AU2006100306B4 - A mine roof support mesh - Google Patents

A mine roof support mesh Download PDF

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Publication number
AU2006100306B4
AU2006100306B4 AU2006100306A AU2006100306A AU2006100306B4 AU 2006100306 B4 AU2006100306 B4 AU 2006100306B4 AU 2006100306 A AU2006100306 A AU 2006100306A AU 2006100306 A AU2006100306 A AU 2006100306A AU 2006100306 B4 AU2006100306 B4 AU 2006100306B4
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Australia
Prior art keywords
mesh
wires
line
wire
section
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AU2006100306A
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AU2006100306A4 (en
Inventor
Graeme Stuart Mcgregor
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OneSteel Reinforcing Pty Ltd
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OneSteel Reinforcing Pty Ltd
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Classifications

    • EFIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21DSHAFTS; TUNNELS; GALLERIES; LARGE UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS
    • E21D11/00Lining tunnels, galleries or other underground cavities, e.g. large underground chambers; Linings therefor; Making such linings in situ, e.g. by assembling
    • E21D11/14Lining predominantly with metal
    • E21D11/15Plate linings; Laggings, i.e. linings designed for holding back formation material or for transmitting the load to main supporting members
    • E21D11/152Laggings made of grids or nettings

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Devices Affording Protection Of Roads Or Walls For Sound Insulation (AREA)
  • Wire Processing (AREA)
  • Catalysts (AREA)

Description

AUSTRALIA
Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Applicant: ONESTEEL REINFORCING PTY LTD Invention Title: A MINE ROOF SUPPORT MESH The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 A MINE ROOF SUPPORT MESH The present invention relates to a mine roof support mesh for stabilising roof strata of underground mines.
It is known to stabilise roof strata of underground mines with rock bolt assemblies that comprise rock bolts that are anchored, typically by means of cement or chemical resin grout, in holes that are drilled in roof strata and tensioned by nuts threaded onto the rock bolts.
Typically, bearing plates are positioned between the nuts and roof strata.
The purpose of rock bolt assemblies is to apply a clamping or confining action to a section of roof strata to control deformation of the section and to enhance the strength of the section. More specifically, the purpose of rock bolt assemblies is to allow load to be transferred from a failing section to the rock bolts to sustain the load. The spacing of rock bolt assemblies is a function directly of the characteristics of roof strata.
It is known to stabilise roof strata, particularly roof strata of roadways of underground mines, by using roof support mesh with rock bolt assemblies.
Typically, roof support mesh is rectangular and is formed from a first layer of parallel elongate members (generally referred to as "line wires") and a second layer of parallel elongate members (generally referred to as "cross wires") that are transverse to the line wires and are welded together at the intersections of the wires.
Each line wire and cross wire may be a single wire or multiple wires, such as double wires, positioned side by side in contact with each other. Typically, the mesh is long and 700-1700mm wide.
H-\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 3 In use of the roof support mesh to support a roof strata, such as a roof strata of an underground mine roadway, sheets of mesh are positioned against the roof strata, usually with successive sheets in overlapping relationship, and rock bolts of rock bolt assemblies are positioned to extend through openings in "bolting" sections of the mesh sheets and into holes drilled in the roof strata. Thereafter, tensioning nuts and bearing plates of rock bolt assemblies are positioned on the rock bolts and clamp the mesh sheets to the roof strata.
The most widely used roof support mesh in the Australian mining industry over the last 6 years is a mesh that is described in Australian standard patent application 720908 and Australian petty patent 735219 in the name of the applicant. The roof support mesh is generally rectangular and formed from parallel line wires and parallel cross wires that are welded together at the intersections of the wires. Typically, the line wires are at 100mm centres and the cross wires are at 100mm centres and the wire diameters are at least 4mm. One side of the mesh is upturned and the other side is down-turned to improve the rigidity of an otherwise flat sheet. The mesh is characterised by a bolting section that is defined by a pair of double line wires close to one side of the mesh.
The line wires of the double line wires are a larger diameter than the other line wires. Typically, the larger diameter line wires are 7mm and the smaller diameter wires are 5mm. The pair of double line wires visually distinguish the bolting section from the other section of the mesh and concentrate reinforcement in the bolting section. The roof support mesh has dominated the Australian market for mesh for underground coal mining since it was introduced into the market 6 years ago.
Whilst the "double wire" roof support mesh H,\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 4 described in the preceding paragraph performs very well in terms of stabilising roof strata, one problem with the mesh is that there are difficulties associated with packing and thereafter transporting the mesh from a manufacturing site to a mine. The standard practice in Australia is to stack sheets of roof support mesh in packs of the order of 20-40 sheets, with one sheet directly on top of an underlying sheet, and to hold the packs together with straps and to transport the packs via trucks to mines. The larger diameter line wires that form the bolting section of the above-described "double wire" mesh on one side of the mesh have the undesirable consequence of causing the packs to be uneven, ie not square, with one side of a pack being considerably higher than the other side of the pack. This is undesirable because it can affect the stability of the packs, and this is a potentially serious safety issue in terms of handling the packs at manufacturing and mine sites and in transporting the packs via trucks. One consequence of the potential instability issue is that there is a tendency to load trucks well below the carrying capacity of the trucks.
The applicant has invented a roof support mesh that is not subject to the above-described stacking problem without loss of performance.
According to the present invention there is provided a mine roof support mesh for supporting an area of a roof of a mine, which mesh is typically packed and transported as a generally flat sheet and includes: a first layer of parallel steel line wires that are at least 4mm in diameter and a second layer of parallel steel cross wires that are at least 4mm in diameter and are transverse to the line wires and are welded together at the intersections of the wires, the line wires include line wires that have a diameter that is larger than the majority of the other line wires of the mesh and are positioned towards one side of the mesh and define a H,\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap Amended pages.doc 14/09/06 5 bolting section of the mesh (as described herein), and the line wires also include one or more than one other larger diameter line wire positioned towards the other side of the mesh.
The applicant has found that the above-described roof support mesh has the following advantages.
Firstly, positioning the larger diameter wire(s) on the side of the mesh that is opposite to the bolting section means that a pack of sheets of the mesh laid one on top of the other is considerably squarer and consequently more stable. The mesh has considerable advantages in terms of handling the mesh packs at manufacturing and mine sites and transporting the mesh.
With regard to the latter point, the applicant has found that it is possible to load safely a larger number of the mesh sheets on to a truck than is possible with the "double wire" mesh of the applicant that is described above.
In addition, positioning the larger diameter wire(s) on the side of the mesh that is opposite to the bolting section increases the stiffness of the mesh on that side and this is an advantage in terms of handling individual sheets of the mesh at manufacturing and mine sites.
In addition, positioning the larger diameter wire(s) on the side of the mesh that is opposite to the bolting section makes it possible, subject to appropriately selecting the actual position of the larger diameter wire(s), to increase the amount of reinforcement in the bolting section of overlapping sheets of the mesh and this is an advantage in terms of the performance of the mesh in stabilising roof strata.
H.\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 6 The term "bolting" section is understood herein to mean a preferred section of the mesh to be contacted by rock bolt assemblies for clamping the mesh to a roof strata.
Preferably the centre of the bolting section is 70-150mm from the side of the mesh.
The term "centre of the bolting section" is understood herein to mean the position that would be occupied in use of the mesh by a properly positioned rock bolt.
The bolting section may be defined by a pair of larger diameter line wires, with one line wire of the pair on one side of the centre of the bolting section and the other line wire of the pair on the other side of the centre of the bolting section.
By way of further example, the bolting section may be defined by two groups of line wires, each group defining one side of the bolting section, and each group including two or more larger diameter wires that are in contact with each other or are more closely spaced than the other wires in the mesh.
The bolting section may also include additional line wires.
Preferably the larger diameter line wire(s) on the side of the mesh that is opposite to the bolting section is less than 500mm from the side of the mesh.
More preferably the larger diameter line wire(s) is less than 400mm from the side of the mesh that is opposite to the bolting section.
H,\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 7 It is preferred particularly that the larger diameter line wire(s) be less than 300mm from the side of the mesh that is opposite to the bolting section.
It is preferred that the mesh include sections that are out of a flat plane in order to increase the stiffness of the mesh.
By way of example, the mesh may include upturned and down-turned sections at the sides of the mesh.
By way of further example, the mesh may be curved.
It is preferred that the curved mesh be formed so that the mesh bends under the weight of the mesh and forms a flat product when the mesh is lifted clear of an underlying support.
In situations where the mesh is curved and the curved mesh includes a bolting section that is defined by larger cross-sectional area wires, it is preferred that the first layer be the layer that has a smaller radius than the other layers. It is noted that the present invention is not limited to this arrangement and also extends to the reverse arrangement in which the first layer has a larger radius than the other layers of the mesh.
Preferably the mesh includes a third layer of parallel line wires that are transverse to the cross wires and are welded to the cross wires at the intersections of the wires, whereby the layer of cross wires separates the two layers of line wires.
The line wires and the cross wires may be any cross-sectional shape.
H:\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 8 By way of example, the wires may be circular in cross-section.
It is preferred that the wires be circular in cross-section.
Preferably the larger diameter line wires are at least More preferably the larger diameter line wires are at least 6mm.
More preferably the larger diameter line wires are at least 7mm.
By way of further example, rather than being circular, the wires may be non-circular with flat sections that provide greater surface area of contact between contacting wires in the mesh than can be achieved with wires having non-circular cross-sections.
The non-circular cross-section wires may be formed by any suitable means.
For example, the wires may be formed by in-line rolling wires of circular cross-section into wires of noncircular cross-section.
For example, the rolled wires may be figure 8 or other non-circular cross-section shape which is substantially flat.
With the above in mind, it can be appreciated that there are a number of options for achieving a given wire cross-sectional area in a given section of the mesh.
H,\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 9 By way of example, a single wire of circular cross-section of 10mm diameter, (ii) 2 wires of circular cross-section of 7mm diameter positioned side by side, and (iii) a single wire of circular cross-section of diameter that is roll-formed to a figure 8 form have approximately the same cross-sectional area.
The present invention is described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sheet of a roof support mesh in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a stack of sheets of the mesh shown in Figure 1, with the mesh being viewed in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of a stack of sheets of the "double wire" mesh disclosed in Australian standard patent application 720908 and Australian petty patent 735219 in the name of the applicant; Figure 4 is a vertical section of a roadway in an underground mine which illustrates installation of a plurality of sheets of the mesh shown in Figure 1 to a roof of a mine; Figure 5 is a side elevation of an overlap section of 2 sheets of a roof support mesh in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 6 is a side elevation of a stack of sheets of a roof support mesh in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
H:\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 10 The mine roof support mesh 3 shown in Figure 1 includes a first layer of parallel line wires 5, 5a, and a second layer of parallel cross wires 7 that are transverse to the line wires 5. The line wires and cross wires are welded together at the intersections of the wires. The wires are steel wires.
When viewed in top plan, the mesh is generally rectangular, flat sheet with one upturned side and one down-turned side. The upturned and down-turned sides are provided to contribute to the rigidity of the sheet.
The line wires include a pair of double line wires 5a proximate to the down-turned side of the mesh.
The pair of double wires 5a and the pair of line wires immediately outboard of the double wires 5a define a bolting section 13 of the mesh.
In particular, the pair of double wires distinguish this section of the mesh from the remainder of the mesh and concentrate steel in the vicinity of rock bolts that in use secure the mesh to a mine roof and thereby improve the resistance of the mesh to shear failure at the bolting section 13.
As can best be seen in Figure 2, the double line wires 5a and the outboard wires 5b are a larger diameter than all of the other line wires, save for one line wire that is positioned proximate to the other side of the mesh. The larger diameter line wire 5c distinguishes the mesh shown in Figure 1 from the prior art "double wire" mesh disclosed in Australian standard patent application 720908 and Australian petty patent 735219 in the name of the applicant.
The significance of the larger diameter line wire is evident from a comparison of the mesh stacks shown H:\jolzik\keep\Speci\Onesteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 11 in Figures 2 and 3. In particular, it is evident from these figures that a stack of sheets of the mesh shown in Figure 1 as shown in Figure 2 is considerably squarer and consequently more stable than a stack of sheets of the mesh disclosed in the above-mentioned Australian patent application/petty patent of the applicant as shown in Figure 3.
One particular consequence of the squarer pack is that a larger number of the mesh sheets shown in Figure 1 can be loaded and carried safely on a truck than the number of mesh sheets shown in Figure 3 that can be loaded and carried safely on the same truck.
With reference to Figure 4, in use, a plurality of sheets of the mesh shown in Figure 1 are installed on a roof 17 of an underground mine roadway as part of the procedure for excavating the roadway. The procedure includes placing a first sheet 3a against the roof 17, with the line wires 5 extending transverse to the direction of excavation (indicated by the arrow and holding the sheet in position by means of a predetermined number of rock bolt assemblies located with the rock bolts 19 extending through apertures in the bolting section 13 and the bearing plate 23 and nuts 25 acting against the reinforced section 13. After the next section of the roadway has been excavated, a second sheet 3b is then placed against the roof strata in overlapping relationship in the first module 3a and then bolted through the reinforced section 13. This procedure is continued with successive sheets 3c, 3d as the roadway is excavated in the direction of the arrow in the figure. In this embodiment, the preferred sheet widths are 700-1700mm and the lengths are It is evident from Figure 4 that the larger diameter line wires 5c of the mesh sheets form part of the H.\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 12 overlap regions of the sheets and contribute reinforcement to that provided by the bolting sections 13 of the overlapping mesh sheets at these positions.
This point is illustrated more clearly in Figure in relation to another embodiment of a roof support mesh in accordance with the invention. The mesh shown in Figure 5 is conceptually the same as the mesh shown in Figure 1 and the same reference numerals are used to describe the same components of the mesh. Figure 5 shows a rock bolt assembly of a rock bolt 19, bearing plate 23 and nut 25 securing 2 overlapping mesh sheets 3a, 3b to a roof strata (not shown). It is clear from Figure 5 that the larger diameter line wire Sc of the mesh sheet 3a is positioned close to the rock bolt 19 and within the area covered by the bolting section 13 of the successively positioned mesh sheet 3b. In this position the line wire contributes to the reinforcement in the region of the rock bolt 19.
Figure 6 illustrates another embodiment of a roof support mesh in accordance with the invention. The mesh shown in Figure 5 is conceptually the same as the mesh shown in Figures 1 and 5 and the same reference numerals are used to describe the same components of the mesh. The main difference between the Figure 6 embodiment and the embodiment shown in Figure 1 is that the Figure 6 embodiment includes two "V-shaped" sections, generally identified by the numeral 45, that are out of the flat plane of the mesh and does not include the upturned and down-turned sections of the Figure 1 emnbodiment. The "Vshaped" sections 45 contribute to the rigidity of the mesh in the same way than the upturned and down-turned sections contribute to the rigidity of the Figure 1 embodiment.
Figure 6 illustrates that a stack of the mesh forms a square, and therefore stable pack, in a similar H \jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06 13 way to the Figure 1 embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 2.
Many modifications may be made to the preferred embodiments of the present invention described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
By way of example, whilst the preferred embodiments have been described in the context of mesh having 2 layers of intersecting line and cross wires, the present invention is not so limited and extends to arrangements that include 3 or more layers of wires. In particular, the present invention extends to arrangements that include 2 layers of parallel line wires separated by a layer of cross wires.
By way of further example, whilst the preferred embodiments include a single larger diameter line wire on the side of the mesh sheets that is opposite to the bolting sections 13, the present invention is not so limited and extends to arrangements that include a plurality of such larger diameter line wires H:\jolzik\keep\Speci\OneSteel\OneSteel Wire Swap.doc 20/04/06

Claims (4)

1. A mine roof support mesh for supporting an area of a roof of a mine, which mesh is typically packed and transported as a generally flat sheet and includes: a first layer of parallel steel line wires that are at least 4mm in diameter and a second layer of parallel steel cross wires that are at least 4mm in diameter and are transverse to the line wires and are welded together at the intersections of the wires, the line wires include line wires that have a diameter that is larger than the majority of the other line wires of the mesh and are positioned towards one side of the mesh and define a bolting section of the mesh (as described herein), and the line wires also include one or more than one other larger diameter line wire positioned towards the other side of the mesh.
2. The mesh defined in claim 1 wherein the centre of the bolting section is 70-150mm from the side of the mesh.
3. The mesh defined in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the larger diameter line wire(s) on the side of the mesh that is opposite to the bolting section is less than 500mm from the side of the mesh.
4. The mesh defined in claim 3 wherein the larger diameter line wire(s) is less than 400mm from the side of the mesh that is opposite to the bolting section. The mesh defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein the mesh includes upturned and down-turned sections at the sides of the mesh. Dated this 14th day of September 2006 ONESTEEL REINFORCING PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia H-\Jolzik\keep\Speci\oneSteel\OneSteeI Wire Sw~ap Amiended pages.doc 14/09/06
AU2006100306A 2002-10-15 2006-04-20 A mine roof support mesh Expired AU2006100306B4 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2006100306A AU2006100306B4 (en) 2002-10-15 2006-04-20 A mine roof support mesh

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2002301468A AU2002301468B2 (en) 2002-10-15 2002-10-15 A mine roof support mesh
AU2002301468 2002-10-15
AU2006100306A AU2006100306B4 (en) 2002-10-15 2006-04-20 A mine roof support mesh

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
AU2002301468A Division AU2002301468B2 (en) 2002-10-15 2002-10-15 A mine roof support mesh

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AU2006100306A4 AU2006100306A4 (en) 2006-05-18
AU2006100306B4 true AU2006100306B4 (en) 2006-11-09

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AU2002301468A Expired AU2002301468B2 (en) 2002-10-15 2002-10-15 A mine roof support mesh
AU2006100306A Expired AU2006100306B4 (en) 2002-10-15 2006-04-20 A mine roof support mesh

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU2011254073B2 (en) * 2010-12-23 2015-10-29 The Australian Steel Company (Operations) Pty Ltd Mesh
CA3130757A1 (en) * 2019-02-20 2020-08-27 Dsi Tunneling Llc Underground support system and method

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3441336A1 (en) * 1983-11-30 1985-06-05 Drahtwerke Rösler Soest GmbH & Co KG, 4770 Soest WIRE NETWORK FOR TUNNEL AND UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION, ROUTE EXTENSION AND THE LIKE

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AU2002301468B2 (en) 2006-06-08
NZ528950A (en) 2004-04-30
AU2002301468A1 (en) 2004-05-06
AU2002301468C1 (en) 2004-05-06
AU2006100306A4 (en) 2006-05-18

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