Apparatus for loading material

Loading apparatus for loading valuable metallic ore material into a scraper-chain conveyor in a mine working;

• said apparatus comprising two separate similar bodies interconnected with one another and movable along a guide means at one side of the conveyor, each body being composed of a main base member shaped to engage on the guide means and to define an inclined loading surface extending in the direction of movement of the body and towards the floor of the working, at least one attachment on the main member which has a plough-share like blade which guides material from the loading surface towards the conveyor as the body is moved, means for connecting the member to a drive chain used to drive the bodies along the guide means and complementary members and attachments respectively securable to the main members of the bodies, the complementary members having loading surfaces similarly inclined to those of the main members and arranged side-by-side with the loading surfaces of the main members when secured thereto to provide an overall continuous loading surface which can be adjusted in width by attachment or detachment of said complementary members, and the complementary attachments having blades which can conform with the width of the overall loading surface and which can be stacked one on another to increase the height of the overall guide surface provided by the blades.

Loading apparatus for loading valuable metallic ore material onto a conveyor in a mine working, the apparatus being supported for movement along guide means at one side of the conveyor, the apparatus comprising a main member which defines a continuous loading surface, a guide arm detachably secured to the main member and engageable with the guide means of the conveyor, and complementary attachments securable to the main member, wherein the main member is constituted by a number of separable parts, the said parts being separable along substantially vertical separation planes extending generally parallel to the direction of motion of the apparatus, whereby the width of the continuous loading surface can be varied by the addition or removal of one or more of said parts, wherein the guide arm is detachably secured to the main member by interengaging connection means composed of complementary male and female members and by removable locking means for holding the male member within the female member, and wherein the complementary attachments have blades which conform to the width of the loading surface and which can be stacked one on another to increase the height of the guiding surface provided by the blades.