Mining or in situ disintegration of hard material – Cutter tooth or tooth head – Cleansing fluid passage
Patent
1996-05-17
1997-11-25
Bagnell, David J.
Mining or in situ disintegration of hard material
Cutter tooth or tooth head
Cleansing fluid passage
299 812, E21C 3523
Patent
active
056903928
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a water supply system for a mining machine, and to a mining machine provided with such a system.
Mining machines of the so-called continuous miner type, comprising a crawler chassis with one elevatable drive arm, or a pair of spaced-apart, elevatable drive arms pivotable about a common transverse axis, projecting from the front of the chassis, and carrying a plurality of mineral cutting drums which in turn carry an array of cutter picks, with the drums being rotatable about the transverse axis, and consisting of a centre drum between the arms and two end drums.
With other types of mining machine a standard feature is the provision of a supply of pressurized water to spray nozzles located in the vicinity of the picks for various purposes such as dust suppression, incendive sparking shrouding and pre-start warning, but the provision of such a water supply feature on a continuous miner is not without technical difficulties and has largely been avoided, with a simple transverse spray bar provided for dust supression purposes. However, in one design of continuous miner a water supply has been provided along a co-axial drive shaft of the drums, but the integrity of water seals is critical as seal failure results in contamination of the associated gearbox and their eventual failure, with consequent loss of mineral production and considerable repair costs. Consequently, seals of the highest quality, and cost, are essential.
A basic object of the present invention is to provide an improved water supply system for a continuous type mining machine, in which any water seal leakage or failure is of little or no consequence.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a water supply system for a mining machine of the continuous miner type, the system comprising from the mining machine and terminating in a ring, an internal or external operational periphery of which ring is in close proximity respectively to an external or internal portion of the operational arcuate periphery of the cutting drum; operational periphery of the ring and the operational portion of the drum; minimise water leakage from the chamber; supplying water from a remote supply source to the chamber; and with the chamber.
Thus, the water supply system in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, adopts the principal of providing water entry to and through the outside of the selected drum(s) itself, rather than through the drive shaft in accordance with the prior art proposal, so that the water leakage, that will inevitably occur at some time or other due to seal wear or failure or design, is of little consequence, as it can have no damaging effect on other components of the mining machine, as the leakage is external of that drum(s), merely falling to the mine floor. Hence relatively low cost seals can be employed without detriment.
The water supply system in accordance with the first aspect may be retro-fitted to existing mining machines.
In one embodiment, the operational portion of the drum is a plain, arcuate periphery of the drum. In another embodiment, the operational portion of the drum is a circumferential groove provided in a portion of the arcuate periphery of the drum.
In principle, the sealing means may be static, supported from the ring, and in sliding sealing engagement with the drum, or alternatively the sealing means may be rotary, supported from the drum, and in sliding sealing engagement with the ring. The sealing means is preferably biased into sealing engagement, and biassing may be effected hydraulically by the water supply system, or mechanically by spring means, or by the resilience of the material of the seal.
The sealing means may comprise a single ring, with opposed sealing arms, or may comprise at least two axially spaced-apart sealing rings which are biassed radially, or generally radially, into sealing engagement. The sealing means may be a one piece component. Alternatively, the sealing means may be formed by fitting two sealing components back to back. In the ci
REFERENCES:
patent: 4718730 (1988-01-01), Unger
Bagnell David J.
Hydra Tools International PLC
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