Advanceable support assembly with inclination control for longwall guide
United States Patent [191 Plevak et al.  
 [ Apr. 1, 1975 ADVANCEABLE SUPPORT ASSEMBLY WITH INCLINATION CONTROL FOR LONGWALL GUIDE [75] Inventors: Lubomir Plevak, Horstmar; Egon Wojaczek, Bockum-l-lovel; Harry Rosenberg, Ludinghausen; Kunibert Becker, Werl, all of Germany [73] Assignee: Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia,  
 Wethmar near Lunen, Westphalia, Germany 22 Filed: July 13, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 378,844  
  30 Foreign Application Priority Data 3,779,023 12/1973 Koppers ..61/45D Primarj &#39;Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn &amp; Macpeak [5 7] ABSTRACT An advanceable support assembly which has a hollow floor&#39;rail which has therein a jack beam connected to the rail through a first piston and cylinder unit accommodated in the jack beam and operable to extend or retract the beam in a telescopic manner. The jack beam is externally hinged to a guide which receives a longwall conveyor. A second piston and cylinder unit coaxial with the first unit and accommodated in the jack beam is connected between the guide and the jack beam. This second unit serves to adjust the inclination of the guide and hence of a coal plough or the likeguided thereon. A further piston and cylinder unit is arranged in the rail coaxial with the first and second units and this further unit is coupled via a cranked arm to a roof bar which can be raised or lowered by operating this further unit.  
 12 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures July 13. 1972 Germany 2234452 [52] US. Cl 299/32, 61/45 D [51] Int. Cl. E21c 29/08 [58] Field of Search 299/31-34,  
 [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,276.819 10/1966 Lobbe et al 299/32 2s 37 I] 31 lm g s 3. Q !&#34;i-&#39;;-  
 32 as as 1 ADVANCEABLE SUPPORT ASSEMBLY WITH INCLINATION CONTROL FOR LONGWALL GUIDE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an advanceable support assembly for use in mine workings.  
  A variety of different types of support assembly are known in the mining art. Usually such assemblies are spaced apart along a working and connected through rams to a longwall scraper-chain conveyor so that, after the passage of a mining appliance, such as a coal plough, guided on the conveyor, the conveyor can be pushed forwards towards the mineral face and subsequently the support assemblies can be advanced up to the conveyor. Hydraulic props are provided on the assemblies to enable the assemblies to be braced between the roof and the floor of the mine working.  
  It is common to guide an appliance such as a plough, without a sword plate, on a guide assembled in sections connected to the longwall conveyor. The forces from the plough are then transmitted through the longwall conveyor and the rams to the support assemblies. It is also known in the art to support the longwall conveyor on the floor rails of the support assemblies so that the longwall conveyor can thereby be advanced together with the support assemblies. In any event it is common to provide some control of the position of the guide for the plough. For example, lifting units can be connected to the goaf side of the longwall conveyor and with the aid of these units the longwall conveyor and hence the plough guide connected to it can be tilted. The plough can be controlled with these units in such a way that even in the event of any irregular formation of the coal seam and of the floor of the mine working the plough can be made to cut constantly with its floor cutters approximately at the juncture between the floor and the seam.  
  With this background a general object of the present invention is to provide an improved support assembly which can be used with special advantage in fully mechanised mine workings.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided an advanceable support assembly for use in mine workings; said assembly comprising a hollow floor member, a jack beam arranged in a telescopic manner within the floor member and connected to guide means for accommodating a conveyor, means for effecting relative movement between the floor member and the jack beam and means for adjusting the inclination of the guide means.  
  The floor means may have means for raising and lowering a roof-engaging bar which is in the form of a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit disposed within the floor member and operably connected to a crankedarm supporting the roof-engaging bar.  
  The guide means may have a trough-like crosssection to locate and receive the conveyor therein and a ramp-like portion on the side remote from the floor member, said portion serving to guide a mineral winning or loading appliance. This construction provides a comparatively large unobstructed space at the goaf side of the conveyor and this improves accessibility and ventilation.  
  The jack beam is preferably slidably guided in the direction of advance and a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit may be disposed in the floor member to effect the relative movement between the floor member and the jack beam. This saves construction space and moreover ensures the unit is adequately protected. The telescopic jack beam can then be extended or retracted by means of this unit, which is preferably disposed in a substantially horizontal position to effect advancement of the conveyor and the assembly.  
  The inclination of the guide means may be controlled by pivoting the jack beam and guide means together and providing a further hydraulic piston and cylinder unit to pivot the guide means relative to the jack beam.  
  This further unit may also be accommodated in the floor member and a particularly advantageous construction results from placing both the units in the jack beam in a coaxial manner and pivotably connecting the units between the floor member and the jack beam and between the jack beam and the guide means. Such a construction is notably simple.  
  The guide means may have a wall at the goaf side adjacent the floor member which is pivotably connected at its upper end to the jack beam with the pivotal connection being disposed above the floor member. This pivotal connection and that of the hydraulic units are preferably constructed to enable movement between the guide means and the jack beam longitudinally of the conveyor thereby enabling tensioning of the conveyor. A tensioning unit may in fact be incorporated into the pivotal connection between the guide means and the jack beam.  
  In a simpler form the pivotal connection may be produced by a tube attached to the upper end of the goaf wall of the guide means and a curved portion of a flange secured to the jack beam.  
  vIn another aspect the invention provides an advanceable support assembly for use in mine workings; said assembly comprising a hollow floor member; a jack beam arranged in telescopic manner within the floor member; means for effecting relative movement between the jack beam and the floor member; a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit disposed within the floor member and a cranked arm coupled to said unit and movable thereby to raise or lower a roof-engaging bar to selectively brace the assembly between the roof and floor of a mine working.  
  In a further aspect the invention provides an advanceable support assembly for use in mine workings; said assembly comprising, a hollow floor member; a jack beam arranged in telescopic manner within the floor member; guide means pivotably connected to the jack beam; means for effecting relative movement between the jack beam and the floor member and for effecting adjustment of the inclination of the guide means; and a cranked arm mounted for pivoting in relation to the floor members and supporting a roofengaging bar; and means within the floor member for pivoting the cranked arm to raise or lower said bar.  
  The invention may be understood more readily and various other features of the invention may become more apparent from consideration of the following description.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING:  
  An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:  
  FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional side view of an advanceable mine roof support assembly made in accordance with the invention; and  
  FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional side view of a modifled part of the assembly depicted in FIG. 1.  
 DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawing, an advanceable mine roof support assembly has a hollow floor member or rail which normally rests on the floor of a mine working.  
  Although the following description concentrates on the construction of one assembly in a complete mining installation a series of these support assemblies would normally be provided at spaced intervals along the mine working. At the end of the member 10 remote from a mineral face (not shown), i.e. at the goaf side, the member 10 is provided with an upstanding projection 11 formed with walls which taper inwards in the upward direction. This projection 11 accommodates a cranked arm 12 having inclined limbs 21 and 14. A horizontal pivot pin 13 is provided at the juncture between these limbs 21, 14 to pivot the arm 12 to the projection 11. The limb 14 of the arm 12 projects through a slot 15 at the upper side of the member 10 to terminate within the space 16 inside the member 10. The end portion of this limb 14 is pivotably connected at its end via a pivot pin 17 to a piston rod 18 of a doubleacting hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 19 mounted within the member 10. The cylinder of the unit 19 is linked with a pivot pin 20 to the member 10. The unit 19 is disposed in a substantially horizontal position and is protected by the member 10 and its projection 11. The other limb 21 of the arm 12 would connect with a roof-engaging bar (not shown). This bar may be of single or muIti-part construction and is preferably of sufficient length to engage the roof right up to the mineral face.  
  As can readily be appreciated from the drawing, when the unit 19 is operated to extend the rod 18 the arm 12 will pivot about the pin 13 so that the limb 21 will urge the roof-engaging bar against the roof thereby bracing the assembly between the roof and the floor. Conversely, when the unit 19 is operated to retract the rod 18 the arm 12 will pivot about the pin 13 so that the limb 21 will cause the roof-engaging bar to become detached from the roof. It is notable that since the roofengaging bar is not supported by hydraulic props, as is conventional, the section of the working between the mineral face and the projection 11 is substantially unobstructed.  
  At the mineral face side of the member 10 there is provided a telescopic structure generally denoted 22. The structure 22 is composed ofajack beam 23 linked with one or more hinge components or connections to a guide means 24, hereinafter referred to simply as the guide 24. The guide 24 in this construction has a trough-like cross-section and supports a longwall scraper-chain conveyor 31 therein. The guide 24 has a ramplike guide portion 32 on the mineral face side which serves to support and guide a cutting or loading appliance such as a coal plough. The guide 24 has a goafside wall 37 which has the hinge connections 25 at its upper end.  
  The beam 23 is hollow and is slidably disposed within the main floor member 10. The beam 23 itself accommodates a double-acting piston and cylinder unit or ram 26 which serves to move the beam 23 outwardly from the member 10 and towards the mineral face, arrow P, in a reverse direction inwardly of the member 10. Thus, the unit 26 is usable to effect shifting of the guide 24 and hence the conveyor 31 towards the face and when the roof engaging bar is removed from the roof the entire assembly can be moved up towards the conveyor 31 by operating the unit 26. The unit 26 is disposed in a substantially horizontal position and is, as with the unit 19, well protected by the member 10.  
  The unit 26 has its cylinder pivotably connected with a pin 34 to a bracket or lug 27 formed on the inside of the beam 23. The piston rod 28 of the unit 26 is coupled to a hinge connection 29 provided on a crosspiece 30 which serves to reinforce and stiffen the main member 10.  
  A further double-acting hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 33 is provided in the beam 23. The unit 33 is coaxial and aligned with the unit 26. The cylinder of the unit 33 is also pivotably connected to the pin 34 supported by the lug 27. The unit 33 has a piston rod 35 which projects outwardly from the beam 23 and is coupled to a further hinge connection 36 provided on the wall 37 of the guide 24. The unit 33 can be operated so that the piston rod 35 extends or retracts relative to the beam 23 to thereby swivel the guide 24 about the hinge connections 25. In this way the ramp portion 32 of the guide 24 can be moved, arrow S, to control the position of the appliance guided thereby.  
  Thus to summarize during the mineral winning operation the&#39;unit 33 serves to control the position of the ramp portion 32, the unit 23 serves to effect shifting of the guide 24 and the assembly and the unit 19 serves to move the roof-engaging bar from the roof supporting position to a retracted position and vice versa.  
  The hinge connections 25 between the guide 24 and the beam 23 are preferably constructed to allow the beam 23 and the guide 24 to move relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 31 and FIG. 2 depicts a form of hinge connection 25 which permits such movement.  
  As shown in FIG. 2 a cylindrical tube 38 is attached to the wall 37 of the guide 24 and this tube 38 is partly surrounded by a claw-like curved end portion 39 of an upstanding flange connected to the beam 23. As can be appreciated, this construction allows the relative displacement of the beam 23 and the guide 24 in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 31. It is apparent that with this arrangement the hinge connections 36 of the unit 33 also have to be 50 arranged so as to permit the movement between the beam 23 and the guide 24 and this can be achieved as depicted in FIG. 2 where the rod 35 has a ball at the end held captive, but displaceable, by a locating piece on the outside of the wall 37. In the context of the complete mining installation having several support assemblies this construction makes it possible to tension and anchor the longwall conveyor 31 or rather the guides 24 and the beam 23 of the various support assemblies in the longitudinal direction of the mineral face as is particularly desirable where the working has a floor with a steep inclination. The tensioning can be arranged in the same way as the known longwall installations where individual support assemblies are used as abutments for separate tensioning units. In the case of the present invention, tension units can be disposed between the individual beams 23 and guides 24 in such a way that each unit is coupled between the beam 23 and the guide 24 of each support assembly. A particularly advantageous arrangement is to utilize these tensioning units as part of the hinge connections 25. This can be achieved by replacing the cylindrical tubes 38 with hydraulic tensioning units the cylinders of which are still embraced by the curved portions 39 as shown in FIG. 2. The piston rods of these tensioning units would be pivotably connected to the portions 39.  
  In a modified construction it is possible to arrange the units 33 also on or in the guides 24 instead of in the beams 23 and in this case the piston rods 35 of the units 33 would be pivotably connected to the beams 23. It would furthermore be feasible to arrange the guide ramp 32 in such a way that it can swing in a vertical plane or be vertically adjustable in relation to the rest of the guide 24 and in this case such displacement may be effected by means of further hydraulic piston and cylinder units supported, for example, by the guides 24. In this lastmentioned arrangement it is possible for the beams 23 and the guides 24 to be rigidly connected to one another.  
 We claim:  
  1. An advanceable support assembly for use in mine workings; said assembly comprising a. a hollow floor member; l  
 b. a hollow jack beam arranged in telescopic manner within the floor member;  
 c. guide means for accommodating a conveyor connecged to said jack beam;  
 (1. a first hydraulic piston and cylinder unit disposed within the jack beam for effecting relative movement between the floor member and the jack beam; and  
 e. a second hydraulic piston and cylinder unit also disposed within the jack beam for adjusting the inclination of the guide means, the first and second units being arranged in a substantially horizontal position and coaxial with one another.  
  2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cylinders of the units are pivotably connected to a common lug provided on the inner surface of the jack beam, the piston rod of the first unit is pivotably connected to a rigid cross-piece disposed within the floor member and connected thereto, and the piston rod of the second unit is pivotably connected to the guide means.  
  3. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the jack beam and the guide means are pivotably connected to one another.  
  4. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein the second piston and cylinder unit effects pivotal movement between the jack beam and the guide means.  
  5. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein the guide means has a wall on the side thereof adjacent the floor member, the jack beam and the guide means being pivotably connected at the upper part of this wall.  
  6. An assembly according to claim 5, wherein the pivotal connection between the jack beam and the guide means is disposed above the floor member.  
  7. An assembly according to claim 3, wherein the pivotal connection between the guide means and the jack beam permits relative movement of the guide means and the jack beam in the longitudinal direction of the working.  
  8. An assembly according to claim 7, wherein the pivotal connection between the jack beam and the guide means is provided by a tube attached to the upper end of the wall of the guide means and a curved portion of a flange secured to the jack beam.  
  9. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the guide means has a trough-like cross-section to locate the conveyor therein and the guide means has a ramplike portion on the side remote from the floor member, said portion serving to guide a mineral winning or lo ading appliance.  
  10. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the floor member is provided with a third hydraulic piston and cylinder unit disposed within the member and operably connected to a cranked arm adapted to support a roof-engaging bar, whereby such a bar can be raised and lowered by said unit via the cranked arm.  
  11. An assembly according to claim 10, wherein the third unit is disposed in a substantially horizontal posimon.  
  12. An assembly according to claim 10, wherein the cranked-arm is pivotably supported, partly within a projection at the upper side of the floor member.