US1999931A - Coextensive room system with mechanical conveyers - Google Patents

Description

'April 30,v 193.15. c; R, HUGHES COEXTENSIVE ROOM SYSTEM WITH MECHANICAL CONVEYERS Filed Jung 29, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aprill 30, 1935. c, R. HUGHES COEXTENSVE ROOM SYSTEM WITH MECHANICAL CONVEYERS Filed June 29,

Patented, Apr. 3o, 193s Y y 1,999,931

A UNITED STATES PA-,TENT OFFICE COEXTENSIVE ROOM SYSTEM WITH MECHANICAL CONVEYEBS Charles B. Hughes, Altoona, Pa., asdgnor Albertino M. Hughes, Altoona, Pa.

Application June 29, 1933, Serial No. 678,268

5 Claims. (Cl. 282-1) The invention relates to improvements in the of men and materials. They are clear of obart of mining, more particularly a combination structions and conform' to' certain laws govof a mine plan and a conveying system, an oberning the safety and health of the miners. ject being to operate a system of mechanical Rooms, on the other hand, are usually of a much 5 material handling apparatus in a plan of headgreater width. Refuse, is thrown to one side and 5 ings and rooms especially laid out to permit remains therein. Only coal is removed if it is eiiicient and cheap extraction of the mineral. possible to do so. They serve to subdivide a The immediate object is to extract coal by larger block of coal in its complete extraction to the use of especially designed mechanical conrecover coal in a small area embraced by the l veyers operating in a system of chambers, which roomitself and a pillar on either side usually l0 system is neither a room-and-pillar system in having no connection with the recovery of coal its usual meaning, nor a long-wall system, nor elsewhere, not immediately adjoining it. a panel system, but rather a modliied room- Parallel entries through a panel or body of coal and-pillar system. is as old as coal mining. Rooms parallel to the l A further object is to locate the rooms of the heading withwhich the rooms are first in contact- 15 present system parallel to and co-extensive with. and through which first flows the coal produced the heading serving them, thereby being disin the rooms as itis transported toward the surtinguished from the room-and-pillar system, as face, is aneysr departure in mine plans and constiit is usually known, wherein the rooms are turned tutes a feature of the present invention. The

oil the heading in a direction transverse or co-extensive-room system with mechanical con- 20* angled thereto.` For lack of a betterv name the veyers is more fully disclosed in the accompanysystem will be referred to hereafter as a coing drawings wherein extensive room system, the name room-and- Figure l is a diagram oi' a mining operation pillar-system being reserved for its usual meanutilizing the present invention. ing. Figure 2 is an enlargement of the conveyer ar- 25 In coal mining, the terms heading or enrangement which shows the use of loading matry and room have different meanings and chines and face conveyers as a part of the system. signify chambers of different types and for dif- Figure 3 is a side elevation in diagram of a ferent purposes. In a room-and-pillar system, shuttle conveyer, showing its relation to the seca heading or entry is a permanent or semitional conveyer ina cross-cut andto the loading permanent passageway excavated in the stratum machine. of mineral being mined, thereby to provide pas- Figure 4 is a plan view in diagram of the strucsageways for the transportation and travel of ture shown in Figure 3. men and materials and for passage of air for Figure is adiagram showing successive stages tained and protected by barriers or pillars of-coal Figure 6 is a diagram l showing a method of on each side of them which remain in place unopen-ended pillar extraction. til the entry or heading is to be abandoned. Figure 7 shows aheading stump and entry pil- Rooms, on the other hand, are the first worklar, the chain pillar to. be drawn from the next 4U ings to penetrate the body of mineral which is lower entry. 40 to be entirely extracted. They are haul-ways Figure 8 is a similar view showing the chain only by reason of the extraction of mineral in pillar to be drawn therewith. the process of their formation, and are to be Figure 9 isasimilar View showing a doubleen used as such only for the extraction of the mintry symmetrical on both sides. 4,-, eral immediately adjoining to them. Following In Figure l, l is a main entry or haulway leadthe complete removal of the mineral, they are ing from the surface to the mineral being exdestroyed by roof falls and abandoned serving "tracted. 2 and3are two of any number of parallel no purpose in connection with the development headings thereto in amultiple entry system. The of the property. Thus the characteristics of purpose of heading 2 is to form a passage for the rooms diier greatly from entries or headings. conduct of the Ventilating air current of the mine. 50

Entries are usually driven tight; that is, they Heading 3 isa travelling way for men. are only wide enough to permit a safe haulway li, 5 and 6 are haulways, aircourse and Waterto be established and maintained. This afcourse respectively, of a cross entry turned off the fords a measure of safety. They are likewise main entry l at any convenient angle. Entry 6 made high enough to facilitate rapid movement is dotted toindicate that it can be omitted or CII QSI

ventilation. These entries or headings are mainof pillar slabbing. 35

included as conditions warrant. Other parallel entries to 4 can be driven below entry 6.

1 to I5 inclusive are transverse cross-cuts equally spaced along the heading and parallel to each other. Cut 1 is `the only one to be driven between entry or heading 4 and a cross-entry or watercourse I6 remote therefrom before the rooms are turned. All the other cross-cuts 6 to I5 am turned off the heading 'and driven through the heading stump to the line of the rooml1 nearest to the heading but no; farther. Thereafter the cross-cuts are advanced step-by-step,YAY

the section between rooms I1 and I8 being driven from room I1, the section between rooms I8 and I9 being driven from room I8, etc. These transverse cross-cuts may taken any convenient angle to the cross-entry 4.

`Rooms I1 to 26 inclusive are parallel to each other and to the cross-entry 4. All oi' them are first turned from transverse cross-cut 1 and are advanced along lines parallel with the crossentry 4 into the solidcoal, with their faces in line, until three transverse cross-cuts are completed, after which the pillar extraction may begin. The faces of the rooms continue to advance at one end in line abreast and the pillar extraction at the other end of each room will proceed at the same rate of speed so that the faces of the pillars are maintained in line abreast.

At all times there must be not less than three ltransverse cross-cuts complete and open for use between the faces of the advancing rooms and the faces of the retreating pillars 21 to 36 which are the ones being extracted. This differs from the ordinary room-and-pillar system in which the face of the room is advanced in one direction and the face of the pillar retreats in the opposite direction. The retreating pillars 21 to 36 inclusive are shown as being extracted by the sump and -wing method. However any recognized means of pillar extraction can be used. Figure 5 shows progressive stages lof slabbing the pillar 36a. Figures 2 and 6 show at 36h the well-known open-ended pillar extraction.

31 is a sectional collecting conveyer mounted on Wheels 38 which roll on the rails of a mine track 39 in one of the cross-cuts. It traverses all of the rooms I1 to 26 and has its discharge end located in cross-entry 4, where it transfers its material to mine cars 40 or other means of conveyance.

On either side of conveyer 31 are superposed shuttle conveyers l4I and 42, each made up of an upper section 43 anda. lower section 44.` 45 indicates a loading or gathering and elevating machine of the type shown in the co-pending application of Ernest P. Jaggard, Serial Number 631,566, positioned to discharge material onto conveyers 4| and 42.

veyers 4I and 42.

Figures 3 and 4 show side and top elevations of the sectional transverse conveyer 31 in its relation to the shuttle conveyers, 44 is the lower of two sectional and extensible wheel supported conveyers on a mine track 46, with its discharge end positioned to deliver material to c onveyer 31. 43 is the upper of two sectional and ex-v tensible conveyers mounted on wheels on a mine track. 'Ihe wheels of the two sections are indicated at 41. A part of section 43 straddles section.44, so that the sections can be moved longitudinally of each other independently yet positioned to transfer material from one to the other. The length of the overlapping `sections 43 and Figure 6 shows the use of Aportable face conveyers in connection with con- 'verse conveyer 31.

44 willbe at least as great as the distance between transverse cross-cuts 1, I, etc. v

The carriage of the loading machine 45 herein before referred to is indicated at 46, and this machine has a floating conveyer 4l thereon for Yreceiving material from the gathering and elevating means.

The method of pulling the entry pillars, after the block has been worked out and the entry is ready togo on the retreat, has been illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9.

In each of the figures mentioned the entry pillars 50 (meaning the group) are split at Il and extracted after the same general scheme employed to mine the block.

In the present system the width of the entry pillars as well as the width of the rooms and the room pillars will have definite relationships. As it will be necessary to advance the room faces I1 to 26 inclusive at the same pace, the pillar faces 21 to 36 inclusive (Fig. l) are retreating across lthe block, the time spent to advance a single pillars. The greater capacity of the machines in tons per minute over other methods of loading coal might dictate a wide room and a narrow pillar.

Should roof conditions allow pillars to be drawn open-ended oreslabbed, the extraction will proceed at a more rapid rate than would be true if they were extracted by the sump and wing method. Compensation for the different speeds of loading would be made by altering the relationship between width of room and pillar.

Again, a narrow room may require practically no timbering which would dictate, in the cause of economy, a relatively wide pillar which at the same time might permit loading out the pillar from both sides of the room. That in turn might cause pillar extraction to be can'ied on in every other room, or second room. Y

The relationship between width of room and width of pillar would doubtless be changed to meet underground conditions as they are encountered. For any set of conditions, however, the proper relationship once established will continue throughout the block or entry for its full length so long as the conditions persist.

The element of time in mining is a new feature in the development of a plan in which parallel advancing and retreating faces in line abreast, keep pace with each other at a constant distance apart across the block.

This arrangement of rooms and conveyers offers great advantages over other methods of mining.

It rst concentrates a large tonnage production in a small area. It lessens the cost of heading development by increasing the tonnage hauled through the cross-entries; for the number of rooms on one side of a cross-entry is only limited by the limit of operating eillciency of the trans- The same room development can be made on both sides of the crossentry, This greatly increases the scope of ter- ISU ritory served by one cross-entry over the territory thus served in the other types of development enumerated atthe beginning of my description.

It increases the efficiency in the use of mechanical conveyer; for to use Figure 1 is an illustration, as the pillars are drawn to close crosscut I0, the cross-cut I3 is completed. Conveyer 31 then is ready to bel moved to cross-cut I2. In the meantime, this cross-cut I2 has been cleaned and track laid therein to receive the sections of conveyer 31. When the move is to be made, all

of the lower sections 44 of the shuttleconveyers are retracted below sections 43 the full distance between cuts II and I2 by simply rolling section 44 along its track. No disassembly of them takes place. Conveyer 31 is torn apart and rolled into cross-cut II by rolling its sections on a track, then reassembled. Lower sections 44 of conveyers 42 serving the pillars, are rolled kforward from cross-cut I I 1 to cross-cut I2 positioned to again discharge material into conveyer 31.

This plan avoids the daily interruption of work in the rooms to add sections to an extensible conveyer of the usual type. In reality it reduces the task of moving a great length of conveyer, as the transverse conveyer only is torn down and there is but one heavy motor driven discharge en d to move. If the ordinary type of sectional room conveyers were in the rooms there would bein addition as many heavy discharge ends to move as there are room conveyers. In the operation illustrated that would means the' moving of twenty discharge ends from cut II to cut I2. That would be an extensive task.

Another advantage lies in the ease with which supplies and materials can be taken to or from the working faces.

Another advantage lies in the concentration at one point on the cross-entry of all of the tonnage to be transferred from conveyer to car.

What 1s claimed is:

1. The method of mining coal which includes the steps of driving rooms along lines parallel with the entry and with their advancing ends substantially abreast andtheir retreating ends substantially abreast, providing parallel cross-cuts common to all of the rooms whereby ingress and between previously formed cross-cuts, whereby a collecting conveyer can be transferred from one cross-cut to the next adjoining cross-cut every time a new one is formed, and the telescopic conveyers can be so positioned in the rooms as to discharge material upon the transverse collecting conveyer.

2. The method of mining which includes the formation of an entry through the mineral to be mined, by driving parallel headings, aircourses and watercourses and manways of any desired number interconnected with equally spaced and parallel cross-cuts to form straight continuous connections therebetween, projecting said `crosscuts into the mineral beyond the limits of the entry, on either side' or both, a distance equal to the distance between the entry and the projected course of a parallel room which will later be joined'to the entry, thereafter forming a series of any desired number of rooms parallel and adjacent to the entry, by advancing all of the rooms in the series substantially at the same speed with their advancing faces abreast, and extracting the pillars at the retreating ends of all of the rooms of the series simultaneously and substantially uniformly at substantially the same speed as the speed at which the rooms are advanced whereby the coal isremoved from the pillars before deterioration by crushing and whereby the rooms are maintained at a substantially uniform length during the said advance, and maintaining not less than three` equally spaced parallel cross-cut connections betweenV rooms during the advance thereof for ingress, egress, ventilation, drainage and haulage of material.

3. A method of mining coal which permits .simultaneous advancement of room and extraction of pillars, which includes the steps of driving an entry haulway thru the stratum to be mined, advancing rooms abreast into solid coal on one sidel of the entry, parallel to the entry and parallel to each other, connecting the rooms to each other and to the entry haulway by straight line cross-cuts driven to the rise from room to room and between room and haulway, whereby the room entry will be at a higher elevation than rooms contiguous thereto, said cross cuts being substantially parallel to the line of advance of the rooms, advancing all lof the rooms and forming additional cross-cuts, equally spaced as the rooms advance, each successive cross-cut constituting the avenue thru which material is transported from rooms to entry haulway as each new cross-cut is completed, and then extracting the pillars between the rooms at the retreating ends of the rooms, in the direction of advance, as the rooms advance, thereby to main- 'tain a pillar line substantially parallel to the advancing faces and cross-cuts, and the rooms, cross-cuts and entry being driven to the rise whereby driving to the dip is eliminated during excavation, and self-drainage of all working places is insured.

4. A method of mining in a pitching seam which includes the steps of driving an entry haulway thru the stratum to be mined, advancing rooms abreast into solid coal on one side the entry, parallel to the entry and parallel to each other, connecting the rooms to each other and to the entry haulway by straight line cross-cuts driven to the rise from room to room and between room and haulway, said cross cuts being substantially parallel to the line of advance of the rooms, advancing all of the rooms and forming additional cross-cuts, equally spaced as the rooms advance, each successive cross-cut constituting the avenue thru which material is transported from rooms to entry haulway as each newfcrosscut is completed, and then extracting the pillars between the rooms at the retreating ends of the rooms, in the direction of advance, as the rooms advance,^thereby to maintain a pillar line substantially parallel to the advancing faces and cross-cuts, and the rooms at substantially uniform length, all of the rooms, cross-cuts and entry being driven to the rise whereby driving to the dip iseliminated during excavation and self-drainage of all working places is insured.

5. A method of mining in a pitching seam which includes the steps of driving an entryhaulway thru the stratum -to be mined, advancing rooms abreast into solid coal on one side the entry, parallel to the entry and parallel to each other, connecting the rooms to each other and to the entry haulway by straight line cross-cuts driven to the rise from room to room and between room and haulway, said cross-cuts being substantially parallel to the line of advance or the rooms, advancing all of the rooms and forming additional cross-cuts, equally spaced as the rooms advance, each successive cross-cut constituting the avenue thru which material is trans- 10 ported from rooms to entry haulway as each 'new cross-cut is completed, and then extracting whereby, through the use of a conveyer system,

the recoveryl of the room pillars is expedited without sacricing safe working conditions.

CHARLES R. HUGHES.

Images