Automatic face transfer linear cutting rotary head continuous mining machine and method

Abstract

A coal mining apparatus and its method of use in which a continuous mining machine removes and transfers cut material reducing airborne respirable coal dust generated in the cutting and collection process. The conventional high speed head rotating with the bits going forward at the top is replaced by a triangular shaped dished out linear cutting head rotating with the bits mounted at the apexes going rearward at the top. This produces a box cut in the mine face with a square cross-section. After the head has made a box cut by sumping the full head diameter beginning at the mine floor, it is sheared upwardly producing a linear shear cut. This shear step is at a constant depth equal to the complete cutting head diameter. The modified cutting head is used as part of the loading and transfer mechanism. This is accomplished by reversing its direction of rotation and cutting on the upstroke from floor to roof so that the head acts as a bucket collecting the cut coal, then transferred to an adjacent transport system which allows the cut coal to be loaded and conveyed away from the mine face without further dust generation due to free fall fracture on the floor or intermediate handling by a dust generating gathering head mechanism. To insure that the coal is consistently discharged at the proper position, a movable bridge conveyor and follower assembly is used with the cutting head.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.