A CONTINUOUS MINING MACHINE WITH A CHAIN DRIVE FOR THE CUTTING HEAD

摘要

A drive chain for transmitting power to a rotatable cutter head of a mining machine. The mining machine is of the type having a rotary cutter drum mounted at the forward end of the mining machine frame. The cutter drum has helical auger flights with cutter bits mounted on their periphery. Electric motors are provided on either side of the mining machine to provide power for rotating the cutter drum. A drive and cutter chain transmits the power from each electric motor to the rotary drum. The drive chain comprises roller chain links with offset sidebars. Each drive chain is relatively narrow having but a single row of links. Some of the links are cutter links which carry cutter bits. Selected portions of the cutter links and the sprockets are cut away to prevent entrapment and build up of foreign matter.