Longwall machine with captivating bracket

#This invention relates to mining equipment and in particular to mining equipment which in use is mounted on a ranging arm mineral mining machine to trap or captivate the mining machine to a guide extending along one side of the machine along a working mineral face.

#It is known to provide trapping or captivating means mounted on a supporting underframe for a mining machine, the underframe extending beyond the end of the machine. However, with a ranging arm machine the underframe cannot extend beyond the end of the machine adjacent to the ranging arm. Otherwise ranging of the arm would be impeded. Consequently, it is difficult to find a satisfactory way of attaching the trapping or captivating means to the underframe adjacent to the ranging arm.

#An object of the present invention is to provide mining equipment which enables the end of a ranging arm mining machine to be trapped or captivated to a guide extending along one side of the machine.

#By way of example only, the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ranging arm machine having a bracket assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is an incomplete side view of a detail of FIG. 1; and

#FIG. 1 of the drawings shows a single ranging arm shearer type coal mining machine which in use repeatedly traverses to and fro along a longwall face. The machine has a body 1 including a haulage section 2 having driven pinions 3 for drivably engaging a rack 4 of a track assembly which also provides a guide for the machine, a motor section 6 for driving the haulage section and a cutter section 8 having a support trunnion 10 for a ranging arm 12 carrying a rotary cutter drum 14 which has cutter picks and cut-mineral loading vanes (not shown) for cutting and loading won mineral, respectively. The cutter section 8 includes gearing driven from the motor section and driving gearing within the ranging arm 12 for rotating the cutter drum. The arm is ranged up and down by a hydraulic ram (not shown in FIG. 1 but a part of which is indicated by 20 in FIG. 2) located between pivotal mountings on the cutter section and on the ranging arm, respectively.

#In use the machine traverses to and fro along the track assembly including the rack 4 and a series of armoured conveyor pans 21 which are arranged along the longwall face and onto which the cutter drum loads won mineral. An endless chain and transverse flight arrangement (not shown) is hauled along the deck of the conveyor pans in well known manner.

#The rack 4 of the track assembly is constituted by a plurality of rack units each comprising an upper plate 24 and a lower plate 25 and a series of vertical pins 26 which are fixedly located between the plates 24, 25 and which are drivably engaged by one of the pinions 3 to move the machine along the track assembly. The ends of the upper plate 24 are concaved and convexed, respectively, so as to engage the ends of adjacent rack units in such a manner that the rack units tend to be retained in alignment. The vertical plates supporting adjacent rack units are connected with a link plate and bolts (not shown) which maintains the end pins of adjacent rack units within an acceptable pitch but which permits limited articulation of adjacent rack units. The conveyor pans are connected by bolts (not shown) which are left slack to allow the limited articulation as the track assembly including the conveyor is advanced in "snake" like manner towards the newly formed working face.