Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
- CA 022~0766 1998-09-30
Selective Cut Headinq Machine
This invention relates to a selective cut heading machine for
use as a mining or tunnelling machine in accordance with the
construction design defined in the classifying clause of claim
1, as known from DE 32 37 801 C2.
Selective cut heading machines are known to be employed as
driving machines in mining and tunnelling and as mining and
extraction machines in underground mining. The driving and
mining machines usually equipped with crawler mechanisms are
of great structural lengths, their maneuverability thus being
limited. In order to remedy this and to enhance the curve-
going ability of the machine, it is known from DE 32 37 801 C2
to divide the carriage frame of the selective cut heading
machine in its longitudinal direction, i.e., form it of two
frame parts connected in a laterally pivotable manner by a
pivot connection, wherein the central conveyor of the machine,
which consists of a scraping chain conveyor, is designed as an
articulated conveyor for swinging out horizontally and
vertically.
From, for instance, DE 24 37 683 C3 and DE 27 20 380 C2 it is
also known for selective cut heading machines provided with
crawler mechanisms and having no articulated subdivision of
the carriage frame, to arrange on the carriage claws which may
be hydraulically pulled out against the floor in order to
relieve the crawler mechanism during the cutting operation of
the machine. Also, it is not new with such machines to mount
the cutting arm with its pivoting mechanism on the carriage
frame in such a manner that it may be advanced in the
direction towards the mine face by means of hydraulic advance
cylinders in the stop position of the machine, thereby
increasing the range of action of the cutting means. Those
previously known selective cut heading machines have, however,
no central conveyors as loading conveyors, but two separate
conveyors arranged in the lateral regions of the machines,
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thus involving elevated structural widths, structural
expenditures and machine weights.
Departing from an tunnelling and mining machine of the generic
mode of construction, the invention is based primarily on the
object to design this known selective cut heading machine with
as compact and sturdy a construction as possible at a good
curve-going ability so as to provide for a large range of
action of the cutting means at a high stability and enable the
machine to be used, above all, also for drifting in under-
ground mining such as, in particular, in salt mining at a high
daily headway.
In accordance with the invention, this object is achieved by
the characteristic features defined in the characterizing
clause of claim 1.
The selective cut heading machine according to the invention
is characterized by a good curve-going ability, since the rear
frame part of the carriage frame, which is coupled with the
front frame part comprising the crawler mechanism via a pivot
connection in a laterally pivotable manner and primarily
serves the pivotable displacement of the central conveyor, is
coupled with the front frame part in a spaced-apart relation-
ship relative to the crawler mechanism of the front frame partvia the pivot connection so as to be able to be carried along
therewith, yet may have a relatively short structural length.
It is, thus, feasible at the same time to arrange, on the
front side of the front frame part in front of its crawler
mechanism and also on the rear side of this frame part behind
the crawler mechanism, claws that may be hydraulically pulled
out against the floor, thereby relieving the crawler mechanism
of the front frame part during the cutting work of the machine
in a manner known per se. At the same time, this results in a
high stability of the machine during the cutting operation.
The pivot connection between the two frame parts of the
carriage frame being arranged at a distance behind the crawler
CA 022~0766 1998-09-30
mechanism of the front frame part, this allows for an
accordingly reduced bearing weight of the stacker boom on the
rear frame part even with a great length of the central
conveyor end region constituting the stacker boom.
The selective cut heading machine according to the invention
suitably is equipped with a transverse cutting head known for
such purposes, since lateral bracing of the machine in the
drifted roadway may thus be obviated. Excavation cutting
during roadway drivage is effected with the machine supported
on the claws by advancing the cutting means constituted by the
cutting arm, and not, as usual, by the travelling mechanism of
the crawler mechanism. Thereby, excavation cutting is
facilitated even with hard mineral, while, at the same time,
enabling the saving of the cutting tools arranged on the
cutting head. In addition, also the floor is saved, in
particular in case of soft bottoms. Finally, there are
substantial advantages also when drifting ascending roadways,
brows and transversal slopes. The enlarged axial displacement
path of the cutting means to be achieved by the structural
design of the machine according to the invention also enables
the cutting head to be retracted into the region of the
loading table so as to improve the loading procedure at a
relatively short distance between mine face and loading table.
For the aforementioned reasons it is recommended to devise the
arrangement such that the rear support of the hydraulic
advance cylinders provided for axially advancing the cutting
means is placed relatively far back in the carriage frame and,
preferably, in the region of its rear frame part or the above-
mentioned pivot connection. In doing so, the front frame part
may comprise a console-like connection piece overlapping the
pivot connection, on which the hydraulic advance cylinders are
articulately connected and supported.
The selective cut heading machine according to the invention
not only combines th-e advantages of the known machine
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comprising a divided carriage frame in terms of curve-going
ability with the advantages of the likewise known selective
cut heading machines comprising undivided carriage frames in
respect of the large range of action of the cutting means, but
additionally offers the opportunity to even further increase
the advance measure of the cutting means by locating the
advance cylinders backwards and to operate at a good stability
of the machine during the cutting operation at a slight
distance of the loading table from the mine face.
In a preferred embodiment, the front frame part of the vehicle
frame comprises a fixed supporting console rearwardly
cantilevering relative to its crawler mechanism, to which a
pivoting console constituting the rear frame part is connected
in an self-supporting manner in the pivot connetion mentioned,
on which console at least one hydraulic lifting cylinder that
serves to support, and pivot in terms of height, the inclined
stacker boom of the central conveyor is articulately
supported. In this case, the above-mentioned claws are
arranged on the cantilevering supporting console, which claws
support the front frame part of the carriage frame towards the
floor in the close vicinity of the pivot connection to the
rear frame part as they are hydraulically adjusted relative to
the floor. The pivot connection serving the lateral pivoting
of the central conveyor and its end section constituting the
stacker boom suitably is provided also at a distance behind
the crawler mechanism of the front frame part and above the
pivot connection of the two frame parts of the carriage frame.
Also the pivoting console constituting the rear frame part may
be provided with at least one support or claw capable of being
pulled out towards the floor by means of hydraulic lifting
cylinders, thereby enabling the machine to be supported also
in its rear region, what is of particular advantage if the
selective cut heading machine is operating on an ascending
roadway level. Also arranged on the rear frame part or pivot
console constituting the same may be a rake blade capable of
being hydraulically lowered towards the floor and also of
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assuming the supporting function referred to above. The rake
blade offers the opportunity to level the floor behind the
selective cut heading machine by removing heaps of debris
while the selective cut heading machine according to the
invention is being displaced rearwardly in the roadway by its
crawler mechanism.
The pivoting mechanism for the cutting means suitably is
comprised of a turntable rotatable about a vertical pivot axis
by means of hydraulic pivot cylinders and on which the cutting
arm is mounted so as to be hydraulically pivotable in height
and which rests on a sled guided along a sled guide extending
in the axial machine direction, of the front frame part of the
carriage frame and contacted by the advance cylinder means
suitably comprising two hydraulic advance cylinders. The
loading table of the selective cut heading machine according
to the invention, which is designed in the manner of a loading
shovel, suitably is mounted on the front side of the front
frame part of the carriage frame so as to be pivotable in
height by means of hydraulic lifting cylinders. It may be
equipped with rotating loading discs and fixed deflectors,
which deliver the heaps of debris onto the central conveyor
arranged in the center of the machine, the drives of the
loading discs being incoporated in the loading table. Loading
devices of this type including driven loading discs are known,
for instance, from DE-GM 94 06 245.5. The loading table may be
lifted by means of hydraulic lifting cylinders and, if
required, lowered as far as to below the floor level in order
to displace the selective cut heading machine. The rear ~rame
part of the carriage frame or pivoting console constituing the
same may simultaneously carry additional machine aggregates
such as, above all, an electric transformer and an associated
control box. The front frame part of the carriage frame
suitably is provided with a driver's cab for the machine
driver, which is located above the pivoting mechanism.
sesides, it may be provided with an oil cooler for cooling the
compressed oil serving to supply the hydraulic consumers of
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the machine and with a water cooler for recooling the cooling
water serving to cool the cutting drive.
According to another characteristic feature of the invention,
to which independent inventive importance is attached, the
selective cut heading machine is provided with a device for
sucking off the dust-containing air forming in the cutting
region. To this end, the front frame part suitably comprises
approximately bridge-shaped superstructures which constitute
carriers for airducts arranged on both sides thereof and
serving to suck off the dust-containing air and, in the rear
region of the front frame part, are united and connected to an
airduct located on the rear frame part, suitably likewise on a
stage-like superstructure of the same, and in which a fan
serving to suck off the dust is installed. Preferably, the
airduct arranged on the rear frame part of the carriage frame
is provided with an airduct storage from which an airduct made
of flexible material may be extracted from the pushed-together
state into the region behind the selective cut heading machine
by an extent so as to be connectable to an airduct system
fixedly installed in the drived roadway, via which the dust-
containing air is then carried off the roadway behind the
selective cut heading machine. The airduct storage can receive
an airduct train of, e.g., 20 to 30 m such that the selective
cut heading machine can be displaced by that length in the
roadway drivage before the stored length in the airduct
storage is exhausted and the airduct permanently laid in the
roadway is drawn further forwards. The dust-containing air
sucked off in the region of drivage of the selective cut
heading machine at the same time may be used for cooling
purposes, i.e., for cooling the compressed oil for the
hydraulic consumers of the machine and/or the cooling water
for the cutting drive of the machine, the oil cooler and/or
water cooler being incoporated in the airduct of the selective
cut heading machine for heat e~change purposes.
CA 022~0766 1998-09-30
The central conveyor employed with the selective cut heading
machine according to the invention suitably, in a known
manner, is comprised of a scraper chain conveyor, preferably
one including a central chain consisting of a flat link
articulated chain. In a known manner it is designed as an
articulated conveyor so as to be capable of being pivoted out
both horizontally and vertically in the region of the rear
frame part of the carriage frame in its course. In particular,
if the heaps of debris extracted during advancing are strongly
corrosive such as, for instance, when using the machine in
potassium mining, it is recommended to externally cover the
central conveyor, at least in its rear region constituting the
stacker boom, by a casing in order to prevent the same from
corroding and the corrosive dust mixture from being deposited
on the conveyor.
Further characteristic features of the selective cut heading
machine according to the invention may be taken from the
subsequent description of the exemplary embodiment represented
in the drawing. In the drawing,
Fig. 1 illustrates a selective cut heading machine according
to the invention in the side view;
Fig. 2 is a top view on the selective cut heading machine
according to Fig. 1.
The selective cut heading machine illustrated, which in the
exemplary embodiment shown in a particularly advantageous
manner is to be used in potassium mining, comprises a carriage
frame which is divided in its longitudinal direction and has a
front frame part 1 and a rear frame part 2 connected with the
front frame part 1 by means of a pivot connection, of which
only the vertical pivot axis is indicated at 3 by a dot-and-
dash line in Fig. 1. The front frame part 1 is provided with a
crawler mechanism 4 and its associated travelling engine for
the two parallel crawlers of the crawler mechanism as is known
with selective cut heading machines. The front frame part 1,
which is provided with the crawler mechanism 4 is e~uipped
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with a fixed supporting console 5 rearwardly cantilevering
relative to its crawler mechanism, to which console the rear
frame part 2, which is designed in the manner of a pivoting
console, is connected in a laterally pivotable self-supporting
manner in the pivot connection 3 mentioned, hydraulic pivot
cylinders 6 being arranged laterally between the supporting
console 5 and the pivoting console or frame part 2 for
mutually pivoting the frame parts 1 and 2. By aid of these
pivot cylinders 6, the rear frame part 2 may thus be
horizontally pivoted in both directions relative to the
stationary front frame part 1, thereby offering a good curve-
going ability of the long-design selective cut heading machine
in a known manner. It is apparent that the rear frame part 2
constituted by the pivoting console at a distance to the rear
end of the crawler mechanism 4 in the pivot connection 3 is
connected with the supporting console 5 so as to be self-
supporting in its extension and that the supporting console 5
comprises claws 7 on both sides of the machine, which, as
known per se, are attached to the supporting console in
horizontal joints 8 so as to be pivotable in height, being
liftable and lowerable relative to the floor 10 by means of
hydraulic lifting cylinders 9. Further claws 11 capable of
being hydraulically adjusted relative to the floor 10 are
arranged on the front side of the selective cut heading
machine in front of the crawlers of the crawler mechanism. By
aid of the four claws 7 and 11 arranged on the front and rear
frame parts 1, the crawler mechanism 4 in a known manner may,
therefore, be relieved for the cutting operation of the
machine and lifted off the floor 10 as the claws 7 and 11 are
adjusted relative to the floor 10 by means of their hydraulic
lifting cylinders 9. Thereby, a high stability of the machine
is ensured during the cutting operation.
The cutting means of the selective cut heading machine
illustrated, in a known manner is comprised of a cutting arm
12 carrying a cutting head 13 arranged on its free end and, as
apparent from Fig. 2, preferably designed as a transverse
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cutting head known per se. On its other end, the cutting arm
12 is mounted on a turntable 15 in a pivot bearing 14 so as to
be pivotable in height, wherein hydraulic pivot cylinders 16
are arranged between the turntable and the cutting arm for
pivoting the cutting arm 12 and the cutting head 13 in height.
As is also known, the turntable 15 constituting the cutting
arm support is mounted on a sled 17 so as to be pivotable
about a vertical axis of rotation and is pivotable about its
vertical axis by means of hydraulic pivot cylinders 18 such
that the cutting arm 12 is pivotable also in the horizontal
direction. The sled 17 with the turntable 15 mounted on it is
guided in a manner displaceable in the direction of the
longitudinal axis of the selective cut heading machine, i.e.,
in the direction towards the mine face and opposite thereto,
in a sled guide 19 provided on the front frame part of the
carriage frame, advancing being effected by aid of an advance
cylinder means comprised of two hydraulic advance cylinders 20
contacting the sled 17 by their piston rods. As may be seen
from Fig. 1, the advance cylinders 20 are set back relatively
far on the carriage frame such that their rear connection
joints 21 are arranged behind the frame part 1 and its
supporting console 5 in the region of the pivot connection 3.
From Fig. 1, it is apparent that the supporting console 5, on
its upper side, as a connecting piece 22 comprises a
supporting console overlapping the pivoting console 2 above
the pivot connection 3, to which the advance cylinders 20 are
attached in their joints 21, being supported on the same as
the sled 17 advances. The placement of the advance cylinders
20 relatively far back towards the rear frame part 2 renders
feasible the use of advance cylinders having relatively long
strokes so as to provide for a relatively large advancing
distance by which the sled 17 may be forwards in the direction
towards the mine face together with the turntable 15 and the
cutting arm 12. At the same time, it is possible to move back
the cutting arm 12 by means of the advance cylinders 20 to
such an extent that its cutting head 13 will operate at a
close distance in front of a loading table 23 attached to the
CA 022~0766 1998-09-30
-- 10 --
front side of the front frame part 1 of the carriage frame in
front of the crawler mechanism 4. The loading table 23, which
is designed in the manner of a loading shovel, is mounted on
the front frame part 1 so as to be pivotable in height by
means of hydraulic pivot cylinders 24 such that it may be
lifted off the floor 10 as the selective cut heading machine
is moved by aid of the crawler mechanism 4 and lowered towards
the floor 10 and, if required, even to below the level of the
floor 10 during the cutting operation of the machine. In the
exemplary embodiment illustrated, the loading table 23
comprises two driven rotating loading discs 25 which convey
the heaps of debris separated by the cutting head 13 in the
cutting operation and geting on the loading table, to the feed
end of the central conveyor arranged in the machine center as
known per se. Loading devices including driven loading discs
and associated deflectors are known from DE-GM 94 06 245.5, to
the disclosure of which it may be referred to in this context.
It is apparent that the front-side claws 11 are located in the
zone of the loading table 23, which is attached to the front
frame part 1 of the carriage frame 1 below the cutting arm 12
so as to be pivotable in height.
The aforementioned central conveyor extends from the loading
table 23 in the center of the machine below the sled 17 over
the length of the frame part 1 and, ascending upwardly behind
the same, over the rear frame part 2 of the carriage frame as
far as to behind the same, where it constitutes a stacker boom
26 in the rearward region of the same in a known manner, from
the free discharge end 27 of which stacker boom the heap of
debris loaded onto the central conveyor on the loading table
is thrown off into the roadway, from where it may be loaded by
means of a separate loading device and conveyed off. As known
from DE-32 37 801 C2, the central conveyor consists of a
scraper chain conveyor designed as an articulated conveyor
such that its rear conveying section constituting the stacker
boom 26 may be laterally pivoted together with the rear frame
part or pivoting console 2 while being liftable and lowerable
CA 022~0766 1998-09-30
in the vertical direction at the same time. The pivot axis for
the lateral pivotal movement of the stacker boom 26 is
indicated in Fig. 1 by a dot-and-dash line pivot axis 28. The
stacker boom 26 of the central conveyor, which is supported on
the pivoting console 2, is liftable and lowerable with its
discharge end 27 by means of hydraulic lifting cylinders 29.
The lifting cylinders 29 on the free end of the pivoting
console 2 bear against ball-and-socket footings and with their
piston rods are fastened in joints on the lower side of the
stacker boom 26. By aid of the lifting cylinders 29, the
stacker boom 26 can, therefore, be lifted and lowered relative
to the stationary pivoting console 2 while changing its
inclination.
It may be taken from Figs. 1 and 2 that the rear frame part
formed by the pivoting console 2 comprises a stage-like
superstructure 30 on top of which an electric transformer 31
is arranged and that the pivoting console carries one electric
switch box 32 on each side at a distance below the transformer
31 and laterally of the stacker boom 26. Furthermore, it is
apparent that the conveyor drive 33 is laterally attached to
the discharge end 27 of the central conveyor consisting of a
scraper chain conveyor. The central conveyor preferably
consists of a scraper chain conveyor comprising an endless
central chain formed by a flat link articulated chain and
carrying the scrapers, which is driven via the drive 33 in a
known manner.
To the rear end of the rear frame part 2 formed by the
pivoting console, a rake blade 34 approximately extending over
the machine width or therebeyond is fastened in a horizontal
joint 35 so as to be pivotable in height by means of hydraulic
pivot cylinders 36, thus being adjustable relative to the
floor 10 as illustrated in Fig. 1. This rake blade 34 serves
to level the floor 10 behind the machine and clear the heaps
of debris lying on the floor by aid of its crawler mechanism 4
as the selective cut heading machine travels backwards. At the
CA 022~0766 l998-09-30
- 12 -
same time, the rake blade 34 may be employed to rearwardly
support the selective cut heading machine and its rear frame
part 2, in particular when driving a roadway ascending in the
direction of drivable by means of the selective cut heading
machine.
The front frame part 1 likewise comprises a stage-like super-
structure 37 carrying a driver's cab 38 arranged above the
turntable 15 for the driver of the selective cut heading
machine. The selective cut heading machine, furthermore,
comprises a dust suction device by means of which the dust-
containing air forming during the driving work in the cutting
region of the machine is sucked of and removed from the
machine region. This device is comprised of airducts 39
15 arranged in the longitudinal extension of the front frame part
1 on both sides of the driver's cab 38 and whose tubular end
portions 40 are downwardly inclined lateral of the turntable
15, being located above the loading table 23 with their open
ends. In the rear region of the frame part 1, one of the
airducts 39 is connected with the oppositely arranged airduct
39 via a transversely extending duct connection 41 such that
the dust-loaded air streams sucked in via both of the airducts
and their end portions 40 will be united. The two airducts 39
rest on the platform 37. Behind the junction of the duct
connection 41, the airduct 39 provided there, via a tube
connection 42, iS connected with a fan 43 arranged within the
tube duct and sucking off the dust-loaded air streams via the
airducts 39, wherein the fan 43 with it housing is arranged on
the stage-like superstructure 30 of the pivoting console 2. On
30 the side opposite the tube connection 42, the housing of the
fan 43 iS connected to an airduct storage 44 constituted by a
flexible airduct train tightly pushed together, which is
capable of being drawn out of the airduct storage towards the
rear side of the selective cut heading machine and connected,
35 by its other end, to an air tube not illustrated and fixedly
laid in the drifted roadway. The dust-containing air occurring
in the driving region of the selective cut heading machine
CA 022~0766 1998-09-30
during the cutting operation is, thus, sucked off in the
region of the loading table 23 via the end portions 40, drawn
off via the two airducts 39, united at the ends of the same
via the transversely extending duct connection 41 towards the
fan 43 and, from there, via the airduct of the airduct storage
44 is pressed into the air tube permanently laid in the
roadway, via which the dust-loaded air is drawn off the
roadway. The airduct storage 44, for instance, has a stored
airduct length of 20 to 30 m such that the driving machine can
drive the roadway by that length before the storage length in
the airduct storage will be exhausted. Once this has happened,
the connection of the airduct train taken from the airduct
storage with the airduct permanently laid in the roadway is
undone, the latter is extended by approximately the length of
the stored airduct length, whereupon the airduct train pushed
together again and stored in the airduct storage 44 is
connected with the airduct laid in the roadway. The machine
may then continue to drive the roadway by a length
corresponding to the length of the airduct stored in the
airduct storage while sucking off dust.
As illustrated, in particular, in Fig. 2, the selective cut
heading machine is equipped with an oil cooler 45 and a water
cooler 46, which are arranged on the stage-like superstructure
37 of the front frame part 1 in the course of the two airducts
39 on both sides of the driver's cab 38. The oil cooler 45
serves to cool the hydraulic pressure medium for the various
hydraulic consumers of the selective cut heading machine,
while the water cooler 46 is used for recooling the cooling
water, by aid of which the drive and the transmission of the
cutting head 13 are cooled. The coolant for the oil cooler 45
and the water cooler 46 consists of the dust-loaded air sucked
off via the airducts 39 and withdrawing heat from the oil in
the oil cooler 45 and from the water in the water cooler 46 by
heat exchange. Accordingly, the oil cooler 45 and the water
cooler 46 are incorporated in the airducts 39 so as to enable
the occurrence of such a heat exchange. The oil cooler 45 and
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-- 14 --
the water cooler 4 6 may, for instance, encompass the
respective airduct 39 in the manner of a coat or may be
designed as tubes such that the dust-loaded air flows through
them for the exchange of heat. Consequently, also the heat
from the oil cooler and the water cooler is removed via the
dust suction system along with the dust. This system is
suitable, in particular, if and when the selective cut heading
machine is used at high ambient temperatures as they occur,
for instance, in salt mining. In that case, ambient
temperatures may range from 50~ to 60~C.
In particular, when using the selective cut heading machine
according to the invention in salt or potassium mining or
under similar operating conditions, it is recommended to
encapsulate the central conveyor at least over the rearward
longitudinal extension constituting the stacker boom 26, as
indicated at 47, i . e., provide the same with a cover
encompassing it so as to be protected from external influences
and, at the same time, also fulfil the function of an airduct
via which any dust-loaded air possibly getting into the
conveying region may be drawn off. In that case, the discharge
end 27 of this encapsulation 47 is connected to the duct
connection 41 via a suction duct 39' at 39" such that the
dust-loaded air may be sucked in by the fan 43 via this duct
connection 41 and likewise drawn off the airduct storage 44
via the airduct train.
The mode of operation of the previously described selective
cut heading machine is known. In the cutting operation, the
claws 7 and 11 are hydraulically pulled out towards the floor
10, as already mentioned, so as to relieve the crawler
mechanism 4 from the bearing pressure on the floor 10. The
cutting boom 12, which is extractable in the driving direction
relative to the standing machine by means of the advance
cylinders 20 thus is cutting the mine face with the machine
standing, the cutting arm 12 with the cutting head 13 having a
large sphere of action. The heap of debris getting onto the
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-- 15 --
loading table 23 is carried away, as described, via the
central conveyor, running through from the loading table to
the throw-off 27 and designed as an articulated conveyor and
is thrown off at the throw-off end 27, wherein it is feasible
S to change the height level of the throw-off end 27 by pivoting
the stacker boom 26 by means of the lifting cylinders 29 and
the lateral position of the same by laterally pivoting the
rear frame part 2. It goes without saying that with the
lateral pivoting of the rear frame part 2 along with the
stacker boom 26, also the other aggregates such as the
transformer 31, the switch boxes 32 and also the fan 43 are
pivoted. Remains to be added that the airducts 39 are
connected with the fan 43 behind the connection site of the
connection duct 41 via a compensator constituted by the duct
connection 42 such that the lateral pivotal movement of the
rear frame part 2 will not be impeded by the airduct system.
