Boston Gear Centric® Centrifugal Clutch for Mine Feeder/Breaker

A U.S. open pit coal mine operator needed a replacement centrifugal clutch for its primary feeder breaker. The feeding and crushing machine utilizes a “flight chain” that moves the coal from a large tipped hopper into a rotating breaker head that crushes the coal into various sizes. Positioned between the electric motor and gearbox on the rotating head drivetrain, the clutch allows for some slippage to protect the drivetrain against the damaging shock loads that can occur when large coal pieces get temporarily jammed.

To meet the challenging application requirement, Boston Gear recommended a 19 in. diameter Centric Centrifugal Clutch (CCC). The clutch is designed to automatically engage and disengage at customer specified RPMs. The clutch also provides shock load protection during machine start-up.