US3381480A - Roof supports suitable for use in mines - Google Patents

Description

y 7, 1968 T. o. H. ANDREWS 3,381,480

ROOF SUPPORTS SUITABLE FOR USE IN MIN ES Filed Feb. 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A-r-roeuav May 7, 1968 T. 0. H. ANDREWS ROOF SUPPORTS SUITABLE FOR USE IN MINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1965 1 R H E 3k W l i w W z r m m m 9 Q 9 K Q m. WIJ. i 6m 'THQMAS 11H. ANDPEWS BY United States Patent 3,381,480 ROOF SUPPORTS SUITABLE FOR USE IN MINES Thomas D. H. Andrews, Cheltenham, England, assignor to Dowty Mining Equipment Limited, Tewlresbury, England, a British company Filed Feb. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 430,922 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Mar. 10, 1964, 10,096/64 3 Claims. (Cl. 61-45) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention provides a roof support wherein two distinct and different floor beams are rigidly, rather than flexibly, connected together in laterally-spaced substantiallyparallel relationship by connecting means of a particular construction, the whole being designed to afford a passageway of maximum area parallel to the working face of the mine for passage of air, and a corn struction such as will protect a miner who must move through the passageway from falling material. To such ends one floor beam of a pair is of a length to carry, for example, two extendable props which cooperate to support a roof-engageable member, whereas the other such floor beam is longer, and carries, for example, three extendable props which themselves support an articulated roofengageable member, of which one part is supported upon two of the three props-these two cooperating with the two props of the first-mentioned floor beam to define an orthodox square--and the other articulated roofengageable member is supported upon the third of the three props. Each prop mounting, but not the prop per se, is located substantially within its floor beam, whereby the passageway is obstructed to a minimum degree, and includes resilient means urging the prop to a predetermined angular position relative to the floor beam (some what as is suggested in Patent No. 3,250,507), while allowing the prop a limited amount of angular movement relative to the floor beam.

This invention relates to roof supports suitable for use in mines.

Three sides of each floor beam, for example the top and two sides, may be formed from a single piece of material. The bases of the floor beams and a part of the connecting means may be formed from a single piece of material.

The connecting means between the floor beams may include two substantially-horizontal vertically-spaced connecting plates and two substantially-vertical horizontalspaced connecting plates, the connecting plates and adjacent sides of the floor beams being integrally joined to form a torsion box.

The props carried by the two floor beams may carry the same roof-engageable member. Alternatively, and preferably, the props carried by one floor beam may carry a first roof-engageable member, and the props carried by the other floor beam carry a second roof-engageable member.

Reference to the drawings One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a mine roof support,

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the roof support,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the lower part of the roof support, and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, with the props and part of their mountings removed.

Detailed description With reference to the accompanying drawings, a roof support suitable for use in a coal-mine includes a floor beam 3 carrying two fiuid-pressure-operated telescopic props l, and the lower end portion of each prop 4 is mounted in a prop mounting 5 located within the floor beam 3. The prop mounting 5 includes resilient means of known type urging the prop 4 to a predetermined angular position relative to the floor beam 3 while allowing the prop 4 a limited amount of angular movement relative to the floor beam 3. The prop mounting 5 shown in the drawing includes a series of p'recompressed rubber bodies 6 forming the resilient means, somewhat as shown in US. Patent 3,250,507. The two props 4 carry and are pivotally attached to .a roof beam 7.

The roof support also includes a second floor beam 8 carrying three fluid-pressure-dperated telescopic props 9, and the lower end portion of each prop 9 is mounted in a prop mounting, similar to the prop mounting 5, located within the floor beam 8. The props 9 carry and are pivotally attached to an articulated roof-engageable member formed by a forward and a rear IOOlf beam 111, 12 respectively, connected together by a pivotal connection 13. The roof beam 11 is carried by the front prop 9, and the roof beam 12 is carried by the middle and rear props 9.

The floor beams 3, 8 are rigidly connected together in laterallyspaced parallel relationship by connecting means which in effect are integral with the two floor beams. In this embodiment the bases of the floor beams 3, 8 and a part of the connecting means are formed by a single plate-like base member 1%. The top and two sides of the floor beam 3 are formed from a single piece of material 15 which is appropriately U-sh'aped and welded along its edges to the base member 14. Similarly, the top and two sides of the floor beam 8 are formed from a single piece of material 16 which is appropriately U-shaped and similarly welded to the base member 14.

The portion of plate or base member 14 which extends between the two floor beams 3, 8 forms a lower horizontal connecting plate 17 integral with and rigidly spacing apart the bases of the beams. The connecting plate 17 forms one part of the connecting means, which connecting means also includes an upper horizontal connecting plate 18, a forward vertical connecting plate 19 and a rear veritcal connecting plate 21.

The upper connecting plate 18 is welded to the tops of the floor beams 3, 8. The forward vertical plate 19 extends between and is welded to the horizontal plates 17, 18 and is also welded to the adjacent sides of the floor beams 3, 8 at a position adjacent the rearward side of the front prop 4 of the support unit 1 and the rearward side of the middle prop 9 of the support unit 2. The rear vertical plate 2'1 extends between and is welded to the horizontal plates 17, 18 and is also welded to the adjacent sides of the floor beams 3, 8 at a position adjacent the rear ends of the floor beams 3, 8.

A shield 22 has its lower portion bolted to two lugs 23 welded to the rear ends of floor beams 3, 8, respectively, and its upper portion bolted to the upper ends of two struts 24 whose lower ends are bolted to two lugs 25 welded to the tops of the floor beams 3, 8, respectively. The shield 22 reduces the likelihood of coal or other mined material falling between the props 4 and the props 9 from a position rearw ardly of the roof support.

At a position in front of the forward vertical plate 19, lugs 26 are provided for the attachment of a fluid-pressure-operated jack (not shown) to the roof support. In use of the roof support, the jack will be attached to an anchorage, for example a conveyor, so that the roof support can be advanced towards the anchorage by contracting the jack. The jack may be secured to the roof support in conventional manner, such for instance as is shown in US. Ser. No. 443,421, filed Mar. 29, 1965.

In use of the roof support in a mine, the two horizontal connecting plates 17, 18, the two vertical connecting plates 19, 21 and the adjacent sides of the fioor beams 3, 8 form a torsion box which resists relative movement of the floor beams 3, 8, as these floor beams are acted upon by diverse forces.

The floor beams 3, 8 and the connecting means form a rigid base in which the prop mountings 5 are located, and this rigid base has a relatively small height compared to the overall height of the roof support. Thus the roof support has a relatively large passage for gas flow in a direction transverse to the length of the floor beams 3, 8. Also, the described roof support possesses the necessary strength to function satisfactorily in a mine without being unduly heavy.

I claim as my invention:

1. An advanceable roof support including two floor beams, one of which is longer than and has a forward portion thereof extending beyond the advancing end of the other, means rigidly connecting said floor beams in laterally spaced substantially parallel relationship, two extend'a ble props carried generally upright on each floor beam, the four props being located to define generally a square, a third prop carried on the aforesaid forward portion of the longer floor beam, in advance of the other two props thereon, a roof-engageable member carried on the two first-mentioned props on each floor beam, an additional roof-engageable member carried on the aforesaid third prop on the longer fioor beam, and hingedly connected to the first mentioned roof engageable member on said longer floor beam, and a plurality of mountings, one for each prop on each floor beam, and resilient means interposed between each prop and its mounting, acting to urge the prop into a predetermined angular position relative to its floor beam.

2. The advanceable roof support according to claim 1 wherein the top and sides of each floor beam are formed by a single channel-shaped piece of material, and the two pieces of material are rigidly interconnected by a plate extending thereunder.

3. The advanceable roof support according to claim 1 'wherein the mutually adjacent sides of the floor beams are rigidly interconnected by pairs of horizontally and vertically disposed plates forming a torsion box therewith.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,270,510 9/ 1966 Walsh 6 145 FOREIGN PATENTS 202,954 1959 Austria. 1,310,022 1962 France. 1,332,192 1963 France.

972,561 1959 Germany.

OTHER REFERENCES DAS 1,090,159, 1960, German application, Carow et al.

JACOB SHA PIRO, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WTLLIAMOWSKY, Examiner.

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