Abstract:
A gathering structure for use on the mining head of a mining machine. The mining head includes a rotary drum having helical auger flights with cutter bits mounted on their periphery. A back up panel is disposed on the mining head just rearward and parallel to the rotary drum. A gathering head is located beneath the mining head. The gathering head includes front, vertical dozer blades on each side of a central conveyor throat. The dozer blades have their bottom edge at the floor and their upper portion extends upwardly to overlap the lower portion of the backup panel. The backup panel and dozer blade cooperate to form a continuous vertical wall behind the helical flights of the rotary drum. The mine face forms a corresponding wall in front of the helical flights. The loading of the cut mined material is achieved by the helical auger flights working in conjuncture with the backup panel and dozer blades and the mine face. The panel and dozer blades are positioned immediately behind the outer helical auger sections so that with the mine face they form the walls of a screw conveyor which moves the coal to the center of the machine and onto a small pitch mat chain conveyor disposed in the central conveyor throat. The mat chain conveys the material rearwardly to conventional flight conveyors. During the mining operation, the backup panel is moved up and down with the rotary drum relative to the dozer blade. To prevent spillage of mined material behind the dozer blade as the rotary drum is moved, the upper portion of the dozer blade is hinged and spring loaded to continuously hold it firmly against the backup panel.
Abstract:
A rotary drill head assembly is mounted for travel along the support columns of an earth boring machine. The support columns are connected to the base of the machine by hinge connections including hinge pins. Brace members extend between the base and the support columns. The rotary drill head assembly rotates a rotary drill string to form an earth borehole. Thrust cylinders connected between the support columns and the drill head apply axial thrust forces to the drill head assembly to move the drill string through the formations resulting in axial thrust loads being applied to the support columns. A convex arcuate friction surface on the end of each support column fits within a matching concave arcuate friction surface on the base of the machine to transmit a portion of the axial thrust loads from said support columns to said base.
Abstract:
A well packer to be set in a casing has a cylindrical mandrel with a resilient packer unit encircling the mandrel which is radially expandable into contact with the casing when longitudinally compressed. A drive cylinder is secured to the mandrel below the packer unit to support the unit. A lower cylinder encircles the mandrel to bear against the top of the packer unit and is freely movable longitudinally on the mandrel. A hollow cylindrical bidirectional grip has beveled generally parallel ends with toothed shoulders adjacent to opposite extremities of the beveled ends. The grip is mounted on the mandrel and bears on the lower cylinder as to be tilted into engagement with the casing but normally is resiliently biased toward an untilted attitude. An upper cylinder encircles the mandrel and is slidably positioned thereon above the grip. Forces acting upward on the mandrel and downward on the upper cylinder apply a setting force to the grip which force is transmitted through the packer unit whereby the grip tilts toward and becomes wedged between opposite sides of the casing as the packer unit is forced into casing contact to seal the annulus between the mandrel and the casing.
Abstract:
An apparatus for positioning a well instrument in the proper position in a bore hole for performing a desired well operation. Each end of a coiled spring is attached to the body of the well instrument. The coiled spring projects outward at right angles to the body of the well instrument and contacts the wall of the bore hole insuring that the well instrument is in the proper position for performing the desired well operation. When used with a sidewall sampler the coiled spring absorbs recoil energy when the sampling guns are fired. When the well instrument is being moved through restrictions in the bore hole, the coiled spring will deflect along the side of the well instrument allowing the well instrument to easily pass through the restriction.
Abstract:
An earthen dam is repaired without draining the water from the lake behind the dam and without disturbing the integrity of the earthen dam. A first hole is bored into the dam. As the hole is being drilled, drilling mud is circulated through the hole to remove cuttings and to maintain the integrity of the earthen dam. The first hole is lined with a casing. A second hole is bored into the earthen dam immediately adjacent and partially overlapping the first hole. The boring of the second hole disintegrates a portion of the casing in the first hole providing an interconnection between said first hole and said second hole. Drilling mud is circulated in the second hole during the boring of said second hole to remove cuttings and to maintain integrity of the earthen dam. The second hole is lined with a casing and the first hole is filled with concrete. The concrete displaces the drilling mud in the first hole and the concrete will not enter the second hole because of the lining in the second hole. By repeatedly drilling holes in the aforementioned manner, a monolithic fluid impervious underground wall is constructed along the center of the dam thereby substantially reinforcing the earthen dam.
Abstract:
A gasket member formed as an annular ring to be employed in conjunction with a pipe coupling device. The ring is comprised of a dielectric elastomeric material and includes a distribution of embedded electrically conductive pins which protrude through opposite surfaces of the annular to establish electrical continuity between the coupled pipe and the coupling member.
Abstract:
A transfer elevator for handling pipe. The pipe may or may not include collars. An elastic element such as a spring holds slips in a retracted position until the elevator reaches the desired setting location on the pipe. A force is applied downward on a rope attached to the elevator body thereby causing movement of a lever and the setting of the slips. The weight of the pipe maintains the slips in position firmly gripping the pipe until the pipe is set down and the weight is removed. The slips automatically unset and the elevator travels along the pipe to a desired position for removal.
Abstract:
A center plate assembly for railway cars including a detachably mounted center filler which may consist of one or more separate sections disposed between a body center plate and a truck bolster center plate bowl of the railway car, the bearing surfaces of the center filler having a hardness greater than the bearing surface of the truck center plate bowl and no less than the hardness of the body center plate to produce a very low rate of wear. Also, means are provided to inhibit relative movement of all bearing surfaces except those required to move.
Abstract:
A check valve cage is fabricated by injecting a reinforced thermal setting plastic through a channel extending along the central longitudinal axis of a cylindrical body. A form pin is inserted through a coaxial longitudinal bore at the other end of said cylindrical body, said bore having an increased diameter central portion for receiving the injected thermoplastic material. After the plastic material has set, lateral flow passages are formed in the wall of the cylindrical body. Shallow drilled holes within the central cavity of the body, upon being filled with the injected plastic material, prevent rotation of the plastic lining of the cage assembly.