Abstract: A guide for a mineral winning or loading machine, such as a coal plough, is composed of assemblies secured to the mineral face side of a conveyor. The assemblies have angle plates with upstanding wall portions securable to the side walls of the conveyor and integral foot portions supporting the machine and resting on the floor of the mine working. Spacers separating upper and lower passages for guiding a drive chain are in turn secured to the wall portions of the angle plates and these passages are shielded by cover plates formed with ramp-like inclined guide surfaces for the machine. The cover plates are pivoted to the spacers at their lower regions so that they can be pivoted outwards to allow access to the passages therebehind. The cover plates are locked with releasable devices to the wall portions in their closed position and have recesses accommodating the spacers which have inclined surfaces forming continuations of the guide surfaces of the cover plates.

Abstract: The surfaces of antifriction elements and other steel surfaces in mutual sliding contact are improved by first degreasing the surfaces in a mild alkaline aqueous degreasing bath at a pH of about 7 to 10, by then rinsing with cold water, by browning the surfaces in a saturated aqueous solution of a selected salt material at temperatures of from 128.degree. to 135.degree. C.

Abstract: A guide for a mining machine, such as a plough, is constructed from a series of interconnected sections arranged end-to-end and secured with bolts to the mineral face side wall of a conveyor. Each guide section is composed of an L-shaped plate with an upstanding wall engaging on the conveyor side wall and an inclined foot wall supporting the body of the plough. Spacers locating the securing bolts separate upper and lower chain guide passages and a cover plate extends over the mineral face side of the passages. A slot is formed above the foot wall to allow the plough body to be coupled to the chain in the lower passage. The slot is defined at its upper side by channel-like strips assembled to the spacers and these strips have apertures which receive tongues on the cover plate to thereby form a detachable push-in hinge permitting the cover plate to pivot towards the mineral face. The cover plate is detachably secured to the L-shaped plate at its upper end.

Abstract: A guiding and threading device for automatic pitch-adapted threading of data carriers such as punched tape. The device includes a base member having a tape support surface thereon, a feed wheel carried by the base member with a portion projecting above the support surface, a first pivotable member carried by the base member having a guiding surface positioned above the support surface and a second pivotable member opposed to the first pivotable member and having a guiding surface positioned above the support surface, the guide surfaces forming a tape receiving channel between the pivotable members and the support surface when the pivotable members are at an open position. The guide surface of the first pivotable member urges the tape into contact with the feed wheel when in a closed position.