US 4,900,091 AGranted

Electrohydraulic coal-mining system

AssigneeBochumer Eisenhutte Heintzmann GmbH & Co. KG

InventorsGustav Neu, Ernst-Gunter Nerlich, Karl-Heinz Berger

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Abstract

A mining system comprises a laterally deflectable segmented conveyor extending longitudinally along a longitudinal face from which material is to be cut, a mining machine displaceable longitudinally along the conveyor and engageable with the face to cut material therefrom and deposit in the conveyor, and a longitudinal succession of support frames each having a respective actuator connected to a respective segment of the conveyor and each also having a respective a respective retractile roof-engaging flap. The process of this invention comprises bracing the frames and conveyor in a safety zone immediately adjacent the mining machine against the roof with their flaps retracted. The machine is advanced in the safety zone while cutting the face in the safety zone, and the flaps of the frames in a zone immediately downstream of the safety zone are sequentially retracted and the flaps of the frames in a zone upstream of the safety zone are sequentially advanced. The number of frames in the upstream and downstream zone is determined by the stability of the material of the mine roof. The conveyor segments are meanwhile pushed toward the face by extension of the actuators of the frames in a second zone immediately upstream of the upstream zone and the frames are themselves drawn toward the face by contraction of the actuators of the frames in a third zone immediately upstream from the second zone.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A process for operating a mining system comprising:

a laterally deflectable segmented conveyor extending longitudinally along a longitudinal face from which material is to be cut;
a mining machine displaceable longitudinally along the conveyor and engageable with the face to cut material therefrom and deposit it in the conveyor;
and
a longitudinal succession of support frames each having a respective actuator connected to a respective segment of the conveyor and each also having a respective retractile roof-engaging flap, the process comprising the steps of:
(a) bracing the frames and conveyor in a safety zone extending longitudinally past a plurality of the frames immediately adjacent the mining machine against the roof with their flaps retracted;
(b) advancing the machine in the safety zone while cutting the face in the safety zone;
(c) sequentially retracting the flaps of the frames one frame at a time in a zone immediately downstream of the safety zone as the machine is advanced;
(d) sequentially advancing the flaps of the frames one frame at a time in a zone immediately upstream of the safety zone as the machine is advanced;
(e) pushing the conveyor segments toward the face by extension of the actuators of the frames one frame at a time in a second zone immediately upstream of the upstream zone;
(f) drawing the frames toward the face by contraction of the actuators of the frames one frame at a time in a third zone immediately upstream from the second zone;
and
(g) selecting the number of frames in the upstream and downstream zone in accordance with the stability of the material of the mine roof.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.