THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

AND

JOURNAL OF THE COAL AND IRON TRADES.

Vol. CVIII.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1914.

No. 2798.

The Diamond Centre=Gate Conveyor.

BY AN ENGINEERING CORRESPONDENT.

During the last few years considerable attention has
been given to the question of employing underground
conveyors, especially in thin seams, for transporting
coal along the face and gateways. The object aimed at
is to produce an economical and satisfactory method for
the prompt removal of the coal with a minimum of
labour and other cost. To procure the desired economy
with mechanical conveyors requires determination and
sound organisation on the part of the officials, and,
moreover, careful designing to avoid unnecessary com-

and a stationary scraper hinged to the other side, crosses
the trough obliquely, and allows the carrier to pass
underneath its lower edge, but diverts the coal on the
carrier through the opening into a tram or on to a
gate road conveyor. The ends of the trough are closed
by a transverse plate, which prevents any coal being
pushed out when the carrier advances towards it. The
trough is made in sections of 6 ft. in length, bolted
together, at the sides. The face side of the trough is
made from Sin. to 6 in. high, according to the thickness

road. Inasmuch as the carrier is half the length of the
trough, one end of it is always at the gateway, where
the engine youth is in attendance, who can perfectly
control the conveyor without signalling arrangements.

The carrier, as shown in the general arrangement of
the conveyor, is on the right-hand side, and when loaded
the left-hand rope acts as the main, and the carrier
moves towards the left, passes underneath the scraper,
whilst the coal is discharged into the tram. When it
has completed its travel the carrier will occupy the
left-hand side of the trough, to be again loaded; the
scraper is now swung to the right-hand side of the
opening, and the right-hand drum is thrown into gear by
means of a clutch, and the movement of the carrier is

Elevation.

Engine

Plan.

Figs 1 and 2.—Elevation and Plan, showing General Arrangement of Conveyor.



plication consistent with maximum efficiency and
strength.

Various types of conveyors have been placed on the
market with the object of meeting the diverse conditions
prevailing in mines. A very simple and efficient form
of traveller conveyor has for some time been in success-
ful operation at one of the Earl of Ellesmere’s collieries.
The conveyor has been designed by the officials at the
collieries.

As will be seen from the accompanying drawings, the
conveyor consists of a stationary steel trough, of total
length about 10 ft. less than the length of the face,
and a steel carrier half the length of the trough, which
is moved backwards and forwards within the trough
by means of a main-and-tail haulage rope. At the
centre one side of the trough is cut to form a chute,

of the seam, while the side facing the goaf is 10 in.
high; this side could be hinged at intervals, for thin
seams, to facilitate the disposal of debris into the goaf.

The carrier consists of trays 2 ft. wide and 6 ft. in
length, connected together by means of a drawbar on the
underside of each tray. It will be seen from the illus-
tration that the drawbar allows of a rapid assembling
and detaching of the trays. The whole conveyor can
be fixed in a new position, without disturbance of props,
by 12 fillers in about one hour. The trays rest and
slide within the trough, either upon two longitudinally
extending corrugations formed in the sheet itself, or
upon skids attached to its under surface. The two end
trays are attached to the main-and-tail ropes, the ends
of which are attached to the respective drums, these
being worked by a geared engine located near the gate

reversed. In a seam 3 ft. thick the coal is undercut
by machine to a depth of 4 ft., and the conveyor has
dealt with 140 tons in a shaft of eight hours from 120 yds.
of face, but under normal conditions the output is from
80 ho 90 tons, such quantities being more within the
limit of the tram service. At collieries where a conveyor
is in use, experience has shown that the haulage traffic
imposes a limit on the output of a conveyor. As roof
ripping is cheaper and better than floor cutting in main
roads, economy has been effected by the introduction
of a 36 ft. Sutcliffe gateway conveyor, which trans-
ports the coal from the face conveyor along the haulage
way to such a height as is desired to enable it to be
discharged into trams which are passed underneath
that end.

The gate conveyor has since its introduction