|
Post by John on Feb 2, 2005 8:20:14 GMT -5
Undercutting machines, started out as "disk" cutting machines from the USA then evolved into chain cutters, devised by Anderson Boyes of Motherwell Scotland. Eventually becoming the famous AB15 machine. In the 1930's the first mechanised cutter loader appeared in the form of the Meco-Moore Slicer Loader, though a clumsy machine it evolved into a very successful machine made right up into the 1960's. Was first used with a belt conveyor on modified "conventional" faces, later to run along side an Armoured Flexible Conveyer. (AFC). John Anderton designed the first true power loader in the 1950's to become the most successful machine ever designed in mining. Now the mainstay of coal mining the world over and known more as the shearer. Anderson Boyes were the best known shearers in the UK, Australia and the USA, with BJD and their Magnamatic shearers. Eickhoff of Germany produced their version as did the Japanese, but none were as successful as Anderson's machines. Joy Manufacturing also got into the longwall market with their shearer and chock shields and AFC's in the late 60's. Many inovations surfaced in the late 60's early 70's, rack and pinion haulage to replace the dangerous haulage chains used by shearers along the face, Bretby cable handlers, used the world over to protect the shearer cable and water hose. Automatic AFC chain tensioners, electro/hydraulic control of groups of chock shields, radio control of the shearer so as the operator could stand at a safe distance from the machine.
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 2, 2005 8:30:57 GMT -5
Trepanners came in as the first bi-directional cutting and loading machines, used primarily to produce household/large coal. The first units were floor mounted, later to become the conveyor mounted model of the mid 60's with two electric motors to power them. All power loaders didn't really come into their own until the advent of the powered hydraulic roof support, later known as the hydraulic chock. Dowty Roofmasters, Gullic Seaman four and five legs, Dobson Double Twos, Wild Goalposts come to mind as well as Westfalia's from Germany. Then things really took off, it wouldn't be long before the manufacturers produced Trepan/shearers, then the mainstay of the modern shearer appeared, bi-di shearers, shearers with cutting drims both ends so as they could cut in both directions. From those humble 120 horsepower machines have evolved the huge 750 and bigger horsepower machines of today.
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 2, 2005 8:40:28 GMT -5
Many machine innovations were introduced into UK mines during the pre-nationalisation days, the loader, scraper chains etc, some stayed for many years modified for UK conditions. Roadway development was drill, fire and hand load. Scraper chains made it easier, loading was done by shovel onto the scraper chain which carried the spoil to the main belts. Then loaders came ito being and made life easier. Mavor Coulson with their M&C3 upwards series of loaders were one notable machine, a "duckbilled" loader that was catapillar tracked, Sampson loaders, similar to the M&C's were two I worked with. Then came the true road heading machines in the late 1950's to 1960's, Doscoes, which cut the heading and loaded it in one operation on to a belt conveyor behind the machine. Now modern versions are still in use around the world as well as continuous miners which also cut and load the spoil in one operation plus have roofbolting machines mounted on them to complete the operation of cut,load and support the roadway.
|
|
|
Post by dazb on Feb 2, 2005 9:23:02 GMT -5
Wow John that was a full and vivid race through time, regarding mechanisation of coal mining, taken the wind out of me. Might be a good idea to open up discussion on the individual merits (or not) of each machine, I'd love to hear what the thoughts of the lads that operated them were.
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 2, 2005 11:03:11 GMT -5
Well you got your wish, and I'll add more to coal face mechanisation history at a later date Daz
|
|
|
Post by Ragger on Feb 2, 2005 11:08:26 GMT -5
Operated the Dosco MK11A for a couple of years, good machine, never used the seat (it never lasted long). It kept me fit; I was thinking of becoming a professional contortionist at one point as driving this machine placed you in many unusual positions.
Leaks were a big problem, sometimes we almost needed to tap into the national oil reserves to keep going. If the Dosco broke down it wasn't long before the face stopped. 5 gallon drums of oil, must have carried tons of the stuff.
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 2, 2005 11:14:46 GMT -5
The 1A was around a long while Bill, first encounter was latter months of my apprenticeship at Cotgrave, then next encounter was at Boulby potash mine in Yorks, where it was used to drive egress headings around the West Link conveyor developments. Next time I worked on one was down under at Wongawilli Colliery in NSW where one was continually getting bogged down in the wet muddy conditions there.
|
|
|
Post by Ragger on Feb 2, 2005 11:28:09 GMT -5
Been there as well John, bogged down good and proper. Used everything to lift it up, jacks, boom, apron plate, sometimes all at once to get that extra inch so chocks and timber could be put under it.
The seam wasn't wet but if too much water was used it became a problem.
|
|
|
Post by dazb on Feb 2, 2005 16:30:23 GMT -5
Sorry I seem to have put this post in the wrong place, managed to get it on the sloppy eggs and burnt bacon page when it should have been on the Rip That Coal Off Section; Oh a trepanner's a wonderfull thing, a thing, a trepanner's a wonderfull thing.............and so say all of us;
TREPANNER (Trepanned).
It is a medical term that describes the removal of a circle of skull bone in order to relieve pressure on the brain, apparently this is an ancient practice performed by primitive tribes in Africa some thousand years before the advent of Anderson Boyes 70HP floor mounted version that in classic fashion seemed to have been designed to increase the pressure on the brains of later versions of the Homo Sapien Erectus, the coalmining version Homo Sapian Tooling Kneelicus. (Only joking I thought the 70HP trepanner was a fantasic piece of applied coal getting pitmatics and engineering). Whilst it was a leap forward from conventional principles of Power Loaders of the time it was in fact based on coal mining machine designs much, much earlier than the 1960’s, I think I am right in saying that there is a description and either drawing or photograph of a compressed air driven, twin headed, contra rotating Trepanner coal heading machine in one of the volumes of Practical Coalmining (anybody with a copy please post a scanned copy, failing that, wait until I have saved up enough to buy an Ebay set of PCM, and then I will). Anderson (in various company organisational formats produced quite a few variants of the Trepanner, 70hp Floor Mounted, Trepan-shearer, 120HP Heavy Duty Floor Mounted Trepanner, Double Ended Conveyor Mounted and the last was the 270HP Floor Mounted version in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s (a real technical animal). There were Trepanners designed to cut coal sections as low as 32 inches and up 6 foot (these larger section machines being the “Piggy Back Gearhead versions of the DECMT, where two further trepan wheels were mounted above the original standard ogres.). Anderson Boyes or the later titled companies of Anderson Mavor, Anderson Strathclyde were not the only ones to manufacture the trepanner, I seem to recollect that the “opposition” in the form of British Jeffrey Diamond made a t least a Trepan-Shearer version.
|
|
|
Post by dazb on Feb 3, 2005 14:43:24 GMT -5
One of the first breakdowns of a 70HP Trep that I attended was as an apprentice in the company of Central Workshops Fitter called Richard Swaby. Richard wasn't exactly a master craftsman but he was an old hand at performing to an audience and this was a perfect opportunity for him to shine. As we approached the machine mid face it was like Blackpool illuminations, all the world and Merthyr was in attendance, all the way down from Deputy Director to the pit-bottom cat. The machine with full speed selected was barely creeping; the manager was apoplectic (good word to describe many a colliery manager in times of stress eh?) the deputy director was attempting to look intelligently perturbed, the Mechanical Engineer was close to tears and the Trepanner driver was constantly trying to turn the speed control handle beyond the maximum limit. As we arrived the manager screamed “Who the hell are you?” to which Richard replied as cool as Luke; “Swaby’s the name, fittings the game, move back from the machine please.” I thought at this point that at best we were in for a verbal GBH, possibly turning to a physical thing. What I didn’t know was that Richard had already identified the problem that had been causing the slow hauling throughout the entire shift, he had recognised the tell tale “clickety-clacking” of the main hydraulic haulage pump’s “poppet valves” sticking (a dead give away to what I later learned was a very common problem with this machine). Richard then spoke towards the manager and demanded a hammer, the message was passed along in probable confused disbelief, when the two pound fitter’s hammer came back up the line towards Richard, he glanced at it and said; “I meant a proper hammer not a toffee hammer”, that’s it I thought, a hammer too far, I fully expected the manager to grab Richard but he didn’t, instead he shouted “Get a big hammer for him”. The engineer was pleading with Richard as to what he thought the problem was and what work would be needed, Richard remained silent until the hammer arrived a few minutes later, the Trepanner having grumbled and “clickety-clacked” its way through about a yard of advance in the meantime. Then in the very best tradition of miMing theatre Richard beckoned the full audience to give him clearance, he reached over the sloping cover of the haulage wet his finger and marked a cross on the access cover directly over the poppet valve, then mumbling some pretended mantra type spell over the the still creeping machine Richard imitated the sign of the cross and struck the poppet valve cover with a resounding whack, the machine responded as if it had been a thoroughbred struck on the flank by Lester Piggot, it literally reared up and tore into the coal buttock twenty times faster than it had been travelling before, well it would with the valves being re-seated and the full pump output suddenly re-circulated to the hydraulic motor. Richard simply turned and reached out to shake the manager’s hand and then crawled off the face with a; “Come on Daz and a good-day gentlemen”. Richard was a magician…………………
P.S. Richard was always known as Di.k but this site doesn't allow that rude word and changes it automatically to "thingy" so reading back it wasn't really Richard..............it was Thingy Swaby who did it all.
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 3, 2005 16:14:16 GMT -5
I'll tell thee wot I'll do t'old son, I'll go inta censor and fix thee bugger ;D
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 3, 2005 16:16:20 GMT -5
OK Dick is now his name again
|
|
|
Post by dazb on Feb 3, 2005 16:24:31 GMT -5
Not shure abart thi Nottingum aksent, burt thi organizin skills arr allreight pal!!
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 3, 2005 16:43:16 GMT -5
Of course they are, I weren't a leading hand for a few years for nowt old lad
|
|
|
Post by dazb on Feb 3, 2005 16:50:18 GMT -5
Leading hands are just fine.................but on the other hand, did you wear a glove??
|
|
|
Post by John on Feb 3, 2005 16:52:33 GMT -5
No mate, definately bare back
|
|
|
Post by dazb on Feb 3, 2005 17:00:39 GMT -5
I know what you mean John, there aint owt to beat bare knuckles.
|
|