Scraper-chain conveyors for mineral mining

In a scraper-chain conveyor for use in mineral mining and composed of a series of pans arranged end-to-end along which a scraper-chain assembly is circulated in upper and lower runs, each pan being composed of side walls adjoined by a floor plate, each side wall having a central V-shaped groove in its exterior aligned with said floor plate;

• the improvement comprising each pan is composed of an upper section detachably secured to a lower section, with the plane of separation between the sections being spaced vertically beneath the floor plate and the V-shaped grooves so that the upper section has shaped side means joined by the floor plate, and the lower section has corresponding upstanding side members, the side members of the upper and lower sections defining upper and lower lateral guide passages for the upper and lower runs of the scraper-chain assembly, the side members of the upper section projecting downwardly from the floor plate whereby the lower guide passages are formed partly by the side members of both the upper and lower sections, the lower section of each pan being provided with side structures which extend vertically upwardly to overlap the side members of the upper section of the pan, the said side structures being provided with shaped pockets at their end regions open to the inside of the lower section and serving to receive coupling members used to connected the pans together.