Title: Shallow-hole kerf boring machine with auger on side-arm elevating assembly

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Claims: What is claimed is:

1. A kerf boring machine, comprising:

A. a side-arm elevating assembly which comprises an L-shaped frame formed from a pair of main lifting arms and a pair of side arms which are perpendicularly attached thereto; and

B. an auger assembly which comprises:

1. an auger plate which is rigidly attached to said side arms,

2. an auger guide which is rigidly attached to said auger plate,

3. a cutter head, and

4. an auger flight, having an auger shaft and spirals, which fits rotatably within said guide and is attached to said cutter head.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said plate has a longitudinally disposed hose slot therein.

3. The machine of claim 2 which further comprises a hydraulic motor assembly.

4. The machine of claim 3 wherein said hydraulic motor assembly comprises a pair of rails which are disposed in parallel to said slot, substantially spaced apart in parallel, and attached to said auger plate.

5. The machine of claim 4 wherein said hydraulic motor assembly further comprises a motor support plate which is slideably attached to said pair of rails, a mounting bracket which is rigidly attached to said motor support plate, a bearing assembly which is rigidly attached to said mounting bracket and through which a motor shaft rotatably passes, and a hydraulic motor which turns said motor shaft, said motor shaft and said auger shaft being connected to provide simultaneous rotation thereof.

6. The machine of claim 5 which further comprises a pump assembly which is slideably attached to said side-arm elevating assembly.

7. The machine of claim 6 wherein said pump assembly comprises a pair of pump rails which are parallel and spaced apart and rigidly attached to said main lifting arms in parallel to said hose slot.

8. The machine of claim 7 wherein said pump assembly further comprises a paired travel frame and rollers which engage said pump rails and movably support said pump assembly at any inclination of said side-arm elevating assembly.

9. The machine of claim 1 wherein said machine further comprises an operator station having a warming means for selectively warming an operator when seated on an operator seat.

10. The machine of claim 9 wherein said warming means is an operator warming assembly comprising an incoming hot fluid line from a return system, a temperature control operable by said operator, a warming line from said temperature control to said operator seat, and a return line to a reservoir for said fluid.

11. The machine of claim 1 which further comprises a pair of latching mechanisms which selectively support said pair of main lifting arms while in tram position, each of said pair of latching mechanisms comprising a latch plate, having a loadbearing side adapted to support one of said arms and a cam side adapted to engage the outer bottom edge of said one arm during descent thereof, a lug which is attached to said machine, a pin which rotatably connects said latch plate and said lug, and a compression spring which is attached to and disposed between said latch plate and said lug.

12. The machine of claim 11 wherein said each latching mechanism further comprises a cable attached to said latch plate and passing to an operator station whereby an operator therein can cause said latch plate to pivot out of the way of said supported main lifting arm and thereby permit said L-shaped frame to descend from said tram position to a floor position.

13. A kerf boring machine, having a frame and four wheels, for sequentially boring cylindrical kerfs to a shallow depth into the face of the mine entry, comprising:

A. an all-wheel drive and steering means for maneuvering said machine within a small space;

B. a side-arm elevating assembly, comprising a pair of main lifting arms which are pivotably connected to said frame near the mid-section thereof;

C. an auger assembly, including an auger cutter head and a fixedly attached auger flight having length equalling said shallow depth, that is movably attached to said side-arm elevating assembly;

D. an elevatable auger rotational means, for rotating said auger cutter head and said attached flight during said boring, that is movably attached to said side-arm elevating assembly; and

E. an elevatable auger-advancing-and retracting means, for advancing said auger assembly during said boring and for retracting said auger assembly after said boring.

14. The kerf boring machine of claim 13 wherein said side-arm elevating assembly comprises a pair of side arms which are attached to said pair of main lifting arms at an angle of 92.degree. and an elevating means for selectively elevating said main lifting arms from a position slightly below horizontal to an elevation of about 45.degree..

15. The kerf boring machine of claim 14 wherein said auger rotational means and said auger assembly are slideably attached to said pair of side arms.

16. The kerf boring machine of claim 14 which further comprises a pump assembly which is slideably attached to said pair of main lifting arms.

17. An augering machine for underground mining of minerals which comprises:

A. a frame;

B. a pump assembly;

C. a hydraulic motor assembly, for rotating a fixedly attached auger flight, which is connected to said pump assembly with travelling hydraulic hoses; and

D. a side-arm elevating assembly which is pivotably attached to said frame, comprising elongated support means for slideably supporting both said pump assembly and said hydraulic motor assembly while boring into a mineral face with said auger flight at any elevation from the floor of a mine entry to the roof thereof.

18. The machine of claim 17 which further comprises four steerable wheels and a tramming motor for rotating said wheels.

19. The machine of claim 17 wherein said elongated support means comprises:

A. an elongated and horizontally disposed auger plate which is rigidly attached to said side-arm elevating assembly;

B. a pair of horizontally disposed motor rails, for said slideably supporting said hydraulic motor assembly, which are rigidly attached to said auger plate and substantially spaced apart in parallel; and

C. a pair of pump rails, for said slideably supporting said pump assembly, which are horizontally disposed, spaced apart in parallel, and rigidly attached to said side-arm elevating assembly.

Other info:

Inventors: Bryant, Jr., William Sebert (Summersville, WV, US)
Garbutt, Jr., Cornelius Durham (Summersville, WV, US)

Application Number: 491569
Filing Date: 1974-07-24
Publication_date: 1976-04-13
Assignee: Badger Manufacturing Corporation (Summersville, WV)
Primary Class(es): 173/189 173/44, 173/46, 175/62, 175/219, 299/33, 299/55
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

425718	Apr, 1890	Walker	299/55.
444476	Jan, 1891	Wolford	173/24.
2567349	Sep, 1951	Reason	297/180.
3395940	Aug, 1968	Young et al.	173/23.
3834761	Sep, 1974	Ray et al.	173/23.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Purser, Ernest R.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Depaoli & O'Brien