GB2080841A

GB2080841A - Improvements relating to lagging panels for use with mine roadway supports

Info

Publication number: GB2080841A
Application number: GB8024010A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: BHAGA ENGINEERING CO Ltd
Current assignee: BHAGA ENGINEERING CO Ltd
Priority date: 1980-07-23
Filing date: 1980-07-23
Publication date: 1982-02-10
Also published as: GB2080841B

Abstract

A panel of lagging formed of a plurality of parallel steel rods, some of which are provided with hooked portions at one end while the other end of all the rods are bent through an acute angle in the same directional plane as the afore-mentioned hooks; a second plurality of steel rods are disposed traversely and attached to the first plurality to form a mesh, two of these traverse rods are placed close together and are attached to the angled portion of the first plurality rods such that in use, the hooked portions of the panel to be erected are located between these two traverse rods of an established panel thereby supporting the new panel in a cantilever manner. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to lagging panels for use with mine roadway supports In the support of underground mine roadways, I section rolled steel joists are erected at pre-determined intervals along the length of the roadway in order to support the weight of the overlying strata, these supports may consist of curved lengths which are joined together to form a support unit in the shape of an arch while in another support unit, a flat beam is held up to the roof of the roadway by two or more vertical support legs.

Although the supports described above resist the movement of the strata, there is still a danger that pieces of strata may fall from the roof inbetween these supports thereby causing injury to passing workmen, obstruct the free flow of ventilating air or damage vital equipment such as electrical cables and switches. In order to overcome this problem, it is usual to place some form of shield or lagging between the exposed roof and sides and the roadway supports, this lagging extends around the periphery of the supports and is installed as soon as possible after the supports are erected.

Lagging forms are already in use in the mining industry and may consist of palnks of timber, sheets of corregated iron or panels of wire mesh but whatever materials may be used, they have one serious disadvantage in that they can only become effective after the main supports have been erected. The sequence of operations when advancing a mine roadway are as follows a certain amount of roof and side strata have to be removed in order to increase the size of the roadway, this may be done either by blasting the strata or using a ripping machine, when the roadway had advanced sufficiently it is necessary for workmen to work under the newly exposed strata while they are erecting the new supports. It is during this period of time that these workmen are in danger of being struck by fragments of strata falling from the roof and sides.

The present invention relates to forms of roadway support lagging and has for its object an improvement therein, such that the lagging panels can be attached to established lagging panels, which are held in place by roadway supports, in such a manner that they will extend forward by cantilever action into the area of newly exposed strata thereby offering support protection to workmen against falling debris, until such times that the new permanent roadway supports are erected and will then continue to provide lagging protection throughout the life of the roadway.

According to the present invention, a panel of lagging for use with mine roadway supports, comprising a plurality of parallel or substantially parallel, for example, steel rods arranged in a longitudinal manner, while a second plurality of rods is placed at rightangles or traversely to the longitudinal rods and welded to them to form a panel of wire mesh, the diameter of these rods will depend upon the resistance to be offered to the strata and the aperture formed between the rods will depend upon the size of the strata particles which are to be contained by the lagging; the two outer longitudinal rods are bent at one end to form a hooked arrangement and are then bent towards each other through an acute angle, in addition, several of the remaining longitudinal rods are also bent at the same end to form hooked arrangements; the other end of all of the longitudinal rods are bent through an acute angle, this bend being in the same direction as the hooks, the second plurality of traverse rods are equally spaced along the length of the longitudinal rods, except along the afore mentioned angled portion where two of the traverse rods are located close together, this arrangement allows the hooked ends of a second panel which is to be joined can be passed between them thereby providing the support necessary for this adjoining panel to extend in a cantilever manner in advance of the established panel; one or more of the traverse rods may extend past the end longitudinal rods so that they may be bent around the longitudinal rods of an adjacent panel in order to prevent the two panels from moving apart should they be used on a vertical or near vertical support member, In actual use, the invention will be used in the following or a similar manner number of the lagging panels will already be located behind established roadway supports, these panels will extent around the periphery of the supports. The ends of the panels which are bent through an acute angle, this bend being in the direction of the inner roadway, and having the two closely spaced traverse rods disposed towards the end, will be protruding beyond the last established support towards the newly exposed strata.The new panels of lagging are attached to these established panels by passing the hooked ends over the second or inner of the two afore-mentioned traverse rods, the free end of the new panel is then raised until it is approximately in line with the established panel, in this position, if the panel is pulled towards the working area, the ends of the hooked portions will pass through the gap between the two traverse rods and will be supported over the working area by a cantilever action to give protection to the workmen below until such times as the new permanent roadway support may be erected, there-after, the panels give normal lagging protection.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings which accompany this specification, in which: Figure 1 shows a PLAN VIEW of the invention attached to another panel and located behind a roadway support.

Figure 2 shows an END ELEVATIONAL VIEW of the invention attached to another panel and located behind a roadway support.

Figure 3 shows a PICTORIAL VIEW of the invention attached to another panel an located behind a roadway support.

Figure 4 shows a CLOSE-UP VIEW of the interlocking rods of the two joining panels.

A plurality of longitudinal steel rods 1 are arranged in a parallel manner several of these rods have one end bent to form hooks 2, while in addition, the outer rods 3 are bent through an acute angle towards each other; the other end 4 of all the longitudinal rods are bent through an angle in the same direction as the hooks. A second plurality of rods 5 are laid traversely across the longitudinal rods and attached to them, probably by welding, to form apertures 6, across the bent portion 4, two traverse rods 7 and 8 are located close together; in order to attach two vertically disposed panels together, one or more of these traverse rods are extended beyond the edge of the panel 9 and can be hooked around adjacent longitudinal rods.

In actual use, the roadway support 10 supports the established panel with the hooked ends protruding into the area which is to be supported, using Fig. 4, for reasons of clarity, the end 2 of the new panel is hooked over traverse rod 7, by raising the free end of the new panel, the end 2 can be passes through the gap between rods 7 and 8, this latter rod provides the necessary cantilever support to the new panel.

Claims

1. A panel of lagging for use with mine roadway supports, comprising a plurality of substantially parallel steel rods, at least some of which are provided with hooked end portions for location with an adjoining, similar panel and a second plurality of steel rods disposed traversely and attached to the first plurality; the other ends of the first plurality rods are bent at an angle to be normal and has two closely disposed traverse rods attached thereto.

2. A panel of lagging for use with mine roadway supports, as claimed in claim 1, in which the first plurality of rods are of a larger diameter than the second plurality of rods.

3. A panel of lagging for use with mine roadway supports, as claimed in any previous claim in which several of the traverse rods may extend beyond the edge of the panel in order that vertially adjoining panels may be hooked together.

4. A panel of lagging for use with mine roadway supports, as claimed in any previous claim in which the size of the apertures created by the angular dispoition of the steel rods, is determined by the size of the material which is to be contained by the panels.

5. A panel of lagging for use with mine roadway supports, as claimed in any previous claim, in which the outer rods of the first plurality are bent in towards the centre of the panel to form a narrow end to the panel for ease of attachment.

6. A panel of lagging for use with mine roadway supports, constructed and arranged as herein described with reference to and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.