Cutter head having fluid supply means

March 19, 1968

E. M. ARENTZEN

3,374,033

CUTTER HEAD HAVING FLUID SUPPLY MEANS

Filed Feb. 21, 1966

Sheets-Sheet 1

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BY

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his ATTORNEYS

March 19, 1968 _E. _M. arentzen 3,374,033

CUTTER HEAD HAVING FLUID SUPPLY MEANS

Filed Feb. 21, 1966 ₀ '

Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3374033A_D0003.tif" />

his ATTORNEYS

3,374,033

Patented Mar. 19, 1968

United States Patent Office __ 3,374,033

CUTTER HEAD HAVING FLUID SUPPLY MEANS Einar M. Arentzen, Charleroi Borough, Washington

County, Pa., assignor to Lee-Norse Company, Charleroi, Pa., a corporation of Delaware

Filed Feb. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 528,726

Claims. (CI. 299—-81)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A cutter head for mining machines, which includes a Plurality of spaced cutter bits peripherally carried by a rotatable cutter wheel. A plurality of fluid supply nozzles are alternately arranged with the cutter bits and connected to a source of fluid, such as water, through a valvmg arrangement whereby fluid is supplied through each of the nozzles only when the cutter bits thereadjacent are actually engaged in cutting.

This invention relates to mining machines of the tvue comprising a cutter head carrying one or more rotatXh? ybeels. It is especially applicable to mining machines of the type sometimes referred to as “rippers” due to a manner in which they break or tear away coal from the wording face, such as for example, the machine disdosed in my Patent No. 2,695,164, granted Nov. 23,

As a large amount of dust is generated by the operation of eo_n^Cr^niInl^{I0US mi}iT^{S machine Cngaged in the minin}g of coal, such a machine is frequently provided with spray nozzles which, direct water against the working face of the coal continuously throughout the operation of the machine.

he^b nf^X^^{0SiVe charact}?^{r of} the dust, as well as the , ^{the ml}“^ers’ ^{In fact}’ normally makes this necessary. However, ihese are ineffective at the point where the actual cutting is taking place, which is also the point whe_re sparks may be generated when the steel cutter bit strikes rock or some rock-like formation in the coal seam

According to the present invention, provision is made for circulating water into the cutter wheels and discharging it from nozzles directly into the kerf where cutting is ^ag!^ng phicc, and against those bits which are engaged with the coal or other material being mined Valving means is provided whereby water is discharged only from a. limited arc of the rotating cutter wheel less than a full circle and only in that part of the arc where the cutters may . be contacting the coal. This is preferably an arc ranging between about 90° and 180°.

. A principal object of my invention is therefore to provide. m a mining machine means for spraying water in the immediate area or path of the cutters where cuttin» or ripping is taking place. °

My invention may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment of the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the front end of a continuous mining machine with a cutter wheel thereon;

FIG. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the cutter wheel the view being in substantially the plane of line II—II of FIG. 1, but showing in addition an exten ? ^s®^{cond cutter} wheel projecting from one face of the wheel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the valve ring forming a part of the assembly shown in FIG. 2;

. FIG. 4 is a front elevation of an adjusting ring forming a part of the assembly shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the ring shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings, and first more specifically to. FIGS 1, 2 designates the cutter carrying arm of the mining machine, such, for example, as that disclosed in my said Patent No. 2,695,164, wherein the arm oscillates 5 sideways on a boom structure 3 that may be moved up and down in. a vertical arc. The outer end of the arm forms a housing 4 that provides a bearing for a rotating shaft 5 on which are cutter-carrying wheels 6. The housing also contains gearing (not shown) through which the 10 shaft 5 is rotated, but this is not material to this invention.

Since the present invention involves the transfer of waer from a supply line on the arm 2 to nozzles on the periphery of the cutter wheels in such manner that water will discharge only in the area where the bits are cutting, 15 the drawings disclose only one cutter head assembly comprising the bearings for the shaft and details of the construction significant to this invention.

Referring particularly to FIG. 2, one end of the shaft 5 is shown. The housing 4, which is made in two 20 parts, has a roller bearing assembly 7 therein through which the shaft 5 passes. This bearing assembly is contained within a separate sleeve member 8 which is nonrotatably fixed in the housing. It has a threaded outer end portion 8a and a part 86 that forms a grease seal about 25 the shaft.

There is a hub member 9 keyed to the end of the shaft, the inner end of which is received in the sleeve 8, said inner end abutting against the roller bearing assembly 7. The cutter wheel 6 has bolts 10 passing therethrough by 30 which it is secured to the hub 9.

the cutter wheel 6 has an annular channel or groove 11 therein immediately adjacent the hub member 9. On the periphery of the wheel there is a series of spaced cutter bit holders 12 with replaceable cutter bits 13 therein.

Twelve such holders are on the wheel 6 shown in the drawing. A port 14 leads from the face or the groove 11 axially into the wheel at intervals around the wheel, the number of such ports corresponding to the number of bit holders 12. Each of these ports communicates with a 40 radial passage 15 that terminates at a nozzle 16 in the periphery of the wheel, one nozzle being located in advance of each bit holder 12.

There is a fixed annulus or sealing ring 17 in the groove 11 having openings therethrough registering with 45 the ports 14, and this annulus has rubber or like resilient packing 17α on one surface that bears against the face of the channel 11. It is keyed to the wheel for rotation with the wheel by pins 18 that extend from the wheel through openings in the sealing ring.

. There is a second annulus 20, wich I term a valve ring, in the annular channel and bearing against the sealing ring 17. As best seen in FIG. 3, the face of this ring which confronts the sealing ring 17 has an arcuatelyextending groove 21, here shown as being of about 90° extent therein, but which may be longer, even to about 180°. This valve ring has several, preferably four, studs 22 and 23 passing therethrough and extending axially from the valve ring toward the housing 4. Two of these studs 22 are so positioned that one of them is at each end of the arcuate groove 21. These two studs are hollow and the ends remote from the valve ring are interiorly threaded., as. indicated at 22α. The studs 23 may be solid.

An adjusting ring or nut 25 is screwed onto the threaded end 8α of the sleeve 8. It has a lip portion 26 that encircles the valve ring 20. This adjusting ring is shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. In the particular construction here shown, where the cutter wheel has twelve cutter holders, this ring has twelve equally-spaced radial cavities 27. in its periphery, and there is an opening 28 leading axially from the interior of . each cavity to that face ' of the adjusting nut or ring that confronts the valve ring

3,374,033

20. The four studs 22 and 23 on the valve ring 20 pass through these openings 28. By reason of these studs, the valve ring is keyed to the adjusting ring and held against rotation with the cutter wheel 6. There may be a fiber or other washer 29 and a wear ring 30 interposed between 5 the valve ring 20 and the adjusting ring 25.

In assembling the construction, the adjusting ring is screwed onto the sleeve 8 before the wheel 6 is attached to the hub by bolts 10. The valve ring is applied at the same time and the adjusting nut is set to the desired posi- |θ tion with the arcuate passage 21 in the valve ring turned to the position required to supply water to the nozzles 16 in a predetermined arc of their travel. When the adjusting ring and valve ring are in the required location, a pipe connection 31 on the head 4 will be forced into one of the 15 cavities 27 into which one of the hollow studs 22 protrudes. Actually only one of the studs 22 need be hollow, but to facilitate manufacture for right and left-hand cutters, two hollow studs are employed and a plug (not shown) is screwed into the threaded end 22a of the one 20 not needed. When the wheel 6 is then applied and the bolts 10 are taken up, the valve ring will be confined in sliding contact with the ported ring 17.

Water under pressure is supplied to the connector 31 through water supply tube 32 and passage 33 from tube 23 34.

From this arrangement, it may be seen that as the shaft 5 rotates, rotating the cutter wheel 6, the passages 14 with the ported ring 17 will move relative to the valve ring 20, and as each passage in turn moves along the arcuate chan- 30 nel 21 in ring 20, water supplied to this channel through connector 31, cavity 27, and hollow stud 22 will flow into the passage 14 during the entire time that it moves along this arc. After each pasage 14 moves in turn beyond the arcuate channel 21, further water supply thereto will be 3.5 cut off. If the arcuate channel 21 is not in the desired position, the connector 31, which has a force fit with an O-ring, is removed and the adjusting ring is turned the desired increment. If wear develops causing excessive leakage, the adjusting ring may be turned to take up wear, but 40 in this case the valve ring must be removed and relocated on the adjusting ring. The adjustably fixed adjusting ring in conjunction with the wheel and its channel 11 forms a substantially water-tight enclosure for the valve ring.

If the cutter wheel as viewed in FIG. 1 is turning in a 45 clockwise direction, a given cutter will be cutting into the coal or other material in the arc between the “twelveo’clock” and “three o-clock” positions, and after passing the three o’clock position it will be receding, so that ordinarily the groove 21 will extend only through about 90° ₅₀of arc, but it may be longer, even up to 180°, if desired.

With the arrangement herein provided, water is discharged just where the cutting is taking place, and where dust is being generated, but is not thrown indiscriminately in all directions. Not only is dust of the cutting face re- 55 duced, but there is added safety by reducing the danger of explosion from sparks generated by the cutter bits.

Frequently there are dual cutters in which a second wheel having a hollow hub is bolted onto the face of a first wheel. In FIG. 2 a portion of such a hub is shown. ₆₀In this figure, 40 designates a hollow tubular hub structure with a part 41 fitted to the wheel 6 and held in place by bolts 42. In this case a branch passage 15α in each radial passage 15 connects with a duct 43 in the hub 40 so that the one valve arrangement can control the flow of ₀₅water to two cutter wheels in side-by-side relation, the second cutter wheel not being here shown.

While I have shown and specifically described one preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is illustrative, and that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction within the contemplation of my invention.