Stilts for use in mine workings

Claim 2

A stilt for association with a leg of a mine roof support, the stilt comprising a tube and a deforming member for receiving a downward load from the leg, the tube being preformed with a plurality of longitudinally-extending slots, the deforming member having portions which engage in and move along respective ones of the slots, each of said portions being a neck lying between two shoulders of the deforming member, the width of the slot being greater than the corresponding dimension of the neck and the thickness of the portions of the tube bordering each of said slots, over the major part of the length of the slot, being, prior to movement of said portions of the deforming member along the slots, greater than the separation of said shoulders, whereby the tube is deformed to decrease the width of the slot when the neck of the deforming member is forced along the slot.

Claim 3

A stilt for association with a leg of a mine roof support, the stilt comprising a tube and two deforming members, the tube being pre-formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending slots, each deforming member having respective portions which engage in and move along the slots, the relative dimensions of the tube and deforming members being such that movement of said portions along the slots is accompanied by deformation of the tube, one of the deforming members receiving a downward load from the leg and said one deforming member following the other along said slots and tending to reverse the deformation caused by said other deforming member.

Claim 4

A stilt for association with a leg of a mine roof support, the stilt comprising a tube and two deforming members, the tube being pre-formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending slots, each deforming member having respective portions which engage in and move along the slots, the relative dimensions of the tube and deforming members being such that movement of said portions along the slots is accompanied by deformation of the tube, one of the deforming members receiving a downward load from the leg and said one deforming member following the other along said slots and tending to reverse the deformation caused by said other deforming member.

Claim 5

A stilt for association with a leg of a mine roof support, the stilt comprising a tube, a first deforming member and a second deforming member for receiving a downward load from the leg, the tube being pre-formed with a plurality of longitudinally-extending slots, each deforming member having respective portions which engage in and move along the slots, the width of each of said slots, over the major part of the length of the slots, being, prior to movement of said portions of the deforming members along the slots, less than the corresponding dimension of that portion of the first deforming member which is received in the slot and the second deforming member having neck portions which are received in respective ones of said slots and, at opposite ends of each neck portion, a pair of shoulders which face each other, the width of said neck portion being less than the width of the corresponding portions of said first deforming member which are received in the slots and the spacing between said shoulders being approximately equal to the thickness of portions of the tube bordering the slots prior to movement of the first deforming member along the slots, whereby the tube is deformed by the first member to increase the width of each slot when said portion of the first deforming member is forced along the slot and the deformation caused by the first deforming member is at least parly reversed by the second deforming member when the latter is forced along the slot.

Claim 6

A stilt for association with a leg of a mine roof support, the stilt comprising a tube, a first deforming member and a second deforming member for receiving a downward load from the leg, the tube being pre-formed with a plurality of longitudinally-extending slots, each deforming member having respective portions which engage in and move along the slots, the width of each of said slots, over the major part of the length of the slots, being, prior to movement of said portions of the deforming members along the slots, less than the corresponding dimension of that portion of the first deforming member which is received in the slot and the second deforming member having neck portions which are received in respective ones of said slots and, at opposite ends of each neck portion, a pair of shoulders which face each other, the width of said neck portion being less than the width of the corresponding portions of said first deforming member which are received in the slots and the spacing between said shoulders being approximately equal to the thickness of portions of the tube bordering the slots prior to movement of the first deforming member along the slots, whereby the tube is deformed by the first member to increase the width of each slot when said portion of the first deforming member is forced along the slot and the deformation caused by the first deforming member is at least parly reversed by the second deforming member when the latter is forced along the slot.

Claim 7

A stilt according to claim 2 wherein the width of each slot is a minimum at a mid-portion of the slot.

Claim 8

A stilt according to claim 2 including a plurality of straps, each strap spanning one of said slots and being secured to the tube on opposite sides of the slot.

Claim 9

A stilt according to claim 2 further comprising closure elements which project inwardly of the tube from opposite side walls thereof at respective positions adjacent to an upper end of the tube.

Claim 10

A stilt according to claim 2 further comprising a closure element attached to one of the deforming members, the closure element having dimensions corresponding to the internal dimensions of the tube whereby the closure element prevents rubble passing through the tube from an upper end thereof to a lower end thereof.

Claim 11

A stilt according to claim 3 wherein said first deforming member has a mid-portion which is disposed within the tube and shoulders at opposite ends of the mid-portion, the mid-portion having cross-sectional dimensions which exceed those of the portions of the first deforming member which are received in the slots and said shoulders abutting inner faces of the tube adjacent to the slots.