The present invention relates to guides for mineral winning and/or loading machines and particularly, but not solely, to guides for coal ploughs.
It is known to attach components to the mineral face side of a conveyor in an underground mine working to form a guide for a "swordless" plough. See for example German patent specification No. 2 746 727. The plough is usually driven with the aid of a chain running in upper and lower passages or channels at the mineral face side of the conveyor and protected within the guide. Spacers separate the upper and lower passages and to close off the upper passage it is known to provide pivotable covers or cover plates. These cover plates form part of a ramp-like guide surface for the plough. The cover plates are hinged at their lower sides so that they can be swung outwardly towards the mineral face to expose the upper chain passage. By providing gaps between the spacers the lower chain passage can also be exposed when the covers are pivoted to their open position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,495 describes a guide of this known type. To permit the cover plates to be detached and assembled with ease it is also known to construct the pivot joints for the cover plates as pintle hinges with tongues on the lower edges of the cover plates and by providing co-operative mountings on the spacers or on parts fixed thereto. German patent specification No. 2 540 215 describes hinges of this type.
In mineral mine workings it is also known to have a plough movable along a guide at the mineral face side of a conveyor as well as another machine which is guided for movement above the conveyor. It is then desirable to permit the machines to move past one another without impediment. German patent specification No. 1 286 478 describes an installation of this type.
Hitherto, various guidance systems and constructions have been adopted but in general each system and construction is largely only applicable to a certain type of mining machine and working and a general object of this invention is to provide a more versatile guide and guide assembly which can be modified quite simply to cope with different requirements and conditions.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds