Roof supporting systems

Claim 2

A roof supporting system for an underground mine working comprising a. a row of roof supports each including: i. a plurality of roof supporting units incorporating hydraulic props, ii. advancing means for advancing each of said units in turn while its props are depressurized and while another unit of support has its props pressurized to establish this unit in load bearing relation with the roof, b. a control system for controlling pressurization of the props of the units and advancement thereof and including: i. valve means for each support having an inlet for connection to a hydraulic supply source and outlets selectively placed in communication with said inlet in different respective settings of said valve means, ii. pipe means connecting said outlets of each of said valve means to the props of a unit and to the advancing means on that support on or for which said valve means is provided, and also connecting said outlets to the props of a unit and to the advancing means of an adjacent unit in a group of supports in one region of a row, which group of supports are required to be advanced progressively starting from one end of the group and continuing to the other end, said connection being such that operation of the valve means on or for each support of this group effects advancement of a unit therein and also a unit in said adjacent support of the group.

Claim 3

A roof supporting system according to claim 1 wherein: a. each of said supports includes only two of said support units, b. one of said support units in each support is an inner unit having props spaced apart longitudinally in the direction of advancement, c. the other of said support units in said support is an outer trestle-like unit having props also spaced apart longitudinally of the direction of advancement on each of the opposite sides of said inner unit, d. said advancing means comprises hydraulic ram means operatively connecting said inner and outer support units.

Claim 4

A roof supporting system according to claim 1 wherein: a. the valve means on or for each of said supports is movable from a setting position for pressurizing the props of a unit of the support on or for which the valve means is provided, and for pressurizing the props of a unit of an adjacent support to a position for depressurizing these props of said supports respectively, b. energization of said advancement means in said support and in said adjacent support being established in response to movement of said valve means into said depressurizing position.

Claim 5

A roof supporting system according to claim 1 wherein: a. the valve means on or for each of said supports is movable from a setting position for pressurizing the props of a unit of the support on or for which the valve means is provided and for pressurizing the props of a unit of an adjacent support to a position for depressurizing these props of said supports respectively, b. said valve means being movable into a still further position for establishing energization of said advancement means of said support and said adjacent support respectively to effect advancement of the units therein whereof the props have been depressurized.

Claim 6

A roof support according to claim 3 wherein each of the valve means is movable also to a still further position for depressurizing the props of said unit of said support on or for which the valve means is provided without depressurizing those of said unit of said adjacent support.

Claim 7

A roof support according to claim 4 wherein each of the valve means Is movable also to a still further position for depressurizing the props of said unit of said support on or for which the valve means is provided without depressurizing those of said unit of said adjacent support.

Claim 8

A roof supporting system according to claim 1 wherein said valve means comprises: a. a control valve, b. operating means movable to change the setting of said control valve, c. secondary valves operatively connected to said control valve by said pipe means and movable between unoperated and operated positions in response to hydraulic pressure, said secondary valves controlling pressurization of the props of respective units.

Claim 9

A roof supporting system according to claim 7 wherein: a. each of said supports incorporates only two of said roof supporting units, b. each of said control valves has a plurality of outlets which in respective settings of said control valve are selectively in communication with said inlet, c. a first one of said outlets being connected to control inlets of said secondary valves, one in the support on or for which the control valve is provided, and another on or for an adjacent one of said supports of said group to effect depressurization of the props of respective units in these two supports controlled by said secondary valves, d. a second one of said outlets being connected by said pipe means to feed inlets of these secondary valves in said support and in said adjacent support to effect pressurization of the props of said units of these supports.

Claim 10

A roof supporting system according to claim 8 wherein each of said control valves has a third outlet connected by said pipe means to said advancing means of the support on or for which said control valve is provided, and also by said pipe means to the advancing means of said adjacent support of the group to energize said advancing means in a mode to effect advancement of that unit in each of said supports whereof said props have been depressurized to relieve said unit from load bearing relation with respect to the roof.

Claim 11

A roof supporting system according to claim 1 wherein: a. said valve means is provided on or for each of said supports is movable into alternative settings, in one case to bring about advancement of a unit in an adjacent support of said group on one side of the first said support, and in the other case to bring about advancement of a unit in an adjacent support of said group on the other side of the first said support, in both cases simultaneously with advancement of a unit in the first said support.

Claim 12

A roof supporting system according to claim 9 wherein: a. each of said control valves has a fourth outlet, b. said fourth outlet is connected by said pipe means to the control inlet of the secondary valve of the support on or for which said control valve is provided and to which said first outlet of said control valve is also connected, c. said fourth outlet is connected by said pipe means to a control inlet of a secondary valve in an adjacent one of said supports of said group on the side of said first support opposite to that which includes the secondary valve, to the control inlet of which said first outlet is connected, d. all of said secondary valves have their feed inlets connected by said pipe means to said second outlet of said control valve.

Claim 13

A roof supporting system according to claim 11 wherein: a. said secondary valve of each of said supports which has its control inlet connected to an outlet of a control valve of an adjacent support of the group is connected to both of the control valves provided on or for supports of the group situated adjacent to and on opposite sides of the support containing said secondary valve, b. connection between said control inlet of said secondary valve and said outlets of control valves respectively is effected through the intermediary of an alternating valve.

Claim 14

A roof supporting system according to claim 12 wherein: a. the advanciNg means of each support is adapted to be energized in a first mode to effect advancement of a unit in the support on which the advancing means is provided upon depressurization of the props of this unit by operation of the control valve on this support, b. said advancing means is adapted to be energized in a second mode to effect advancement of another unit of said support when the props thereof are depressurized in response to operation of a control valve in one or the other of the adjacent supports of the group situated respectively on opposite sides of the first said support, c. said advancing means is connected to outlets of the control valves of said adjacent supports through the intermediary of an alternating valve.

Claim 15

In a roof supporting system of the kind comprising roof supports each including roof support units incorporating hydraulic props for bearing the roof load and advanceable in separate steps by a piston and cylinder advancement device, a control system including: a. a plurality of control valves on respective supports, said control valves having inlets for connection to a source of hydraulic pressure and to an exhaust and having a plurality of outlets which can selectively be placed, by operation of said control valve, in communication with one or the other of said inlets, b. secondary valves on each support for effecting pressurization and depressurization of the props of respective units of the support in response to pressure conditions at a control inlet of the secondary valve, c. pipe means i. connecting an outlet of each of said control valves to a control inlet of a secondary valve on the same support as that on which the control valve is provided, and also upon a support occupying a position spaced laterally from the first said support in a row deployed along a face to be traversed by a mining machine, ii. connecting an outlet of said control valve to the advancing means of said support on which said control valve is provided, and also the advancing means of said laterally spaced support to enable units whereof the props are depressurized concurrently by said secondary valve to be advanced concurrently, iii. connecting an outlet on said control valve on the support on which said control valve is provided to said secondary valve thereon for pressurizing said props of said unit, and also to said secondary valve on said laterally spaced support for simultaneously pressurizing the props of the unit controlled by said secondary valve.

Claim 16

In a roof supporting system of the kind comprising roof supports each including roof support units incorporating hydraulic props for bearing the roof load and advanceable in separate steps by a piston and cylinder advancement device, a control system including: a. a plurality of control valves on respective supports, said control valves having inlets for connection to a source of hydraulic pressure and to an exhaust and having a plurality of outlets which can selectively be placed, by operation of said control valve, in communication with one or the other of said inlets, b. secondary valves on each support for effecting pressurization and depressurization of the props of respective units of the support in response to pressure conditions at a control inlet of the secondary valve, c. pipe means i. connecting an outlet of each of said control valves to a control inlet of a secondary valve on the same support as that on which the control valve is provided, and also upon a support occupying a position spaced laterally from the first said support in a row deployed along a face to be traversed by a mining machine, ii. connecting an outlet of said control valve to the advancing means of said support on which said control valve is provided, and also the advancing means of said laterally spaced support to enable units whereof the props are depressurized concurrently by said secondary valve to be advanced concurrently, iii. connecting an outlet on said control valve on the support on which said control valve is provided to said secondary valve thereon for pressurizing said props of said unit, and also to said secondary valve on said laterally spaced support for simultaneously pressurizing the props of the unit controlled by said secondary valve.