination of an endless-track tractor and semi-trailer are that, unlike a railway system in an underground room, the apparatus is quite flexible. 55 That is to say, it may be more advantageously positioned In respect to the loading machine, as shown at Index A In Fig. 6. Also, it may pass through the cross passages II without special switches and track. The use of the hopper 27 70 and conveyor 21 In conjunction with this tractor and trailer equipment obviates the necessity of running a vehicle all the way back to the entry I.

The combination of an endless-track tractor and a semi-trailer Is advantageous over the use 75 of the combination of a trailer and, say, a four wheel tractor, in respect to the flexibility of operation. For example, the endless-track tractor 31 may be turned around upon an axis within the endless-track, whereas a four-wheel tractor is not so readily turned in this manner. This 5 is because, if it is desired to sharply turn a fourwheel tractor, the front wheels are at such an angle that, with a fully loaded trailer, excessive resistance is met. Furthermore, rugged and rough contour of the mine floor makes the use io of four-wheel tractors disadvantageous, for these, like the endless-track tractors, must carry batteries, and the extreme rolling of the four-wheel tractors causes excessive sloshing of-the liquid In the battery and excessive erosion of the battery ]₅plates due to the liquid flow thereover. In endless-track type of tractors, even rough contours do not cause rolling to such a degree.

As shown on the drawings, the center line of the axle of the trailer is behind the center of 20 gravity of the trailer, including its load, enough to throw some load upon the rear end of the caterpillar tractor. The arrangement in each case Is such that the load applied to the tractor by the battery and by said trailer is about balanced along 25 the tractor tread. Hiat is to say, the endlesstrack tractor does not tend to become excessively loaded at one end or the other. Excessive loading at one end or the other tends to cause the tractor to control with less facility. Hence, by 30 applying the semi-trailer load, as described, the control of the endless-track is maintained in an optimum condition.

The trailer with a conveyor type of bottom saves the expense and necessity of a suitable pit ₃₅as required with the dump-bottom type of trailer such as will be described hereinafter.

Reference may also be made to the pneumatic tires 93 upon which the wheels 93 are carried. These serve to reduce wheel wear and Improve the ₄₀efficiency with which the trailer may be drawn.

In mines that may have soft bottoms, it may be desirable to employ a trailer which itself has running gear comprising endless-track treads. Such a trailer is shown in Fig. 5. In this case ₄₅there is simply employed either of the body constructions already described or any other suitable one as shown. In Fig. 5 two wheels 118 are shown on each side with endless-track chains III thereover. These chains may be centered 50 with respect to the trailer body, as shown, or set back so that the load is distributed as above described. A centered form is shown by way of example. It will be understood that the endlesstracks of the trailer are not self-powered. 55

In operation, a room such as 9 has a drill such as 19 operating at the end of it, while an adjacent room such as 11 has a cutting machine operating at the end of it. At this time the next adjacent room such as II has or is having coal ⁰⁰shot down as indicated at numeral 25, and the loading machine 23 does the loading of trailers which are successively brought into position by the tractors, as indicated in Fig. 6. These operations are more or less contemporaneous. ⁸⁵

After the coal which has been shot down into room 13 has been entirely removed, the drill 19 Is moved into room 13 from room 9 and the drilling commenced to advance the room. At this ₇₀time cutting machine 21 is transferred from ⁷⁰room 11 to room I, while the coal Is shot down In room 11. At this time the loading machine is moved into room I i, and the operation of coal removal is carried out In said room i I. Ac- 75

9,189,162 cording to the above example, the operations succeed in order from room to room.

It will be understood that a single tractor can pull several trailers, if suitable couplers are pro5 vided between trailers. In this case any trailer could be uncoupled and left to unload itself, provided the motor 79 thereon is provided with energy from a suitable source of electric power by the application of a suitable electric plug from 10 a suitable electric source.

The invention expedites the transportation of coal to such a degree that the output is substantially increased. At the same time there is avoided the overhead cost of rail equipment.

The overhead cost of tractor and trailer equipment is much less, because duplicate equipment is not necessary in each room, and the same is true of the conveyor equipment such as 21, 21.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the 20 several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is Intended 25 that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.