AU2012202146B2

AU2012202146B2 - Vehicles

Info

Publication number: AU2012202146B2
Application number: AU2012202146A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Toni Dunlop
Original assignee: Ausroad Holdings Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Ausroad Holdings Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2011-05-30
Filing date: 2012-04-13
Publication date: 2016-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2032-04-13
Also published as: AU2012202146A1

Abstract

A vehicle of the type having a chassis supported on front and rear wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis, the vehicle also including: 5 a hopper mounted on said chassis and adapted to store particulate material, said hopper including discharge means by which particulate material can be discharged therefrom; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis, said side conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and 0 being arranged to receive particulate material from said hopper between said proximal end and said distal end via said discharge means and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom, said conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; 5 a delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet, said delivery chute being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate material therefrom via said inlet and discharge it via said outlet; and a cover arranged to substantially cover said side 0 conveyor between said delivery chute and said distal end so as to define a dust collection chamber above said side conveyor. cAUS27129

Description

VEHICLES

This invention relates to vehicles.

The invention has particular application to vehicles used for delivering gravel and other particulates and in particular such vehicles used for delivering particulate material for stemming blast holes, especially in the mining industry.

In open cut mining, blasting can involve an array of hundreds of blast holes which typically can be up to 60 metres deep and up to 300mm diameter. Filling the blast holes to a predetermined level with particulate material such as gravel after the explosives have been placed, commonly referred to as "stemming" can require a substantial amount of particulate material and the stemming operation can result in the release of a significant amount of dust. Sometimes, the particulate material used is the material which has been drilled to form the blast hole.

Trucks generally of the type typically used for road maintenance can also be useful in stemming operations. Such vehicles typically have a bottom discharge hopper mounted on the chassis behind the cab for storing various types of quarry materials such as sand and gravel or asphalt with a longitudinal conveyor under the bottom discharge and arranged to convey material forwards or rearwards where it discharges the material onto a side conveyor which in turn discharges the material to the side of the truck and into a pot hole, post hole, ditch, drain or in the case of stemming operations, into a blast hole. Such road maintenance trucks, typically also have a tank for holding water or emulsion for mixing with the particulate material and suitable pressuring equipment for forcing such liquids from the tank to a delivery system which typically includes a hose and nozzle or a spray bar mounted to the back of the truck. The emulsion tank can be used for weed poison if desired and some road maintenance vehicles also have a water tank and separate pumping system.

Attempts to reduce the amount of dust released have been made by spraying the particulate material with water while on the longitudinal conveyor or the side conveyor by using water from the pressurised emulsion tank (or by using a dedicated pump from a non-pressurised tank) via nozzles mounted directly above the conveyor belts. However, while those attempts have been successful to some extent, they do cause other problems. One problem is that when the material being used is particularly dusty, it requires more water to settle the dust and the settled dust becomes mud which tends to build up on the conveyor belts making them heavy to drive and causing them to slip. Further, the mud dries and becomes caked to the belts and other drive components and results in more vehicle maintenance costs.

The present invention is aimed at providing a vehicle or a unit adapted to be mounted on a vehicle which can be used for stemming operations in which the aforementioned problems are at least ameliorated.

With the forgoing in view, the invention resides broadly in a vehicle of the type having a chassis supported on front and rear wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis, the vehicle also including: a hopper mounted on said chassis and adapted to store particulate material, said hopper including discharge means by which particulate material can be discharged therefrom; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis, said side conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being arranged to receive particulate material from said hopper towards its proximal end via said discharge means and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom, said conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; a delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet, said delivery chute being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate material therefrom via said inlet and discharge it via said outlet; and a cover arranged to substantially cover said side conveyor between said discharge means and said distal end to define a dust collection chamber above said side conveyor.

In another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a vehicle of the type having a chassis supported on front and rear wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis, the vehicle also including: a hopper mounted on said chassis and adapted to store particulate material, said hopper including discharge means by which particulate material can be discharged therefrom; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis, said side conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being arranged to receive particulate material from said hopper between said proximal end and said distal end via said discharge means and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom, said conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; a delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet, said delivery chute being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate material therefrom via said inlet and discharge it via said outlet, and wherein said delivery chute outlet is arranged to direct particulate material being discharged therefrom downwards.

In yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a delivery unit for delivering particulate material, including: a frame adapted to be mounted to the chassis of a vehicle; a hopper mounted on said frame and adapted to store particulate material, said hopper including discharge means by which particulate material can be discharged therefrom; a side conveyor operatively connected to said frame, said side conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being arranged to receive particulate material from said hopper between said proximal end and said distal end via said discharge means and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom, said conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; a delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet, said delivery chute being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate material therefrom via said inlet and discharge it via said outlet; and a cover arranged to substantially cover said side conveyor between said discharge means and said distal end so as to define a dust collection chamber above said side conveyor.

In still yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a delivery unit for delivering particulate material, including: a frame adapted to be mounted to the chassis of a vehicle; a hopper mounted on said frame and adapted to store particulate material, said hopper including discharge means by which particulate material can be discharged therefrom; a side conveyor operatively connected to said frame, said side conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being arranged to receive particulate material from said hopper between said proximal end and said distal end via said discharge means and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom, said conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; and a delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet, said delivery chute being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate material therefrom via said inlet and discharge it via said outlet, and wherein said delivery chute outlet is arranged to direct particulate material being discharged therefrom downwards.

Preferably, said cover includes a fixed part (or half) and a movable part(or half) with the movable half being connected to the conveyor for movement therewith between the stowed position and the delivery position while the conveyor moves within or through the fixed part. Advantageously, in such form the fixed part has an opening therein through which the discharge means of the hopper can discharge particulate material onto the side conveyor. Suitably, having a fixed part allows a substantially airtight connection between the hopper and the side conveyor especially in a preferred form where the hopper discharge means is a belt conveyor and the side conveyor is also a belt conveyor. In such form, a cover can be provided between the hopper and the side conveyor to substantially cover the exposed portion of the hopper conveyor and prevent air flow into the dust collection chamber therefrom.

Preferably, said delivery chute outlet is arranged to direct particulate material being discharged therefrom downwards. Advantageously, such arrangement allows for easier delivery of particulate material into a specified hole and also allows for dust control to be effected to some extent by use of a water mist shroud.

Preferably, said delivery chute and said cover are arranged to cooperate to substantially close said distal end of said side conveyor so that substantially all fluid communication between the side conveyor and the atmosphere at that end is only via the delivery chute outlet. For that purpose it is also preferred that said side conveyor be substantially closed on its bottom and sides fully along its length whereby the conveyor is substantially fully housed so as to prevent undesired egress of dust therefrom.

Preferably, the vehicle includes a dust extraction unit operatively mounted to said chassis and in fluid communication with said dust collection chamber, said dust extraction unit being arranged to extract air from said dust collection chamber together with any dust contained therein which has been released from particulate material travelling on said conveyor towards said discharge chute. In a preferred form, a dust extraction outlet is provided in said cover for fluid communication between the dust collection chamber and the dust collection unit and a suitable duct connecting the two is provided. However, the dust collection chamber could be connected to the dust collection chamber at the side of the conveyor or even under the conveyor if desired.

Preferably, said dust extraction unit includes a blower adapted draw dust laden air from the dust collection chamber and discharge it to atmosphere after treatment, in one form, dust laden air is discharged through a cyclone with dust being collected in a bag or other suitable container while in another form, dust laden air is passed through a water shower or scrubber and discharged on the ground. In still another form, dust is continuously deposited on the ground within a shroud of water mist. In such form, the dust also can be sprayed after depositing.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a vehicle according to the invention;

Fig, 2 is an elevation of the vehicle of Fig, 1 from the driver side;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the vehicle of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the vehicle of Fig. 1 from the passenger side; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of part of the vehicle of Fig. 1 from an elevated position above the passenger side of the cab with some components removed for clarity.

Fig. 6 is a pictorial representation of a stemming unit adapted to be mounted on the chassis of a vehicle according to the invention;

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the stemming unit of Fig. 6 from the driver side;

Fig. 8 is a plan of the stemming unit of Fig. 6;

Fig, 9 is an elevation of the stemming unit of Fig, 6 from the passenger side; and

Fig, 10 is a perspective view of part of the stemming unit of Fig. 1 from an elevated position.

The truck 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a chassis 11 which is supported on front wheels 12 and rear wheels 13 with a cabin 14 mounted towards the front end of the chassis in which a driver con operate the truck in the usual manner. A prefabricated stemming unit 15 is mounted on a base frame 15a as can be more clearly seen in Figs 6 to 10 which in turn is mounted on the chassis 11 although in other embodiments, separate components of the stemming unit can be mounted directly on the chassis if desired.

The stemming unit includes a hopper IS which is mounted on the frame 15a towards the rear end with opposed tapered bottom sides 16a and 16b and opposed tapered front and rear sides 16c and 16d arranged to direct gravel and other particular material towards longitudinally running conveyor 17 extending along the length of the hopper from the rear towards the front- Conveyor 17 1 is arranged to convey particulate material from the bottom of the hopper forward to a discharge opening 19 through which the conveyor passes and terminates at forward end 20 (a3 can be seen in Fig. A where it discharges the particulate material onto side conveyor 21.

Side conveyor 21 is housed under a cover 22 which has a fixed half 23 secured to the frame '15a (via the conveyor frame) and a moveable half 24 which is adapted to slide in and out in a telescopic fashion with the fixed half as the conveyor 21 moves from a stowed position {not shown) to a discharge position as shown in the drawings. Suitably, the cover together with the conveyor form a dust collection chamber 25 extending from one end of the conveyor belt to the other. A discharge chute 31 is bolted to the distal end of the side conveyor as can be seen in Fig. 1, the discharge chute fully enclosing the distal end of the conveyor and forming a funnel arranged to direct particulate material being discharged into the chute by the side conveyor downwards where it exits the chute via outlet 32.

Advantageously, the hopper conveyor enters the dust collection chamber via an opening 34 in the fixed part 23 of the dust cover to discharge particulate material onto the side conveyor whereby the exposed part of the hopper conveyor at the forward end can be covered if desired to prevent release of dust and also to prevent undesirable flow of air into the dust collection chamber from atmosphere at that point. A dust extraction unit 41 is mounted on the base frame 15a forward of the side conveyer, the dust extraction unit including a suction fan (not shown) and a discharge expander 42 mounted there below with the suction fan being connected at its inlet to the dust collection chamber via a dust extraction outlet 43 provided in the passenger side end of the dust cover 21.

It will be appreciated that the conveyors, pumps, compressors and other equipment provided on the truck are driven by hydraulic motors which in turn are supplied with hydraulic oil by a suitable pump driven by the truck engine as is well known in vehicles of the present type. Similarly, movement of the side conveyor from the stowed position to the delivery position and vice versa is achieved by hydraulic rams but of course other methods such as hydraulic motors or pneumatic motors would be satisfactory.

In use, the hopper is filled with particulate material for tilling blast holes to the desired level and the truck is driven to the blast site. The driver causes the side conveyor to move from the stowed position to the delivery position by operation of hydraulic controls and positions the chute outlet 32 above the blast hole which is to be filled. The driver turns on the dust extraction unit whereby air is drawn through the dust collection chamber from the discharge outlet 32 to the extraction outlet 43 -through the fan {not shown) and then dust laden air is discharged beneath the chassis via the discharge "funnel". Advantageously, water is sprayed onto the dust laden air as it passes through the funnel thereby causing it to settle. In this respect, the truck includes a water tank 51 with an air compressor 52 and associated valves, etc. arranged to force water from the water tank to nozzles arranged in the funnel.

In some embodiments, a number of nozzles(not shown) are mounted on the discharge chute 31 immediately above the discharge outlet 32 and arranged to spray an outwardly expanding "cone" or "pyramid" of water mist around particulate material being discharged from the discharge chute so as to inhibit dust from escaping as the particulate fills a stemming hole thereunder.

The foregoing description has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention and many modifications and variations which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A vehicle of the type having a chassis supported on front and rear wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis, the vehicle also including: a hopper mounted on said chassis and adapted to store particulate material, said hopper including discharge means by which particulate material can be discharged therefrom; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis, said side conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being arranged to receive particulate material from said hopper between said proximal end and said distal end via said discharge means and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom, said conveyor being movable from a stowed position to any selected delivery position and vice versa; a delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet, said delivery chute being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate material therefrom via said inlet and discharge it via said outlet; and a cover arranged to substantially cover said side conveyor between said discharge means and said distal end so as to define a dust collection chamber above said side conveyor in any selected delivery position.
2. A delivery unit for delivering particulate material, including: a frame adapted to be mounted to the chassis of a vehicle; a hopper mounted on said frame and adapted to store particulate material, said hopper including discharge means by which particulate material can be discharged therefrom; a side conveyor operatively connected to said frame, said side conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being arranged to receive particulate material from said hopper between said proximal end and said distal end via said discharge means and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom, said conveyor being movable from a stowed position to any selected delivery position and vice versa; a delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet, said delivery chute being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate material therefrom via said inlet and discharge it via said outlet; and a cover arranged to substantially cover said side conveyor between said discharge means and said distal end so as to define a dust collection chamber above said side conveyor in any selected delivery position.
3. A vehicle according to Claim 1 or a delivery unit according to claim 2, wherein said cover includes a fixed part (or half) and a movable part(or half) with the movable part being connected to the side conveyor for movement therewith between the stowed position and the delivery position while the conveyor moves within or through the fixed part.
4. A vehicle or delivery unit according to Claim 3, wherein the fixed part has an opening through which the discharge means of the hopper can discharge particulate material onto the side conveyor .
5. A vehicle or delivery unit according to Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein the fixed part and the movable part are connected to each other in a substantially airtight connection.
6. A vehicle or delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hopper discharge means is a belt conveyor and the side conveyor is a belt conveyor.
7. A vehicle or delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims, including a cover between the hopper and the side conveyor arranged to substantially cover the portion of the hopper conveyor outside the hopper.
8. A vehicle or delivery unit according to Claim 7, wherein the cover of the hopper conveyor is arranged to substantially prevent air flow into the dust collection chamber from the hopper conveyor.
9. A vehicle or delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said delivery chute outlet is arranged to direct particulate material being discharged therefrom downwards.
10. A vehicle or delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said delivery chute and said cover are arranged to cooperate to substantially close said distal end of said side conveyor so that substantially all fluid communication between the side conveyor and the atmosphere at that end is only via the delivery chute outlet.
11. A vehicle or delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said side conveyor is substantially closed on its bottom and sides fully along its length to substantially prevent egress of dust therefrom.
12. A vehicle or delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims, including a dust extraction unit operatively connected to said chassis and in fluid communication with said dust collection chamber, said dust extraction unit being arranged to extract air and entrained dust from said dust collection chamber.
13. A vehicle or delivery unit according to Claim 12, wherein said cover has a dust extraction outlet for fluid communication between the dust collection chamber and the dust extraction unit.
14. A vehicle or delivery unit according to Claim 12, wherein said dust extraction unit includes a blower adapted to draw dust laden air from the dust collection chamber.
15. A vehicle or delivery unit according to Claim 14, wherein said dust extraction unit includes a centrifugal type separator such as a cyclone.
16. A vehicle or delivery unit according to Claim 14 or Claim 15, wherein said dust extraction unit includes a water shower or scrubber.
17. A vehicle or delivery unit according to Claim 9, including one or more nozzles arranged to form a shroud of water around and/or below said downwardly directed delivery chute .
18. A vehicle of the type having a chassis supported on front and rear wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis, the vehicle also including: a hopper mounted on said chassis and adapted to store particulate material, said hopper including discharge means by which particulate material can be discharged therefrom; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis, said side conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being arranged to receive particulate material from said hopper between said proximal end and said distal end via said discharge means and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom, said conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; a delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet, said delivery chute being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate material therefrom via said inlet and discharge it via said outlet, and wherein said delivery chute outlet is arranged to direct particulate material being discharged therefrom downwards.