Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21C—MINING OR QUARRYING
  • E21C25/00—Cutting machines, i.e. for making slits approximately parallel or perpendicular to the seam
  • E21C25/60—Slitting by jets of water or other liquid
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21C—MINING OR QUARRYING
  • E21C41/00—Methods of underground or surface mining; Layouts therefor
  • E21C41/16—Methods of underground mining; Layouts therefor

Definitions

• This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for hydraulic mining.
• a main roadway of arched shaped section is firstly driven into the district to be worked, this roadway being of such dimensions as to permit the transport of material into the mine and the discharge of mineral therefrom simultaneously.
• From the main roadway are driven a number of tunnels directly into the seams to be extracted and reaching the outmost boundaries thereof.
• It is the method of and apparatus for the working of one of these tunnels to which the invention relates.
• the known method of forming these tunnels is to excavate the tunnel using a continuous miner or a rotary cutting boom and then supporting the tunnel with arches. This usually means excavation must cease while arches are erected giving cyclic operation and slow development. Also because of poor profiling, time is spent adequately packing behind the arches or roof falls occur in the unstable ground.
• the excavating machine On completion of the tunnel, the excavating machine is withdrawn and replaced with a high pressure water hose or monitor together with a mineral transport system.
• the water hose is then played on the exposed face to extract the mineral and wash it back to the transport flume.
• the extraction system gradually retreats back down the tunnel and some of the arches are removed for further use but most are left to give the necessary support to the tunnel in the vicinity of the water hose. Thus not only are most of the arches lost, but there is also a danger to the personnel of roof falls when the arches are salvaged.
• An object of the invention is to obviate or mitigate the aforementioned disadvantages.
• a method of hydraulic mining comprising forming a tunnel by stepwise advancing a cylindrical shield housing a cutting boom and gradually erecting a temporary continuous cylindrical passage built in sections within the formed part of the tunnel, each section being erected in the space between the erected portion and the shield when it has advanced a further step, replacing the cutting boom by a high pressure water hose, hydraulically retreat-mining the exposed face, and gradually dismantling the cylindrical passage by removing the section adjacent to the shield to enable the shield to retreat stepwise.
• apparatus for use in hydraulic mining comprising a cylindrical shield housing a removable cutting boom unit, means to advance said shield to form a tunnel using the cutting boom, anchor means to co operate with said advancing means and cylindrical ground support elements for stepwise temporary assembly into a space between the advancing shield and the anchor and a high pressure hose to replace the cutting boom when the tunnel is completed and retreat-hydraulic-mining is to be done.
• Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a tunnel showing the apparatus and illustrating the method according to the invention.
• Fig. 2. is an end view.
• the first part 10 of the tunnel 11 is arch shaped in section similar to a conventional roadway and is used initially as a starting chamber and later as a loading station where supplies can be stored and loaded on to a transporter for carrying to or from the face.
• a tunnel shield 12 incorporating a gymbal mounted electrically driven cutting boom 13 of known form with a loading scroll 14 and profile guidance ring 15, the latter ensuring that the boom cuts a true circle co-axial with the centre of the gymbal mounting 16 and shield 12.
• a flume 20 with water supply a tunnel support erector 21, (which is optional), hydraulic means 22, e.g. push - pull jacks for advancing and withdrawing the shield, a telescopic hood 23 (which is optional), a hydraulic power pack 24 to supply the needs of the shield, boom and erector, and electrical equipment for controlling the boom and power pack motors.
• a cylindrical tail skin 12A Extending rearwardly of the shield 12 is a cylindrical tail skin 12A which gives an initial support to a space 25 immediately behind the shield and shelters the erector 21 and a work force in that space.
• An anchor point 30 is then built behind the shield 12 by rock-bolting to the starting chamber's walls and floors so that the shield can be pushed from it by the jacks 22 into the face and high speed tunnelling begun.
• the tunnel is formed at a slight upward incline e.g. 8 from the roadway.
• the telescopic hood 23 is advanced into the face and the cutting boom 13 used to undercut the mineral locally until the hood is fully advanced, thus protecting the face from caving.
• the remainder of the face is then cut and loaded into the shield flume 20 for transport outby; as the tunnel extends, flume sections 31 are positioned to the rear of the shield 12 and overlapped at the joint 32 with the shield flume 20 to form a continuous outlet from the tunnel.
• a tunnel support member 35 is erected in the space 25 immediately behind the shield 12.
• the support member 35 is erected from a number of arcuate elements secured together into a cylindrical wall portion manually or by the mechanical means 21.
• the length of the tail skin 12A is just greater than the length of a support member 35.
• the gymbal cutting boom is withdrawn therefrom by any convenient means and is replaced with a high pressure water hose or a monitor (not shown) for the hydraulic extraction of the mineral initially beyond the tunnel outer end.
• the tunnel supports 35 behind the shield are then removed singly, the shield jacks 22 using these successively to pull the shield 12 back out of the tunnel and at the same time removing the mineral hydraulically as it retreats.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• Excavating Of Shafts Or Tunnels (AREA)
• Drilling And Exploitation, And Mining Machines And Methods (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10523468

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (4)

• 1982
  • 1982-07-23 CA CA000407913A patent/CA1181438A/en not_active Expired
  • 1982-07-26 JP JP57502204A patent/JPS58501384A/ja active Pending
  • 1982-07-26 AU AU87305/82A patent/AU547288B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1982-07-26 WO PCT/GB1982/000227 patent/WO1983000357A1/en unknown
  • 1982-07-26 BR BR8207798A patent/BR8207798A/pt unknown
  • 1982-07-26 GB GB08221561A patent/GB2102047B/en not_active Expired

Patent Citations (4)

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