Process and apparatus for controlling the water supply to the cutting head of a cutting machine

Abstract

For reducing the amount of water consumed, supply of water to the cutting head of a cutting machine shall be given free only if different operating conditions are simultaneously occurring. The proposed process contemplates to provide the possibility to supply water to the cutting head only with the rotational movement of the cutting head being switched-on and to give free the water supply only if simultaneously at least one further operating condition such as, for example, a movement of the cutting arm or a movement of the machine is occurring. The apparatus for performing this process contemplates a device for switching-in a water pump, said device being coupled with a device for switching-in the rotational drive of the cutting head. For this purpose, a series of control pistons 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are arranged within a common cylinder 1, the working spaces of each individual control piston being connected via conduits 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 with the working spaces of the associated hydraulic aggregates for the movement of the cutting arm and, respectively, the machine. The control pistons 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are coupled one with the other in direction of the pressure supplied and loaded in opposite direction to this direction by a spring 8. Shifting movement of one of the control pistons 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, which control pistons can be shifted independently one from the other, thus, together with the water pump being switched on, effects release of supply of water to the cutting head (FIG. 1).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.