Feeder crusher

Claim 1

A feeder-crusher machine for use in low clearance mines comprising an elongated low-profile body supported from the ground on traction means so as to be movable along the ground longitudinally, said body having side walls and a bottom and including, in end-to-end relationship along the length of the machine, a receiving section, a crushing section and a discharge section; said crushing section including a rotary crusher shaft mounted transversely in said body and carrying a plurality of radial breaker arms the outer ends of which define a circle spaced from a wall of the machine; means for urging material residing on said bottom in said receiving section to the space between said circle and said wall so as to be crushed therein and for urging the resulting crushed material along the discharge section in a direction away from said crusher section; and drive means mounted on said body for rotating said crusher shaft, said drive means including a constant-speed motor, a mechanical speed reduction unit having a high speed input driven by said motor, a low speed output driving said crusher shaft, a gear system connected between the input and the output for rotating the output at a speed proportional only to the speed of the input and a flywheel connected to rotate with said high speed input to said speed reduction unit whereby amplified torque produced by the high speed flywheel is transmitted through the gear connections in said reduction unit to the more slowly rotating crusher shaft.