Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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"MINERAL BREAKERS "
The present invention relates to mineral breakers and
is primarily, but not exclusively concerned with breakers for
use in coal mining for sizing coal being delivered from the
coal face.
According-to one aspect of the present invention there
is provided a mineral breaker comprising a breaker drum
rotatably mounted in a casing which extends about a portion
of the periphery of the drum to partially envelope the drum,
the breaker being adapted for connection to the delivery end
of a conveyor so as to be capable of breaking lumps of mineral
being delivered from the conveyor and deposit the broken
material to a position below the conveyor.
According to another aspect of the present invention
there ~g provided a mineral breaker for breaking mineral
travelling along a conveyor, the breaker including a breaker
drum which is movably mounted above the conveyor for movement
toward or away from the conveyor.
Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in
which:-
Figure 1 is a plan view of a single drum transfer
breaker shown in situ;
Figure 2 is a more detailed plan view of a transfer
breaker similar to the one shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line III~
in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV
in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a plan view of a twin drum transfer breaker;
Figure 6 is an end view of the transfer breaker shown
in Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a side view, partly broken away of another
breaker;
Figure 8 is a sectional view along line A-A in Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in
Figure 8
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Figure lO is a longitudinal section through another
embodiment according to the present invention
Figure ll is a sectional view taken along line C-C
ln Figure lO
Figure 12 is a side view of another embodiment according
to the present invention
Figure 13 is an end view of the embodiment shown in
Figure 12
The mineral breakers lO shown in Figures 1 to 4 are
primarily intended for use at a position where minerals are
transferred from one conveyor to another which runs perpen-
dicularly to said on~ conveyor.
In Figure 1, a mineral breaker lO is shown positioned at
the delivery end 11 of an armoured flexible conveyor 12 which
lS extends along the coal cutting face in a coal mine. The
conveyor 12 has a drive motor 13 and a gear ~ox 14 which drives
a sprocket wheel 15.
The mineral breaker lO includes a brea~er drum 16 which
is located adjacent to the sprocket wheel 15 so that material
~ being delivered by the conveyor 12 is thrown onto the drum.
As shown, the drum is provided with a series of picks 18 which
on rotation of the drum break down the material ~eing thrown
onto the drum.
The drum 16 is provided with helical ribs l9 which
serve to move material being delivered to the drum quickly
away from the delivery point and so avoids a blockage of
material. As shown in Figure 1, the picks 18 are only located
in the region of the width of the conveyor 12. However, as
shown in Figures 2 to 4, the picks may extend alon~ the
entire length of the drum.
A motor 20 and gear box 21 are provided for rotating
the drum in a direction opposite to that of the sprocket wheel '~
15 so that material delivered to the drum is forced downwardly ;~
onto the conveyor 25 which transports the sized material away,
in this case, along the gateway of the mine.
The speed of rotation of the drum is chosen so that its
peripheral speed is greater than the speed of delivery of
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conveyor 12 so that with the help of the helical ribs t:~e
material is quickly moved awa~ from the delivery region.
It is to be noted, however, that in certain applications it
may be desirable not to have the helical ribs present.
The drum 16 is rotatably mounted in a casing 26 which
is preferably a robust metal castin~. The casing 26 has an
arcuate wall portlon 26a which partially enve~opes the drum
16 and is provided at each end with first and second end wall
portions 26b and 26c each of which have connecting flanges 27.
One flange 27 is bolted to a fixing plate 28 which in turn is
bolted to the delivery end of conveyor 12 thereby ensuring
that the device 10 is fixedly connected to the conveyor. The
other flange 27 is bolted to the housing of gear box 21.
As shown in Figure 3, the first end wall portion 26b is
provided with a projection 27a which defines an annular spigot.
The gear box housing 21 is provided with a complimentary
aperture to receive projection 27a thereby ensuring a rigid
connection between the casing 26 and gear box housing. It will
be appreciated that by rotating the gear box housing on the
annular spigot it is possible to adjust the height and position
of the motor 20 relative to the conveyor 25.
The top and bottom sides of the casing 26 are provided
with tangential flange portions 30 and 31 respectively which
are located directly one above the other and which extend the
length of the casing. Both flange portions 30, 31 include
a projecting rib 32 which also extends the length of the casing.
The flange portions 30, 31 define identical attachment
formations. As illustrated a hood member 34 which serves to
deflect material downwardly is bolted to the upper attachment
formation and a support 35 is bolted to the lower attachment
formatio~.
It wi]l therefore be appreciated that by virtue of the
attachment formations being ident~cal, it is possible to locate
the breaker 10 at either end of conveyor 12 to receive material
therefrom with the motor 20 and gear box 21 being located on
the same side of the conveyor.
The support 35 is fabricated from steel plate and extends
the length of the casing ~6 as seen in Figure 3. It will be
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appreciated that by varying the width of the support 35 it is
possible to adjust the height of the casing 26.
The support 35 stands via feet 37 on one of two
side flanges 38 provided on a pan member 33 whose base 33a
passes under the conveyor 35. A bridge member 39 is provided
when extends across the conveyor 25 and is supported on both
side flanges 38_ of another pan member 33a via a support 35a
and feet 37_ of similar height as the support 35 and feet 37.
The motor 20 is bolted to the bridge member 39 and is therefore
supported thereby.
In use, pegs 38_ are used to prevent feet 37, 37_
sliding along the flanges 38 and 38_ respectively.
Extending between flange portions 30, 31 are a
series of ribs 39 which help to rigidify the casing 26.
Apertures 39a are formed in ribs 39 so that these
may serve as points of anchorage for stakes 40 should these be
required. A suitable stake 40 is illustrated in Figure 4.
As seen in Figure 3, the drive shaft 42 ~rom gear
box 21 is connected to the shaft 43 to which drum 16 is keyed
by a breakable drive coupling 44 similar to the drive coupling
described in U.K. patent application No. 7928089 published on
Sep-tember 26, 1979 under No, 2033538A. Consequently, by remov-
ing the second end wall portion 26c which is detachably connec-
ted to the arcua-te wall portion 26a and which houses bearing 48
and undoing bolts 49 it is possible to axially withdraw as one
unit the drum 16, shaft 43 and bearing housing 50 from the cas-
ing 26.
Consequently replacement of drum 16 is easily and
quickly achieved.
It is envisaged that it is possible to mount the
motor 20 so as to be located adjacent to the casing 26 in order
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to provide a more compact assembly.
In Figures 5 and 6, another type of breaking de-
vice 100 is illustrated which is primarily in-tended for loca-
tion at the delivery end of one or more conveyors and transIers
material delivered thereto onto a conveyor below it. The re-
lative direc-tions of the conveyors is no-t important since the
conveyor delivering material deposits the material into a
hopper. The breaking device 100 requires a greater working
height than
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breaker 10 so that device 100 is used for transferal of material
in the gateways of the mine.
The breaker 100 basically includes two casings 26 and
drums 15 of the same constructions as those illustrated in
Figures 1 to 4. The drums 16 are spaced apart by a bridging
plate 101 which is bolted to connecting flanges 27 of the
second end wall portions of each casing.
At the opposite end, the drum casings 26 are bolted to
a gear box housing 103 which contains a train of gears 104
which are arranged to drive the drums 16 in opposite directions
and at the same speed from a common motor 105.
Two hood members 34 are provided which are bolted to
the upper flange portions 30 of respective casings 26 to define
a hopper 106. Supports 35 are provided for supporting each
casing 26. The supports 35 are supported on 'I' beams 107
which extend either side of conveyor-108 onto which the sized
material ls to be deposited. '
The distance between the two drums is chosen so as
to give the desired sizing of material, for instance in coal
20 mining a slze of material not exceeding 6-8". ~;
It will be appreciated that the breaker 100 operates to
break material without subjecting either the feed conveyors c
or the takeaway conveyor to any loadlngs.
Reference is now made to Figures 7 to 13 which illustrate
25 breakers for breaking material flowing along a conveyor. In ,
Figures 7 to 9 there is shown a breaker 200 which may be
located at any suitable position along the conveyor. As shown
in Figures 7 to 9 the breaker 200 co-operates with an armoured ~
flexible conveyor~201. The floor of the conveyor 201 with ! -'
30 which the breaker drum 202 co-operates is preferably reinforced
in order to withstand the working conditions. For example, the
floor may be formed with 3" thick steel plating.
The breaker 200 includes a breaker drum 202 which is
rotatably mounted between the terminal end of a pair of
support arms 203. The support arms 203 are connected to one
another by a pair of spaced transverse members 204 and a tube
205.
The ends of the arms 203 remote from the drum are rotatably
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mounted on a shaft 206. The shaft 206 is support~d in opposed
walls 207, 208 of the breaker housing 209.
- Accordingly, the height of the drum 202 relative to the
conveyor 201 may be ad~usted by pivotal deflection of arms
203 about shaft 206. A hydraulic ram 210 is provided,
connected at one end to a bracket 210a secured to the housing
209 and at the other end to a bracket 210b which is bolted to
the transverse members 204 by means of bolts 210c. As seen in
Flgure 9, transverse members 204 are provided with a second
set of apertures 210d for reception of bolts 210c. The ram is
operable to raise or lower the drum as desired.
Stops (not shown) are provided for co-operation with arms
203 so as to limit the upward or downward travel of the drum in
order to prevent it hitting either the roof 211 of housing
204 or the conveyor 201.
One or more shear pins may be provided to lock the arms
203 in a desired position. IIn the illustrated embodiment two
shear pins are provided in ~he form of two bolts 203a (only
one being shown) each of whlch is located in one of a series
of apertures 212 formed ln the arms 203 and an aperture 212a
formed in the opposed walls 207, 208 of the housing. Each
shear pin ls designed so as to shear and permit the drum to rise
in the event of something too hard passing between the drum and
the conveyor. The hydraullc circuitry controlling ram 210 is
arranged to permit the drum to rise and ~hen permut the drum
to return slowly towards the conveyor.
~ It is also envisaged that the use of shear pins may be
dispensed with and instead the ram 210 could be used to hold 3
the drum in a desired position. ~he hydraulic circuitry ~,
would be designed to permit the drum to rise should something
too hard pass through.
As a safety feature it is envisaged that where space '
permits, a sensor may be located on the conveyor at a point
upstream from the breaker 200. The sensor would be arranged
to sense the presence of personnel on the conveyor and actuate
the ram 210 to raise the drum to a height sufficient for a
person to pass under the drum.
A spraying head (not shown) may ~e pro~ided in the roof
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of the housing 209 for spraying water onto the material being
broken in order to reduce air-borne dust.
Wall 207 is provided with a window 221 through
which the drive connection between the drum 202 and motor/gear
box 226 passes. The motor/gear box 226 are also carried by one
of the arms 203. In this respect a support arm 220 extends from
arm 203 through the window ar.d terminates in a connecting plate
220a to which the housing of the gear box is bolted. The motor/
gear box 226 may be housed in a casing (not shown) which may be
bolted to the wall 208.
It is envisaged that the wall 208 may also be pro-
vided with a window 221 so that the motor/gear box 226 may be
located on either side of the breaker housing 209. Thus to lo-
cate the motor/gear box 226 on the opposite side of the housing
209 the drum 202 and arms 203 are inverted through 180 and the
bracket 210_ is bolted via the second set of bolt holes 210d to
the transverse members 204.
As seen in Figure 8 a drive coupling 230 as des-
cribed in aforementioned U.K. application No. 7928089 published
on September 26, 1979 under No~ 2033538A is used for connecting
drive from the gear box to the drum 202. This enables the drum
202 to be easily and quickly detached from the gear box.
The drum 202 is rotatably mounted at either end in
bearings 249 which are mounted in identical bearing housings
241. Accordingly, the drum 202 may be turned through 180 to
enable the motor/gear box to be mounted on the opposite side of
the housing 209 without the need to invert arms 203.
The terminal end of each arm 203 is provided with
a removable end cap 203a which embrace the housings 241 so that
on removal, the drum 202 may be moved radially away from the
arms 203. Thus removal of the drum 202 is very easy.
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The drum 202 is made up from an assembly of separ-
a-te rings 250 carrying pi.cks 18 and spacer rings 251 keyed onto
a shaft 252. The assembly of rings 250 and 251 are held toge-
-ther by through bolts 253. Accordingly, once the drum 202 has
been removed from the arms 203 it is a simple matter to replace
or rearrange the rings 250 and 251. In some instance it may be
desirable to dispense with some or all of the spacer rings 251
so -tha-t a finer breaking action may be achieved.
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As shown in Figure 9, spacer rings 251 have recesses
251a formed in their peri~hery so as to interfere as little
as possible with mineral being broken and thereby permit a
greater throughput. However if desired the rings 251 may be
annular.
A further embodiment ls illustrated in Figures 10 and
11 which is slmilar to the embodiment illustrated in Fi~ures
7 to 9. Accordingly, the same reference numerals have been
used in Figures 10 and 11 to designate the same parts as
lllustrated ln Figures 7 to 9.
In the embodiment of Figures 10 and 11, the rings 250
carrying picks 18 and the spacer rings 251 have been replaced
by swing hammer assemblies 300. Each swing hammer assembly
300 includes three hammer heads 301 each of which is pivotally
attached to a through bolt 253 via a pair of arms 302. As more
clearly seen ln Flgure 11, each head 301 is recessed to receive
arms 302 wh~ch are bolted to the hea,d by a pair of bolts 303.
The arms 302 are provided with recesses 304 to accommodate
the bolt heads and nuts of bolts 303 so that they do not project
beyond the sides of the head 301. Each arm 302 is provided with
an aperture 306 so that each pair of arms 302 may be rotatably
received on a sleeve 308 received on a respective throughbolt
253.
As seen ln Figure 11 three sleeves 308 are received on
a throughbolt 253 and are spaced fr~none another by washers
309.
Each ha~uner assembly also includes a support plate 310
which is keyed to shaft 252 so as to be rotatable therewith.
In respect of each hammer assembly, the support plate 310 is
positioned between each pair of arms 302 as clearly shown in
Figure 11. During rotation of the shaft 252 in a clockwise
direction as viewed in Figure 10, each hammer head 301 is
free to swing between two limit stops, viz. movement of a
hammer head in a clockwise direction about bolt 253 as viewed
in Figure 10 is limited by a projection 312 formed on support
plate 310 which co-operates with a shoulder (not shown) on the
hammer head; movement of a hammer head in an anticlockwise
,:
direction is limited by side face 301a ensaging a res~ecti~;e
support plate 310. Accordingly, as each ha~mer head 301
approaches the conveyor durLng rotation of shaft 252 in a
clockwise direction ~as viewed in Figure lO) the leading face
301b of the hammer head strikes material being conveyed by
the conveyor. If necessary, each head 301 will move in an
anticlockwise ai~ection after striking the material in order
to give a greater amount of clearance between the hammer head
and conveyor.
Each hammer head is preferably formed from a casting of
maganese steel and is provided with a leading face 301_ which
is baslcally pyramidal in shape.
A further embodiment is illustrated in Flgures 12 and 13
wherein parts simllar to the parts contained in the apparatus
of Figures 7 to 9 have been designated with the same reference
numerals. ~ .
Basically, the breaker 400 illustrated in Figures 12
and 13 differs from the breaker illustrated in Figures 7 to 9
in that the hydraulic ram 21;0 has been replaced by a screw
threaded shaft 410. The shaft 410 is rotatably connected at its
lower end to bracket 210b and ls threadedly received in the
threaded bore of a support member 412 which is rotatably con-
nected to bracket 210a. The support member 412 is provided
with a lubrication duct which communicates with its internal
bore at one end and with alubrication pipe 413 at its other end.
The lubrication pipe 413 extends to a suitable location on
the housing to terminate at a grease nipple and thereby enable
the bore to be conveniently lubricated.
It is also envisaged that the housing 209 may be split
horizontally to enable spacing plates to be inserted. Accord--
insly, the height of the housing 209 may thus be varied.
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