Driving system for driving flexible elongate members, such as chains or scraper-chain assemblies, in mineral mining installations and method of operating

US5513902A · kind A · utility

Assignees

• Westfalia Becorit Industrietechnik GmbH · DE
• Reliance Electric Industrial Company · US

Inventors

• Bernd-Christian Pago · Olfen, DE
• Bernhard Voss · Grafenau, DE
• Martin Eickhoff · Ismaning, DE
• Jens Titschert · Grafenau, DE
• Arno Breimhost · Hagen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 18, 1994
• Grant date: May 7, 1996
• Expiry date: May 18, 2014

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F16D2500/70406
• WIPO field: Mechanical elements
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A drive system for driving a flexible elongate member such as a haulage chain for a mineral mining machine or scraper-chain assembly of a scraper-chain conveyor of a mineral mining installation employs main and auxiliary drive units each equipped with an electric asynchronous motor drivably connected through a gearing assembly to a sprocket around which the chain or scraper-chain assembly is entrained. The gearing assemblies each employ a multi-disc clutch which is subjected to variable loading pressure and slippage by means of a valve actuated by electrical signals provided by an electronic controller. Each clutch acts through gears on a ring gear of planetary gearing and the ring gear wheel is subjected to a controlled supportive torque. The electronic controller is designed to actuate the associated valves to adjust the clutches to balance loading on the motors of the units. During a start-up phase the controller functions to ensure the force transmitted to the chain or scraper-chain assembly slowly and progressively increases and sudden loading is avoided. In the event of overloading the controller causes the valves to actuate the clutches rapidly to allow the ring gears of the…