Longwall installation with carrier for water and electric supply and propulsion rock

Abstract

A mineral winning installation employs a longwall scraper chain conveyor at the mineral face with roof supports arranged at the goaf side of the conveyor. A winning machine, such as a shearer or plough, moves back and forth alongside the mineral face to skim or cut mineral. The machine carries its own drive means which is electrically powered and which drives a pinion, for example, meshing with a toothed rack. An independent constructional assembly arranged at the roof or floor has a multi-sectioned rail or plate carrying the toothed rack. In addition, the rail or plate supports a sealed guard housing containing an electric live track and a further sealed housing containing pressurized water. The machine has a pick-up arm which engages with a contact sliding along the electric track to supply electric power to the drive means and a conduit which has a water collector displaceable along the water housing to supply water to the machine for dust suppression.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.