AU2015101605A4

AU2015101605A4 - Vehicles

Info

Publication number: AU2015101605A4
Application number: AU2015101605A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Toni Dunlop
Original assignee: Ausroad Holdings Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Ausroad Holdings Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2014-11-11
Filing date: 2015-11-02
Publication date: 2015-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 2023-11-02
Also published as: AU2015252025A1; AU2015252025B2

Abstract

1. A delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: a chassis or base; 5 traction means operatively connected to said chassis or base and adapted to engage the ground for moving said chassis or base relative thereto; traction drive means operatively connected to said traction means for driving said traction means along the ground; 0 a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for 5 selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to a plurality of desired locations beyond said hopper; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at a first selected one of said plurality of 0 desired locations and to convey the material received to a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base; a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said 25 conveying means at a second selected one of said plurality of desired locations and to convey the material received to a second predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base, said slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; and 30 control means for controlling said conveying means for delivery of particulate material from said hopper to any selected one of said plurality of delivery locations. AcA

Description

1 VEHICLES This invention relates to vehicles. The invention has particular application to vehicles used for delivering gravel and other particulates and in particular 5 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 0 predetermined level with stemming material which is a particulate material such as gravel after the explosives have been placed, generally requires a substantial amount of material and the stemming operation can result in the release of a significant amount of dust. 5 A number of trucks are presently available for stemming blast holes and such trucks are now often referred to as "stemming trucks". Such trucks typically have a bottom discharge hopper mounted on the chassis behind the cab for storing particulate material with a longitudinal conveyor mounted under O the bottom discharge and arranged to convey material frontwards or in some trucks, 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 blast hole. Some stemming trucks have a relatively long slewing 25 conveyor at the rear instead of a side discharge conveyor for discharging into stemming holes which cannot be easily reached by the a side conveyor. However, such conveyors are more difficult to align with the blast holes and generally require more set up time. Consequently, they are significantly slower 30 in filling an array of blast holes. The present invention is aimed at providing a vehicle (or a unit adapted to be mounted on a vehicle) which provides at least some of the advantages of the speed of side delivery 2 stemming trucks and at least some of the advantage of the reach of slewing delivery stemming trucks. It will be appreciated that sometimes the particulate material used for stemming blast holes includes relatively large 5 "particles", for example, some particles could be rocks up to 150mm across. Such rocks can jam in the feed path to the longitudinal conveyor thereby preventing smaller particles reaching the conveyor and desirably such rocks should be removed between loads. In that respect, the longitudinal conveyor is 0 typically covered by a shield which is spaced from the opposed side walls of the hopper thereby providing a longitudinal inlet to the conveyor and rocks jam between the shield and the side walls thereby blocking the inlet in random places along its length. Those rocks can be manually removed by an operator 5 climbing into the hopper and throwing the rocks out. However, as the hoppers are relatively high, the removal of jammed rocks can be an arduous and time consuming task. Consequently, the present invention in one aspect provides for easier removal of jammed rocks from the hopper. O0 Stemming trucks sometimes have a tank for holding water for suppressing dust and suitable means for delivering water from the tank to suitably arranged spray nozzles. Other dust suppression systems include covers on the conveyors with a dust extraction fan arranged to suck the dust laden air from above 25 the conveyors and direct it to a suitable filtration system. With the foregoing in view, the present invention resides broadly in a delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: a chassis or base; 30 traction means operatively connected to said chassis or base and adapted to engage the ground for moving said chassis or base relative thereto; 3 traction drive means operatively connected to said traction means for driving said traction means along the ground; a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or 5 more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to a plurality of desired locations beyond said hopper; 0 a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at a first selected one of said plurality of desired locations and to convey the material received to a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis 5 or base; a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at a second selected one of said plurality of desired locations and to convey the material received to a second 0 predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base, said slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; and control means for controlling said conveying means for delivery of particulate material from said hopper to any 25 selected one of said plurality of delivery locations. Preferably, said traction means includes front and rear wheels even though not all wheels are necessarily drive wheels. Instead some wheels, particularly the front wheels could be free running wheels required only for load support. 30 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; 4 a hopper mounted to said frame and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom; 5 conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to a plurality of desired locations beyond said hopper; a side conveyor operatively connected to said frame and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying 0 means at a first selected one of said plurality of desired locations and to convey the material received to a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said frame; a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said frame and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying 5 means at a second selected one of said plurality of desired locations and to convey the material received to a second predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said frame, said slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; and .0 control means for controlling said conveying means for delivery of particulate material from said hopper to any selected one of said plurality of delivery locations. Preferably, said side conveyor is operatively connected to said chassis (or said frame as the case may be) for movement 25 from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa, and to receive the particulate material at least when it is in the delivery position. Preferably, said side conveyor has a proximal end and a distal end and is arranged to receive particulate material from 30 said conveying means between said proximal end and said distal end and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom.

5 Preferably, said slewing conveyor has a proximal end and a distal end and is arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means between said proximal end and said distal end and convey the material received at its distal end for 5 discharge therefrom. In still yet another aspect, the present invention resides broadly in a delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: 0 a chassis or base supported on front and rear spaced apart wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis; a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or 5 more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper and arranged to receive particulate material from a bottom discharge opening in said hopper and selectively conveying particulate O material received to a discharge opening at the front of said hopper and a rear discharge opening at the rear of said hopper, said conveying means being generally horizontal; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said 25 front discharge opening and to convey the material received to a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base; a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said 30 rear discharge opening and to convey the material received to a second predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base, said slewing conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being movable from a stowed position to a 6 delivery position and vice versa wherein in said stowed position said proximal end is lower than said rear discharge opening and said distal end is higher than said proximal end whereby said slewing conveyor can be stowed above the rear wheels and said 5 slewing conveyor can be pivoted into the delivery position about a substantially vertical axis to place the proximal end under the rear discharge opening; and control means for controlling said conveying means for delivery of particulate material from said hopper to said second 0 predetermined discharge point from said rear discharge opening. Advantageously, the arrangement of the slewing conveyor described above provides for the proximal end of the conveyor to be relatively low compared with other slewing conveyors whereby in use the conveyor can be maintained relatively close 5 to horizontal for delivery with the distal end relatively close to the blast hole. Further, such an arrangement results in less dust creation due to the small distance between the distal end of the conveyor and the hole to which material is to be delivered and for better dust suppression by way of a water spray shroud. 0 It also allows for better delivery control of material through better driver visibility of the distal end and the hole together. It also allows for the use of a relatively short delivery chute to be fitted to the distal end for directing particulate material into the hole. 25 Preferably, said slewing conveyor is mounted to a pivot arm at or adjacent one end for pivoting movement relative thereto about a substantially vertical first axis while the other end is mounted to the chassis or base for movement relative thereto about a second pivot axis spaced from the first pivot axis with 30 the effect that the second pivot axis orbits the first pivot axis through at least an arc. Advantageously, such arrangement provides for movement of the proximal end of the slewing conveyor from the centre of the rear of the vehicle to the side of the 7 rear of the vehicle for stowing the slewing conveyor at one side of the hopper. Preferably, the slewing conveyor is also mounted for up and down pivoting movement relative to the hopper about a horizontal 5 axis at or near the proximal end so that once the slewing conveyor is in the delivery position it can be raised or lowered to discharge material to the desired location. It is also preferred that said control means be adapted to control movement of the slewing conveyor from the stowed 0 position to the delivery position and vice versa. However, if desired, separate control means for carrying out that function could be provided. Preferably, the control means is also adapted to control movement of the side conveyor from the stowed position to the delivery position and vice versa and in a preferred form, 5 the control means is arranged to allow only one of said side conveyor and said slewing conveyor to be moved to the delivery position. However, in other forms of the invention it is possible for both conveyors to be in the delivery position whereupon the conveying means is generally arranged to deliver material to a O selected one of the conveyors. Preferably, said vehicle or unit includes a delivery chute at the distal end of the side conveyor, said delivery chute having an inlet and an outlet and being operatively connected to said side conveyor and arranged to receive particulate 25 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 generally downwards. It is also preferred that the delivery chute be adjustable so that flow of material can be directed at least to 30 some extent towards or away from the vehicle. Preferably, a similar delivery chute is provided at the distal end of the slewing conveyor.

8 Preferably, the vehicle or unit includes a cover arranged to substantially cover said side conveyor between said first selected desired location and said distal end so as to define a dust collection chamber above said side conveyor. It is also 5 preferred that a similar cover be arranged to cover the second selected desired location discharge point from the conveying means to the slewing conveyor Preferably, the vehicle or the unit includes a dust extraction unit operatively mounted to said chassis or said 0 frame and in fluid communication with both dust collection chambers, the dust extraction unit being arranged to selectively extract air from the dust collection chamber of whichever conveyor is being utilised together with any dust contained therein which has been released from particulate material 5 travelling on the side conveyor or the slewing conveyor as the case may be. Preferably, the dust extraction unit includes a blower adapted to draw dust laden air from both dust collection chambers and discharge it to atmosphere after treatment. In one form, O 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 25 mist. In such form, the dust also can be sprayed after being deposited on the ground. In still yet another aspect, the present invention resides broadly in a delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: 30 a chassis or base supported on front and rear spaced apart wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis; 9 a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom; 5 conveying means operatively connected to said hopper and arranged to receive particulate material from a bottom discharge opening in said hopper and selectively conveying particulate material received to a discharge opening at the front of said hopper and a rear discharge opening at the rear of said hopper, 0 said conveying means being generally horizontal; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said front discharge opening and to convey the material received to a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said 5 chassis or base; a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said rear discharge opening and to convey the material received to a second predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said 0 chassis or base, said slewing conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa wherein in said stowed position said proximal end is lower than said rear discharge opening and said distal end is higher than said proximal end whereby said 25 slewing conveyor can be stowed above the rear wheels and said slewing conveyor can be pivoted into the delivery position about a substantially vertical axis to place the proximal end under the rear discharge opening; and control means for controlling movement of said slewing 30 conveyor from the stowed position to the delivery position and vice versa, said control means being arranged to cause the distal end of the slewing conveyor to pivot about a substantially vertical first axis and to orbit about a substantially vertical 10 second axis spaced from the substantially vertical first axis in a predetermined order and or through predetermined or selected arcs. Preferably, said control means for controlling movement of 5 the slewing conveyor is arranged to cause movement of the slewing conveyor in a sequence of events or steps. For example, in causing the slewing conveyor to move from the stowed position to the delivery position, the control means may cause the distal end of the slewing conveyor to raise lift from a cradle through 0 a predetermined or selected arc, pivot about the first substantially vertical axis through a predetermined or selected arc, orbit about the second substantially vertical axis through a predetermined or selected arc, lower the distal end through a selected arc etc depending on the circumstances and vice versa 5 for stowing the slewing conveyor. In a preferred form, the control means is a computerised control means which is programmable to a plurality of different sequences or sequence parameters. It is also preferred that the side conveyor also be 0 controlled by the same computerised controller as the slewing conveyor so that the two conveyors can be properly synchronised. Further, it is also preferred that the hopper conveying means also be controlled by the same controller so that delivery to either the side conveyor or the slewing conveyor is synchronised 25 with operation of either one of those conveyors as desired. Preferably, the conveying means, the side conveyor and the slewing conveyor are all belt conveyors driven by individual hydraulic motors which in turn are supplied by one or more hydraulic pumps. However, if desired alternative types of 30 conveyors such as screw conveyors could be used if desired although such other conveyors may not perform as well. It is also preferred that lifting, lowering, translation, pivoting and orbiting of the side conveyor and the slewing conveyor be caused 11 by the use of hydraulic motors or hydraulic rams although other devices such as pneumatic actuators or electric servo motors could be used if desired. However, bearing in mind the types of material and the harsh environment in which stemming trucks are 5 used, it is believed that hydraulic systems will be more efficient and effective. In still yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: 0 a chassis or base; traction means operatively connected to said chassis or base and adapted to engage the ground for moving said chassis or base relative thereto; traction drive means operatively connected to said traction 5 means for driving said traction means along the ground; a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom, said hopper having two opposed side walls 0 and an access door in at least one of said side walls, said access door being arranged to open (preferably outwards) so as to give operator access into said hopper and having an inner face which is substantially flush with the inner face of said one side wall so as to prevent build up of particulate material 25 against the door; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to said at least one discharge opening; and a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or 30 base and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at one of said at least one discharge openings and to convey the material received to a predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base and/or a slewing 12 conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at one of said at least one discharge openings and to convey the material received to a predetermined discharge point 5 beyond the side of said chassis or base, said slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa. In still yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a delivery unit for delivering particulate material, 0 including: a frame adapted to be mounted to the chassis of a vehicle; a hopper mounted to said frame and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released 5 therefrom, said hopper having two opposed side walls and an access door in at least one of said side walls, said access door being arranged to open (preferably outwards) so as to give operator access into said hopper and having an inner face which is substantially flush with the inner face of said one side wall 0O or shaped so as to prevent build up of particulate material against the door; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to said at least one discharge opening; and 25 a side conveyor operatively connected to said frame and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at one of said at least one discharge openings and to convey the material received to a predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said frame and/or a slewing conveyor 30 operatively connected to said frame and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at one of said at least one discharge openings and to convey the material received to a predetermined discharge point beyond the side of 13 said frame, said slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa. Preferably, said access door is midway up the side wall of the hopper within reach of an adult operator from the chassis 5 or base or frame whereby the operator may open the door and gain access to the hopper for removing jammed rocks. Advantageously, the access door obviates the need for operators to climb over the top of the hopper wall to gain access thereby improving the safety aspect of the stemming vehicle on which the hopper is 0 mounted. Preferably, the access door is mounted on one or more hinges for side swing opening and is actuated by a hydraulic ram for opening and closing. In still yet another aspect the invention resides broadly 5 in a controller for controlling operation of a stemming vehicle having a hopper with a hopper conveyor, a side conveyor and a slewing conveyor, said hopper conveyor being arranged to selectively deliver particulate material to said side conveyor and said slewing conveyor, said controller including means for 0 controlling movement of said slewing conveyor from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa, means for causing the distal end of the slewing conveyor to pivot about a substantially vertical first axis and to orbit about a substantially vertical second axis spaced from the substantially 25 vertical first axis in a predetermined order and/or through predetermined or selected arcs. Preferably, said controller also includes means for controlling movement of the slewing conveyor from the stowed position to the delivery position in a sequence of events or 30 steps. Preferably, said controller also includes means for controlling the raising of the distal end of the slewing conveyor from a stowed position before pivoting about said first axis and 14 means for controlling swinging of the distal end through a predetermined arc about said first substantially vertical axis before orbiting about said second axis. Preferably, said controller also includes means for 5 controlling lowering of the distal end through a selected arc about a horizontal axis before orbiting the proximal end about the second axis. Preferably, said controller also includes means for controlling movement of said side conveyor from a stowed 0 position to any one of a plurality of delivery positions. Preferably, said controller also includes means for controlling operation of said hopper conveying means so that delivery to either the side conveyor or the slewing conveyor can be synchronised with operation of either one of those conveyors. 5 Preferably, said means for controlling the various operations outlined above include electronic controllers which are arranged to control hydraulic control valves arranged to open or close the flow of hydraulic oil to hydraulic rams or motors causing movement of the relevant components, for example, 0 the conveyor belts, the lifting and swing rams etc. The terms "horizontal", "vertical", "upwards", "downwards", and similar terms are used herein for the purpose of describing the invention when in its normal in use orientation on level ground and are not intended to restrict the use of the 25 invention to any particular orientation. Also, the term "chassis" used herein is intended to include conventional chassis which typically have two spaced apart side rails and a plurality of cross members extending between them as well as chassis of the type having a central tube with support 30 arms radiating therefrom as well as other types of frames which are generally referred to as chassis.

15 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 5 to the invention from the off side and front with the slewing conveyor in the stowed position and the side conveyor in the extended position; Fig. 2 is a pictorial representation of a slightly different vehicle from that of Fig. 1 from the off side and 0 front with the slewing conveyor in a side delivery position but for the purpose of description will be treated as being the same; Fig. 3 is a pictorial representation of the vehicle of Fig. 1 from the near side and front with the slewing conveyor in a 5 side delivery position; Fig. 4 is a pictorial representation of the vehicle of Fig. 1 from the off side and front with the slewing conveyor in a rear delivery position; Fig. 5 is a near side view of the vehicle of Fig. 1 with O the side conveyor and the slewing conveyor both in the stowed position; Fig. 6 is a top view of the vehicle of Fig. 1 from above with the side conveyor and the slewing conveyor both in the stowed position; 25 Fig. 7 is a rear view of the vehicle of Fig. 1 from above with the side conveyor and the slewing conveyor both in the stowed position; Fig. 8 is a pictorial representation of a portion of the rear end of the vehicle of Fig. 1 with the slewing conveyor in 30 the stowed position; Fig. 9 is a pictorial representation of the rear portion shown in Fig. 8 with the slewing conveyor in the maximum offside position perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the truck; 16 Fig. 10 is a pictorial representation of the rear portion shown in Fig. 8 with the slewing conveyor in the maximum rearward position in line with the longitudinal axis of the truck; Fig. 11 is a pictorial representation of the rear portion 5 shown in Fig. 8 with the slewing conveyor in the maximum nearside position perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the truck; Fig. 12 is a pictorial representation of another vehicle according to the invention from the off side and rear with the slewing conveyor shown in multiple positions and the side 0 conveyor extended; Fig. 13 is an enlarged view of a portion of one side wall of the hopper of the vehicle of Fig. 1 with the access door closed; Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of the side wall portion shown 5 in Fig. 13 with the access door open; and Fig. 15 is an enlarged view of the side wall portion shown in Fig. 13 from inside the hopper with the access door closed. The truck 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a chassis 11 which is supported on front wheels 12 and rear wheels 13 with a 0 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 4 and 5 which in turn is mounted on the chassis 11 although in other embodiments, 25 separate components of the stemming unit can be mounted directly on the chassis if desired. The stemming unit includes a hopper 16 which is mounted on the frame 15a towards the rear end, the hopper having opposed tapered bottom sides 16a and 16b and opposed tapered front and 30 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 and partially covered by a gable style cover 18 mounted 17 to provide longitudinal feed spaces 18a and 18b on either side thereof for feeding particulate material to the conveyor belt. Conveyor 17 is arranged to convey particulate material from the bottom of the hopper forward to a discharge opening 19a through 5 which the conveyor passes to terminate at forward end 20a (as can be seen in Fig. 5 where it discharges the particulate material onto side conveyor 21, and also when in operated in the reverse direction conveys particulate material from the bottom of the hopper rearward to a discharge opening 19b through which 0 the conveyor passes to terminate at rearward end 20b (as can be seen in Figs. 8 to 12 where it discharges the particulate material onto rear (or slewing) conveyor 22. Side conveyor 21 is housed under a cover which has a fixed half 23 secured to the frame 15a (via the conveyor frame) and a 5 movable 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 as shown in Fig. 2 to a discharge position as shown in Fig. 1. Suitably, the cover together with the conveyor form a dust collection chamber 25 extending from one O end of the conveyor belt to the other. The side conveyor is driven by a hydraulic motor 30 which is mounted to the conveyor frame adjacent its distal end to provide for easy access. A discharge chute 31 is bolted to the distal end of the side conveyor as can be seen in Fig. 1, the discharge chute 25 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. Slewing conveyor 22 is housed under a cover 62 in much the 30 same manner as the side conveyor except that the cover does not have a sliding movable half. Instead, the main part of the cover which covers the length of the conveyor except for the proximal end portion (adjacent the feed end) which can be covered by a 18 flexible sheet if desired and similarly a dust extraction unit can be connected thereto in a similar manner to the one which can be connected to the side conveyor as previously described. The slewing conveyor is driven by a hydraulic motor 65 which is 5 mounted to the conveyor frame adjacent its proximal end where hydraulic lines can be easily connected. Advantageously, the hopper conveyor enters the dust collection chamber at the front of the hopper over the side conveyor via an opening 34 in the fixed part 23 of the dust 0 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. However, the hopper 5 conveyor discharges particulate material onto the slewing conveyor 22 via a discharge chute or funnel 71 as can be seen more clearly in Fig. 8. Notably, the hopper conveyor is driven by a hydraulic motor 72 mounted to the conveyor frame 73 which extends rearwards beyond the hopper thereby providing for O convenient access for maintenance. In other embodiments a dust extraction unit (not shown) is mounted on the base frame and includes a suction fan and a discharge expander mounted thereto with the suction fan being connected at its inlet to the dust collection chamber via a dust 25 extraction outlet provided in the near side end of the dust cover 21. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the slewing conveyor is stowed beside the hopper 16 on the offside of the truck (the drivers side) and is movable to a range of delivery positions as can be 30 seen in Fig. 12. It will also be seen in Fig. 5 that the hopper is constructed so that the hopper conveyor is horizontal on level ground and the hopper conveyor is spaced only a small distance above the chassis thereby keeping the centre of gravity 19 low and that the slewing conveyor is arranged so that it can be moved to the delivery position from the stowed position with its proximal end portion under the rear discharge end of the hopper conveyor thereby delivering to the slewing conveyor without an 5 intermediate conveyor. That is to say, the slewing conveyor is mounted so that its proximal end is low enough to be positioned under the discharge of the hopper conveyor which is kept low on the chassis while at the same time it lies above the truck's rear wheels when in the stowed position. 0 The slewing conveyor is mounted adjacent its proximal end to a swing arm 80 by a turntable arrangement 81 mounted on pivot pin and sleeve 82 and 83 for pivoting movement about vertical axis 84 and the swing arm in turn is mounted to a cross member 85 by a pivot pin and sleeve 86 and 87 for pivoting movement 5 about vertical axis 88 and the cross member in turn is rigidly connected to the chassis. Advantageously, the pivot arm allows the proximal end of the conveyor to be moved through an arc from the stowed position to the discharge position without impinging on the hopper or the hopper conveyor to get the proximal end O under the rear discharge end of the hopper conveyor. Once the discharge end of the slewing conveyor is in the discharge position, the slewing conveyor can be pivoted on axis 84 to deliver to any selected desired discharge position within an arc of more than 180 degrees. The distal end of the slewing conveyor 25 can also be raised and lowered and for that purpose, the conveyor frame 89 is mounted to the turntable by a horizontal pivot pin and sleeve 91 and 92 by pivoting up and down about a horizontal axis 93. As can be seen in Fig. 7, pivoting of swing arm 80 is actuated by hydraulic ram 95 which extends from the cross member 30 85 to the swing arm. 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 20 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 and the slewing conveyor at the rear from the stowed position to the delivery position and vice versa is 5 achieved by hydraulic rams but other methods such as hydraulic motors or pneumatic motors would be satisfactory. In use, the hopper is filled with particulate material for filling blast holes to the desired level and the truck is driven to the blast site. In locations where a row of blast holes have 0 to be filled (or stemmed), 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 a blast hole which is to be filled and actuates the side conveyor belt via a controller button, switch or the like 5 which in turn causes the side conveyor belt and the hopper conveyor belt to run and deliver material into the blast hole. However, where blast holes are difficult to access with the side conveyor, the driver actuates the slewing conveyor in a similar manner and the controller causes it to move from the stowed 0 position to the discharge position and then allows the driver to swing the slewing conveyor to place the distal end adjacent the hole to be filled whereupon the conveyor belt is actuated which in turn causes the hopper conveyor belt to run so as to deliver material to the slewing conveyor through the rear 25 discharge opening. It will be appreciated that movement of the slewing conveyor from the stowed position to the discharge position is carried out through a sequence of steps or movements controlled by a computerised controller. Typically, those steps include the 30 following: 1. Release stowing lock; 2. Raise distal end of conveyor from stowing cradle by pivoting about horizontal axis (93); 21 3. Swing distal end of conveyor to a predetermined position to allow sufficient room for proximal end to orbit about vertical axis (88); 4. Lower distal end of conveyor about horizontal pivot axis 5 (93) to a horizontal attitude; 5. Pivot swing arm about its pivot axis (88) to position proximal end of slewing conveyor under discharge chute (71). The steps for moving the conveyor to the stowed position 0 typically include the abovementioned steps in reverse except for an initial step which causes the conveyor to move to a preset position. In the embodiment described, hydraulic ram 95 includes stoppers so that it is fully extended when the swing arm is 5 positioned for the conveyor to be in the stowed position and is fully retracted when the proximal end of the conveyor is in the discharge position, thereby preventing or at least limiting the possibility of accidental damage by overrunning. However, other means of limiting the stroke can be used and in some cases a 0 hydraulic ram is selected whereby the entire stroke is taken to move from the delivery position to the stowed position. If the vehicle includes dust suppression equipment such as water sprays or dust extraction fans, the driver or the computerised controller actuates those systems at the 25 appropriate time. It will be seen that the truck includes a water supply unit 51 immediately behind the cab 14 which includes, pumps, control valves and other equipment for supplying water to various locations around the hopper such as nozzles mounted at the discharge outlets of the side conveyor 30 and the slewing conveyor as well as to general washing points. Once the hopper has been emptied and depending on the type of particulate material which is being delivered, the driver can open and close access door 96 by actuating hydraulic ram 97 and 22 remove any rocks which may have jammed in the feed spaces between the cover 18 and the side walls 16a and 16b of the hopper and/or carry out maintenance work within the hopper. In that respect, some mine sites (and construction sites) limit the height to 5 which a person may climb for maintenance work in the field. The access door according to the present invention overcomes that problem by allowing access to the hopper below the height limit. Different limits may apply in different circumstances or jurisdictions and the vehicle may be constructed with the height 0 of the hopper door selected to suit. Advantageously, the hopper door is preferably arranged to be flush with the hopper wall on the inside of the hopper and reinforced by external ribs. However, in some cases, the door is inwardly domed to give greater strength but in a manner which does not undesirably 5 impede flow of particulate material down the hopper wall. 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 0 invention as defined by the appended claims. In that respect, it will be appreciated that the positions of the side conveyor could be reversed, that is to say, the side conveyor could be mounted at the rear of the hopper and receive particulate material from the hopper conveyor through the rear discharge 25 opening and the slewing conveyor could be mounted at the front of the hopper and receive material from the front discharge opening. However, such arrangement does not provide as full a range of discharge positions as the arrangement described earlier.

Claims

1. A delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: a chassis or base; 5 traction means operatively connected to said chassis or base and adapted to engage the ground for moving said chassis or base relative thereto; traction drive means operatively connected to said traction means for driving said traction means along the ground; 0 a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for 5 selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to a plurality of desired locations beyond said hopper; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at a first selected one of said plurality of .0 desired locations and to convey the material received to a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base; a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said 25 conveying means at a second selected one of said plurality of desired locations and to convey the material received to a second predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base, said slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; and 30 control means for controlling said conveying means for delivery of particulate material from said hopper to any selected one of said plurality of delivery locations. 24

2. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 1, wherein said traction means includes front and rear wheels.

3. A delivery unit for delivering particulate material, including: 5 a frame adapted to be mounted to the chassis of a vehicle; a hopper mounted to said frame and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom; 0 conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to a plurality of desired locations beyond said hopper; a side conveyor operatively connected to said frame and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying 5 means at a first selected one of said plurality of desired locations and to convey the material received to a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said frame; a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said frame and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying .0 means at a second selected one of said plurality of desired locations and to convey the material received to a second predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said frame, said slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa; and 25 control means for controlling said conveying means for delivery of particulate material from said hopper to any selected one of said plurality of delivery locations.

4. A delivery vehicle or a delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said side conveyor is 30 operatively connected to said chassis (or said frame as the case may be) for movement from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa, and to receive the particulate material at least when it is in the delivery position. 25

5. A delivery vehicle or a delivery unit according to Claim 4 wherein said side conveyor has a proximal end and a distal end and is arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means between said proximal end and said distal end 5 and convey the material received to its distal end for discharge therefrom.

6. A delivery vehicle or a delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said slewing conveyor has a proximal end and a distal end and is arranged to receive 0 particulate material from said conveying means between said proximal end and said distal end and convey the material received at its distal end for discharge therefrom.

7. A delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: 5 a chassis or base supported on front and rear spaced apart wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis; a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to .0 store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper and arranged to receive particulate material from a bottom discharge 25 opening in said hopper and selectively conveying particulate material received to a discharge opening at the front of said hopper and a rear discharge opening at the rear of said hopper, said conveying means being generally horizontal; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or 30 base and arranged to receive particulate material from said front discharge opening and to convey the material received to a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base; 26 a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said rear discharge opening and to convey the material received to a second predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said 5 chassis or base, said slewing conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa wherein in said stowed position said proximal end is lower than said rear discharge opening and said distal end is higher than said proximal end whereby said 0 slewing conveyor can be stowed above the rear wheels and said slewing conveyor can be pivoted into the delivery position about a substantially vertical axis to place the proximal end under the rear discharge opening; and control means for controlling said conveying means for 5 delivery of particulate material from said hopper to said second predetermined discharge point from said rear discharge opening.

8. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 8 wherein said slewing conveyor is mounted to a pivot arm at or adjacent one end for pivoting movement relative thereto about a substantially .0 vertical first axis while the other end is mounted to the chassis or base for movement relative thereto about a second pivot axis spaced from the first pivot axis.

9. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 8 wherein the slewing conveyor is also mounted for up and down pivoting movement 25 relative to the hopper about a horizontal axis at or near its proximal end so that it can be raised or lowered.

10. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 7, 8 or 9 wherein said control means is arranged to control movement of the slewing conveyor from the stowed position to the delivery position and 30 vice versa.

11. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 10 wherein the control means is also adapted to control movement of the side 27 conveyor from the stowed position to the delivery position and vice versa.

12. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 11 wherein the control means is arranged to allow only one of said side conveyor 5 and said slewing conveyor to be moved to its delivery position.

13. A delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: a chassis or base supported on front and rear spaced apart 0 wheels and a cabin mounted on said chassis; a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be 5 released therefrom; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper and arranged to receive particulate material from a bottom discharge opening in said hopper and selectively conveying particulate material received to a discharge opening at the front of said .0 hopper and a rear discharge opening at the rear of said hopper, said conveying means being generally horizontal; a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said front discharge opening and to convey the material received to 25 a first predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base; a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said rear discharge opening and to convey the material received to a 30 second predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base, said slewing conveyor having a proximal end and a distal end and being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa wherein in said stowed position 28 said proximal end is lower than said rear discharge opening and said distal end is higher than said proximal end whereby said slewing conveyor can be stowed above the rear wheels and said slewing conveyor can be pivoted into the delivery position about 5 a substantially vertical axis to place the proximal end under the rear discharge opening; and control means for controlling movement of said slewing conveyor from the stowed position to the delivery position and vice versa, said control means being arranged to cause the distal 0 end of the slewing conveyor to pivot about a substantially vertical first axis and to orbit about a substantially vertical second axis spaced from the substantially vertical first axis in a predetermined order and or through predetermined or selected arcs. 5

14. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 13 wherein said control means for controlling movement of the slewing conveyor is arranged to cause movement of the slewing conveyor in a sequence of events or steps.

15. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 14 wherein said steps .0 include causing the distal end of the slewing conveyor to raise from the stowed position before pivoting about said first axis and swing through a predetermined arc about said first substantially vertical axis before orbiting about said second axis. 25

16. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 15 wherein said steps also include lowering the distal end through a selected arc before orbiting the proximal end about the second axis.

17. A delivery vehicle according to any one of Claims 13 to 16 wherein said side conveyor and said slewing conveyor are 30 controlled by the same computerised controller.

18. A delivery vehicle according to Claim 17 wherein said hopper conveying means is also controlled by the same computerised controller so that delivery to either the side 29 conveyor or the slewing conveyor can be synchronised with operation of either one of those conveyors.

19. A delivery vehicle or a delivery unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the conveying means, the side 5 conveyor and the slewing conveyor are all belt conveyors driven by individual hydraulic motors which in turn are supplied by one or more hydraulic pumps.

20. A delivery vehicle adapted for use in stemming blast holes, including: 0 a chassis or base; traction means operatively connected to said chassis or base and adapted to engage the ground for moving said chassis or base relative thereto; traction drive means operatively connected to said traction 5 means for driving said traction means along the ground; a hopper mounted to said chassis or base and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom, said hopper having two opposed side walls .0 and an access door in at least one of said side walls, said access door being arranged to open so as to give operator access into said hopper and having an inner face which is substantially flush with the inner face of said one side wall or shaped so as to prevent build up of particulate material against the door; 25 conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to said at least one discharge opening; and a side conveyor operatively connected to said chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said 30 conveying means at the or at least one of said at least one discharge openings and to convey the material received to a predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base and/or a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said 30 chassis or base and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at one of said at least one discharge openings and to convey the material received to a predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said chassis or base, said 5 slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa.

21. A delivery unit for delivering particulate material, including: a frame adapted to be mounted to the chassis of a vehicle; 0 a hopper mounted to said frame and adapted to store particulate material therein, said hopper having one or more discharge openings by which particulate material can be released therefrom, said hopper having two opposed side walls and an access door in at least one of said side walls, said access door 5 being arranged to open so as to give access into said hopper and having an inner face which is substantially flush with the inner face of said one side wall or shaped so as to prevent build up of particulate material against the door; conveying means operatively connected to said hopper for .0 selectively conveying particulate material from said hopper to said at least one discharge opening; and a side conveyor operatively connected to said frame and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at the or at least one of said at least one discharge 25 openings and to convey the material received to a predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said frame and/or a slewing conveyor operatively connected to said frame and arranged to receive particulate material from said conveying means at one of said at least one discharge openings and to convey the 30 material received to a predetermined discharge point beyond the side of said frame, said slewing conveyor being movable from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa. 31

22. A delivery vehicle or delivery unit according to claim 20 or claim 21 wherein the access door is mounted for opening outwards.

23. A delivery vehicle according to claim 20 or claim 21 wherein 5 the access door is mounted for side swing opening actuated by a hydraulic ram.

24. A delivery vehicle or a delivery unit according to any one of claims 20 to 23 wherein the access door is mounted on one or more hinges. 0

25. A delivery vehicle or a delivery unit according to any one of claims 20 to 24 wherein said access door is about midway up the side wall of the hopper within reach of an operator from the chassis, base or frame (as the case may be) whereby the operator may open the door and gain access to the hopper for removing 5 jammed rocks.

26. A delivery vehicle or a delivery unit according to any one of claims 20 to 25 wherein the access door is located such that the hopper is accessible through the access door from an operator position less than 1.8 metres above the ground on which the .0 vehicle is standing.

27. A controller for controlling operation of a stemming vehicle having a hopper with a hopper conveyor, a side conveyor and a slewing conveyor, said hopper conveyor being arranged to selectively deliver particulate material to said side conveyor 25 and said slewing conveyor, said controller including means for controlling movement of said slewing conveyor from a stowed position to a delivery position and vice versa, means for causing the distal end of the slewing conveyor to pivot about a substantially vertical first axis and to orbit about a 30 substantially vertical second axis spaced from the substantially vertical first axis in a predetermined order and/or through predetermined or selected arcs. 32

28. A controller according to Claim 27 further including means for controlling movement of the slewing conveyor from the stowed position to the delivery position in a sequence of events or steps. 5

29. A controller according to Claim 27 or Claim 28 further including means for controlling the raising of the distal end of the slewing conveyor from a stowed position before pivoting about said first axis and means for controlling swinging of the distal end through a predetermined arc about said first 0 substantially vertical axis before orbiting about said second axis.

30. A controller according to any one of Claims 27 to 29 further including means for controlling lowering of the distal end through a selected arc about a horizontal axis before orbiting 5 the proximal end about the second axis.

31. A controller according to any one of Claims 27 to 30 further including means for controlling movement of said side conveyor from a stowed position to any one of a plurality of delivery positions. .0

32. A controller according to any one of Claims 27 to 31 including means for controlling operation of said hopper conveying means so that delivery to either the side conveyor or the slewing conveyor can be synchronised with operation of either one of those conveyors. 25

33. A controller according to any one of Claims 27 to 32 wherein said controller is adapted to control the operation of a plurality of hydraulic control valves for controlling any of the said operations.