US4391469A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Mineral mining installation
Assignee: GEWERKSCHAFT EISENHUTTE WESTFALIA A GERMAN BODY CORPORATE
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Filing: 1981-10-19
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Granted: 1983-07-05
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Expires: 2001-10-19
Abstract
Abstract A mineral mining installation is provided for use in a steeply-inclined longwall working. The installation comprises a ladder-shaped support frame, and a plurality of roof support units. The support frame extends along the entire length of the longwall working, and has a pair of generally parallel longitudinal beams interconnected by a plurality of transverse beams. The roof support units are positioned between the longitudinal beams, and are supported on the transverse beam. Each of the longitudinal beams comprises a plurality of beam sections pivotably connected together end-to-end. The support frame comprises a plurality of detachably connected sub-frames, each of which comprises a respective transverse beam and a respective beam section of each of the longitudinal beams.
Inventors
- 👤 Yavier Arsuaga
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 23:15
CPC Classifications
E; E21; E21D; E21D23/00; E21D23/0082
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
111 words
A mineral mining installation for use in a steeply-inclined longwall working, the installation comprising a ladder-shaped support frame and a plurality of roof support units, the support frame extending along the longwall working and having a pair of generally parallel longitudinal beams interconnected by a plurality of transverse beams, the roof support units being positioned between the longitudinal beams and being supported on the transverse beams, each of the longitudinal beams comprising a plurality of beam sections pivotably connected together end-to-end, wherein the support frame comprises a plurality of detachably connected sub-frames, each of which comprises a respective transverse beam and a respective beam section of each of the longitudinal beams.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
111 words
A mineral mining installation for use in a steeply-inclined longwall working, the installation comprising a ladder-shaped support frame and a plurality of roof support units, the support frame extending along the longwall working and having a pair of generally parallel longitudinal beams interconnected by a plurality of transverse beams, the roof support units being positioned between the longitudinal beams and being supported on the transverse beams, each of the longitudinal beams comprising a plurality of beam sections pivotably connected together end-to-end, wherein the support frame comprises a plurality of detachably connected sub-frames, each of which comprises a respective transverse beam and a respective beam section of each of the longitudinal beams.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
An installation according to claim 1, further comprising a guide arranged at the face side of the working, and mineral winning machine movable to and fro along the guide.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
An installation according to claim 2, wherein the mineral winning machine is a plough.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
An installation according to claim 2, wherein the guide is attached to the face-side longitudinal beam.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
An installation according to claim 4, wherein the guide is attached to the face-side longitudinal beam in such a manner as to be angularly adjustable relative thereto, and wherein hydraulic adjusting rams are provided for adjusting the angle of the guide relative to the face-side longitudinal beam.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
70 words
An installation according to claim 5, wherein the pivot joints connecting the beam sections of the face-side longitudinal beam to the transverse beams have a limited degree of movement in the plane perpendicular to that of the floor of the longwall working and that of the longwall face, and wherein said hydraulic adjusting rams are pivotably connected between the transverse beams and the beam sections of the face-side longitudinal beam.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein the beam sections of the longitudinal beams are connected together by pivot joints having transverse axes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein the transverse beam of each sub-frame is connected to the beam sections of that sub-frame at first end portions of said beam sections.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein the transverse beam of each sub-frame is connected to the beam sections of that sub-frame at the middle portions of said beam sections.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein the transverse beam of each sub-frame is connected to the beam sections of that sub-frame by means of pivot joints whose axes extend at right-angles to said transverse beam and to said beam sections.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein at least one beam section of each longitudinal beam is of two-part construction, said two-parts being telescopically interconnected.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
An installation according to claim 11, wherein each of said telescopic beam sections is provided with a hydraulic adjusting ram connected between its two parts.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein each of the transverse beams is spaced from the floor of the longwall working.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein each of the beam sections is provided with a downwardly-projecting floor-engaging skid.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
An installation according to claim 14, wherein the floor-engaging skids are provided adjacent to the upper ends of the beam sections.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein each of the longitudinal beams is provided with an upwardly-extending screen whose height is adjustable.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
An installation according to claim 1, wherein a respective roof support unit is positioned between each pair of adjacent transverse beams.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
An installation according to claim 17, wherein each roof support unit is supported on the transverse beam at upper side thereof.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
56 words
An installation according to claim 18, wherein each of the roof support units is provided with an advance mechanism, and each of the roof support units is connected to the respective upper transverse beam by means of its advance mechanism, whereby the roof support units are advanceable relative to the support frame towards the longwall face.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
34 words
An installation according to claim 19, wherein the advance mechanism of each roof support unit is connected to the respective upper transverse beam in such a manner as to be angularly adjustable relative thereto.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
80 words
An installation according to claim 19, wherein each of the roof support units is provided with a plurality of roof-supporting hydraulic props, and wherein the hydraulic props of each roof support unit are interconnected by resilient plate means both in the region of their bases and in the region of the upper ends of their cylinders, each of the resilient plate means being connected to the advance mechanism of that roof support unit by means of at least one linkage.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
38 words
An installation according to claim 21, wherein each of said linkages is pivotally connected to the respective advance mechanism and to the respective resilient plate means by means of pivot joints whose axes extend towards the longwall face.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
57 words
An installation according to claim 21, wherein each of the roof support units has four hydraulic props which are disposed at the corners of a rectangle, and wherein each of the resilient plate means is of H-shaped configuration, the linkages being connected to the H-shaped resilient plate means at the centres of the bars of the H's.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
44 words
An installation according to claim 21, wherein the advance mechanism of each roof support unit includes a hydraulic advance ram having a piston rod which extends right through a cylinder, and wherein said linkages are connected to the cylinders of the hydraulic advance rams.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
64 words
An installation according to claim 24, wherein the cylinder of each hydraulic advance ram is supported on the associated transverse beam by means of an elongate carrier, and wherein each of the carriers is pivotably mounted on its transverse beam in such a manner as to be angularly adjustable relative thereto in a plane parallel to that of the floor of the longwall working.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
30 words
An installation according to claim 25, wherein means are provided for locking each of the carriers to its transverse beam at any angle thereto in a given range of angles.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
27 words
An installation according to claim 25, wherein each of the carriers is of U-shaped cross-section and at least partially surrounds the cylinder of the associated advance ram.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
189 words
A method of introducing a mineral mining installation into a steeply-inclined longwall working, the installation comprising a ladder-shaped support frame and a plurality of roof support units, the support frame having a pair of generally parallel longitudinal beams interconnected by a plurality of transverse beams, each of the longitudinal beams comprising a plurality of beam sections pivotably connected together end-to-end, and the support frame comprising a plurality of detachably connected sub-frames, each of which comprises a respective transverse beam and a respective beam section of each of the longitudinal beams, the method comprising the steps of coupling each of the roof support units to the transverse beam of a respective sub-frame in a roadway at the top of the longwall working, and introducing the sub-frames and attached roof support units into the longwall working in succession, wherein each time a sub-frame is introduced into the longwall working, its longitudinal beam sections are pivotably connected to the longitudinal beam sections of the previously-introduced sub-frame, and then the interconnected sub-frames and roof support units are lowered into the longwall working by a distance which corresponds to the length of one sub-frame.
Claim 30
Independent Claim
189 words
A method of introducing a mineral mining installation into a steeply-inclined longwall working, the installation comprising a ladder-shaped support frame and a plurality of roof support units, the support frame having a pair of generally parallel longitudinal beams interconnected by a plurality of transverse beams, each of the longitudinal beams comprising a plurality of beam sections pivotably connected together end-to-end, and the support frame comprising a plurality of detachably connected sub-frames, each of which comprises a respective transverse beam and a respective beam section of each of the longitudinal beams, the method comprising the steps of coupling each of the roof support units to the transverse beam of a respective sub-frame in a roadway at the top of the longwall working, and introducing the sub-frames and attached roof support units into the longwall working in succession, wherein each time a sub-frame is introduced into the longwall working, its longitudinal beam sections are pivotably connected to the longitudinal beam sections of the previously-introduced sub-frame, and then the interconnected sub-frames and roof support units are lowered into the longwall working by a distance which corresponds to the length of one sub-frame.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
47 words
A method according to claim 28, wherein said interconnected sub-frames and roof support units are lowered into the longwall working by lowering means which can be releasably attached to the support frame and is reciprocably movable in a direction parallel to that of the steeply-inclined longwall working.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
50 words
A method according to claim 29, wherein the lowering means is situated in the top roadway and is constituted by a lifting carriage, the lifting carriage being reciprocably driven by hydraulic ram means, and being releasably attachable to each of the sub-frames as they are introduced into the longwall working.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method according to claim 29, wherein the lowering means comprises a pair of hydraulic rams mounted in the upper region of the longwall working adjacent to the floor thereof, said hydraulic rams being reciprocable in a direction parallel to that of the steeply-inclined longwall working, and being releasably attachable to the interconnected sub-frames positioned in the longwall working.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-07-04 | 1987-01-03 | 1987-07-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-07-04 | 1991-01-03 | 1991-07-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-07-04 | 1995-01-03 | 1995-07-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |