Mining machine excavator drum having liquid spray control

Claim 1

In a mining machine having an elongated excavator provided with a tool-carrying rotatable member adapted to be thrust against a face to be mined in a direction generally transverse to an axis of rotation of said member, and means for spraying a liquid onto material as it is excavated, the improvement wherein said means includes: outwardly directed nozzles on said member, spaced about and along said axis; means forming respective passages communicating with the nozzles of the respective angular spaced sectors of said member; a valve assembly disposed along said axis for selectively connecting each of said passages with a source of liquid to be sprayed as said member rotates the respective sector into working engagement with said face; and a planetary speed-reducing transmission for driving said member, said transmission including a driven sun gear, planetary gears meshing with said sun gear, a planet carrier for said planet gears, and a ring gear meshing with said planet gears, said ring gear being connected to said member and said planet carrier being angularly fixed and formed with a passage communicating with said valve assembly for connecting said source therewith.