Longwall machine guide with detachable cover plate

A guide for guiding a mineral mining machine such as a plough for movement along a scraper-chain conveyor in a mine working;

• said guide being composed of individual sections arranged end-to-end and secured to the side walls of the channel sections of the conveyor facing a mineral face of the mine working and said guide comprising generally L-shaped plates with upstanding walls engaging on the side walls of the channel sections and inclined lower walls forming a support for the machine in conjunction with the exterior of cover plates, upper and lower chain guide passages separated by spacers and generally defined between the L-shaped plates and the cover plates, an opening formed above the inclined walls of the L-shaped plates to permit guided connection between the body of the machine and a chain run in the lower guide passage, wherein the cover plates have tongues which protrude downwardly from the lower edges thereof into apertures in a mounting piece underlying said lower edges, said mounting piece being carried by said spacers, the said tongues thus cooperating with said apertures to form push-in hinges permitting the cover plates to be pivoted about their lower edges towards the mineral face.

In a guide for a mineral mining machine, said guide composed of interconnected parts at least partly defining upper and lower chain guide passages separated one from the other by spacers, with each guide part having a cover plate on the outer side of at least the upper chain guide passage, means for mounting the cover plate for pivoting to provide access to the interior of the guide, comprising:

• a mounting piece underlying the bottom edge of the cover plate, said mounting piece being assembled to at least one of said spacers and having apertures therein arranged to receive tongues protruding downwardly from the bottom edge of the cover plate, whereupon the cover plate is pivotable about its bottom edge on said mounting piece;
• and, means for detachably connecting the upper part of the cover plate to an upstanding wall region on said guide part.