The present invention relates to a conveyor system for an underground and/or above ground mining machine, and in particular to an isolation system for the conveyor system.
Large, heavy winches are used in the underground mining industry. These heavy winches are used to keep tension on the conveyors (e.g., belts), which carry material out of the underground mine. The winches include a winch drum (i.e., a rotating piece upon which a winch rope is wound), an electric motor and gearbox for turning the winch drum, and a park brake. Occasionally a conveyor experiences an emergency stop and the park brake sees dynamic braking loads causing it to overheat and seize. The seized park brake ends up trapping stored energy in the conveyor, and the load cannot be released from the seized brake. This situation places operators at risk when attempting to repair or replace the motor and gearbox or park brake.
In accordance with one construction, a winch drum tension isolation system includes a winch drum having an outwardly extending flange. The flange includes a plurality of holes spaced along the flange. The winch drum tension isolation system also includes a locking mechanism positioned proximate the winch drum. The locking mechanism includes a locking member engageable with the flange, the locking member movable between a first position, in which the locking member is received in a first one of the plurality of holes to prevent rotation of the winch drum, and a second position, in which the locking member is spaced apart from the flange to permit rotation of the winch drum. The winch drum tension isolation system also includes a safety release mechanism having a release member that is selectively engageable with a second one of the plurality of holes to permit removal of the locking member.
In accordance with another construction, a winch drum tension isolation system includes a frame, and a winch drum coupled to the frame. The winch drum includes an outwardly extending flange. The flange includes a plurality of holes spaced along the flange. The winch drum tension isolation system further includes a safety release mechanism coupled to the frame that includes a pin that is selectively engageable with the plurality of holes. The safety release mechanism includes a hydraulic cylinder coupled to the release member and pivotally coupled to the frame.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limited.
The winch system 10 also includes a torque arm 34. The torque arm 34 is coupled to both the winch drum 14 and to the winch frame 26, and absorbs torsional stress developed by rotation of the winch drum 14 relative to the frame 26.
With reference to
The flange 38 has a diameter greater than a diameter of the central portion 46 of the winch drum 14, and the holes 42 are located generally near an outer edge 50 of the flange 38, such that the holes 42 are located radially exterior to the central portion 46.
With reference to
The locking mechanism 52 of the winch drum tension isolation system includes a locking member 54 located within a housing 58. In the illustrated construction, the locking member 54 is a spring-loaded pin disposed in the housing 58, though in other constructions the locking member 54 is another structure, including a spring activated pin, etc. The housing 58 is coupled to the winch frame 26, and the locking member 54 slides within the housing 58. The locking member 54 includes a distal end 62 positioned proximate the flange 38 of the drum 14, and the distal end 62 is received in one of the holes 42 of the flange 38 depending upon a position of the locking member 54. When the locking member 54 is in a first position, the distal end 62 of the locking member 54 is received in one of the holes 42 and the locking member 54 inhibits movement of the drum 14. When the locking member 54 is in a second position, the distal end 62 is spaced apart from and does not engage the flange 38 such that movement of the drum 14 is permitted.
The locking mechanism 52 includes a restraining mechanism 66 that restrains movement of the locking member 54 relative to the winch drum 14. In the illustrated construction, the restraining mechanism 66 includes a flange 67 on the winch frame 26 and a flange 68 on an end of the locking member 54. As illustrated in
The locking mechanism 52 is positioned on the winch frame 26 such that the locking member 54, and in particular the distal end 62, is generally aligned radially with the holes 42. Based on rotational positioning of the winch drum 14, the distal end 62 extends through one of the holes 42 when the restraining member 66 is released.
With reference to
In the illustrated construction, the flange 38 and the locking member 54 prevent rotation of the winch drum 14 in the case of a brake seizure in the park brake 22, and isolate tension that builds up in the conveyor 30. As noted above, occasionally the conveyor 30 experiences an emergency stop and the park brake 22 sees dynamic braking loads causing the park brake 22 to overheat and seize. The seized park brake 22 ends up trapping stored energy in an elastic belt of the conveyor 30, and the load cannot be released from the seized park brake 22. This situation places operators at risk to replace or repair the motor 17, gearbox 18 or park brake 22, since the winch drum 14 could, if not restrained, suddenly and without warning begin rotating again, thereby releasing the stored energy and causing injury or damage to a nearby operator or the winch system 10.
In order to remove the stored energy safely, the flange 38 and the locking member 54 are utilized to lock rotation of the winch drum 14 and isolate the tension in the conveyor 30 while replacement and/or repairs are made. In particular, if the distal end 62 of the locking member 54 is aligned with one of the holes 42 after seizure, the restraining mechanism 66 is released (as described above), and the distal end 62 of the locking member 54 moves towards the hole 42. In the illustrated construction, the locking member 54 is a biasing member biased toward the holes 42 by a spring element (not shown). Thus, when the restraining member 66 is released, the locking member automatically moves toward the aligned hole 42.
With the locking member 54 received by the aligned hole 42 and the guide members 70, rotation of the winch drum 14 is prevented. With rotation of the winch drum 14 prevented, the motor 17, gear box 18, park brake 22, and/or other structure are removed and/or repaired, and the stored energy is removed safely without the risk of the winch drum 42 causing injury or damage.
If the distal end 62 of the locking member 54 is not aligned with one of the holes 42 after seizure, then the torque arm 34 is used to rotate the winch drum 14 until one of the holes 42 aligns with the distal end 62 of the locking member 54. For example, and with reference to
The motor 17 and gearbox 18 are advantageously not needed to rotate the winch drum 14 such that one of the holes 42 in the flange 38 aligns with the locking member 54. Rather, the torque arm 34 is raised or lowered solely with the ram 74 so as to rotate the winch drum 14 in either direction about the rotational axis 44, until one of the holes 42 is aligned with the locking member 54. With the hole 42 aligned, the restraining mechanism 66 is then unlocked, for example by removing a bolt from holes 69 and rotating the flange 67 relative to the flange 68, and the distal end 62 of the locking member 54 is biased (in the illustrated construction automatically via the biasing force of the spring element) toward the flange 38 until the distal end 62 is seated in the aligned hole 42 and the guide members 70, thereby locking rotation of the winch drum 14.
Once the motor 17, gear box 18, park brake 22, and/or other structure is repaired and/or replaced, the locking member 54 is removed from the hole 42 (e.g., by a user or machine pulling the locking member 54 from the hole 42 while gripping the flange 68). The torque arm 34 is moved again with the ram 74, and the anchor pin 82 is inserted back in the anchor point 78. With the locking member 54 removed, the restraining mechanism 66 is applied to the locking member 54 to prevent the locking member 54 from re-engaging the flange 38. In the illustrated construction, the flange 68 is rotated relative to the flange 67 until the holes 69 align, and the bolt is placed back in the holes 69.
With reference to
As illustrated in
The flange 138 has a diameter greater than a diameter of the central portion 146 of the winch drum 114, and the holes 142 are located generally near an outer edge 150 of the flange 138, such that the holes 142 are located radially exterior to the central portion 146.
With reference to
In some constructions, the locking mechanism 152 includes a restraining mechanism (e.g., flanges similar to the flanges 67, 68, holes 69, and bolt described above) that restrains movement of the locking member 154 relative to the winch drum 114. The locking mechanism 152 is positioned on the winch frame 126 such that the locking member 154, and in particular the distal end of the locking member 154, is generally aligned radially with the holes 142. Based on rotational positioning of the winch drum 114, the distal end of the locking member 154 extends through one of the holes 142 when the restraining mechanism 66 is released.
With continued reference to
The flange 138 and the locking member 154 prevent rotation of the winch drum 114 (e.g., in the case of a brake seizure in a park brake), and isolate tension that builds up in the conveyor. In order to remove the stored energy safely, the flange 138 and the locking member 154 are utilized to lock rotation of the winch drum 114 and isolate the tension in the conveyor while replacement and/or repairs are made. In particular, if the distal end of the locking member 154 is initially aligned with one of the holes 142, the restraining mechanism is released, and the distal end of the locking member 154 moves towards the hole 142. In the illustrated construction, the locking member 154 is a biasing member biased toward the holes 142 by a spring element (not shown). Thus, when the restraining mechanism is released, the locking member 154 automatically moves toward the aligned hole 142. In other constructions, the locking member 154 may be moved manually toward the aligned hole 142.
With the locking member 154 received by the aligned hole 142 and the guide members 170, rotation of the winch drum 114 is prevented. With rotation of the winch drum 114 prevented, the motor 117, gear box 118, and/or other structures are removed and/or repaired, and the stored energy is then removed.
With continued reference to
To remove the locking member 154, the clevis/pin arrangement 198 includes a clevis 199 and a pin 200 that is inserted into one of the holes 142 and into the clevis 199 (e.g., through a hole or holes in the clevis 199. For example, with reference to
Once the locking member 154 has been removed, the clevis/pin arrangement 198 is then removed from the hole 142 and flange 138. For example, the motor 117 and/or the park brake may be activated to control movement of the winch drum 114 (e.g., to hold the winch drum 114 still), until the clevis/pin arrangement 198 has been fully removed. The hydraulic cylinder 194 and the clevis/pin arrangement 198 are then retracted and/or rotated about the pivot point 202 from an active position (i.e., where the hydraulic cylinder 194 and the clevis/pin arrangement 198 are being used to engage the flange 138) to a storage position so that they do not block further movement and rotation of the winch drum 114 and its flange 138. In some constructions, the hydraulic cylinder 194 and clevis/pin arrangement 198 are rotated to a vertical storage position, to a horizontal storage position, or to any other angle of storage position, such that the hydraulic cylinder 194 and the clevis/pin arrangement 198 remain out of a path of movement of the winch drum 114 during use of the winch system 110.
In some constructions, the safety release mechanism 186 is also used to rotate the winch drum 114 and the flange 138 during the insertion of the locking member 154. For example, if the locking member 154 is not initially aligned with one of the holes 142, the safety release mechanism 186 may be used to engage the flange 138 (e.g., via the clevis/pin arrangement 198) and slightly rotate the winch drum 114 and flange 138 until the locking member is aligned with one of the holes 142. The locking member 158 may then be inserted into the hole 142. Subsequent to inserting the locking member 158 into the hole 142, the safety release mechanism 186 may then be removed from the flange 138, or in some construction may remain coupled to the flange 138 during the repair of the motor 117, the gear box 118, or any other structure on the winch system 110.
Other constructions include different types of safety release mechanisms 186 than that illustrated. For example, while the illustrated construction includes a hydraulic cylinder 194, other constructions include pneumatic cylinders or other types of actuators (e.g., linear actuators). In some constructions, the hydraulic hand pump 190 is not provided. Rather, the hydraulic cylinder 194 (or other actuator) is controlled electronically by a controller 206 (
Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the invention as described.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/462,533, filed Feb. 23, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62462533 | Feb 2017 | US |