Long wall mining apparatus guide structure

Abstract

An elongated conveyor is adapted to extend along a mine face in an underground mine gallery. A mining machine, such as a coal planer or the like is reciprocably arranged in the space between the mine face and the conveyor and has a bottom plate sliding on the sole of the mine gallery and extending below and with an end portion thereof beyond the conveyor. An endless chain having an upper and a lower run is used to reciprocate the mining machine along the mine face. Chain guide means are connected to the side of the conveyor facing away from the mine face and comprise superimposed substantially cylindrical guide channels for respectively guiding the upper and the lower run of the endless chain. To improve the guiding of the mining machine, an elongated cylindrical guide member is provided fixedly connected to the end portion of the bottom plate thereof, and this elongated guide member is either slidably guided in the lower one of the superimposed guide channels and forms part of the lower run of the endless chain, or the elongated guide member is guided in a separate guide channel arranged between the conveyor and the chain guide means while the free end of the bottom plate is connected to the lower run of the chain.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.