ZA200104787B - Mounting assembly. - Google Patents

Description

- Yr

MOUNTING ASSEMBLY

THIS INVENTION relates to underground mine drilling operations.

The Applicant is aware of purpose-built drilling rigs which are used for mechanical drilling of blasting holes during tunnelling. These drilling rigs, owing to the depth of drilling required for blasting holes, include large drilling booms and normally require a large clearance within a tunnel if they are to be manoeuvred between a vertical and horizontal position. Therefore, owing to their limited manoeuvrability, they cannot also be used effectively to drill support holes for anchoring purposes in the root and side walls of a tunnel, unless the drilling depth capabilities of the rig is compromised so that the booms can be manoeuvred, as required. As a result, in mechanical tunnelling operations a suite of purpose-built driliing equipment, including specially designed separate drilling rigs for blasting holes and for support holes, is required. By having additional equipment in the overall suite of equipment required the cost of the overall drilling operation and the amount of logistical support and storage space required is increased.

It is an object of this invention to alleviate these problems.

According to the invention there is provided, a mounting assembly for mounting at least one drilling boom onto a shovel of an underground shovel loader.

CONFIRMATION COPY

The mounting assembly may include a base assembly which is fixedly connectable to the shovel; and a drilling boom support assembly which is connected to the base assembly and onto which the at least one drilling boom is mountable, said support assembly being displaceable relative to the base assembly to permit adjustment of the orientation of the at least one boom relative to the base assembly.

Preferably, the support assembly may be rotatably connected to the base assembly to permit rotatable adjustment of the at least one boom relative to the base assembly. Thus, the at least one boom may be displaced, by rotation of the support assembly, between a vertical and horizontal position. Advantageously, this may be carried out by lowering the shovel if additional clearance is required.

The support assembly may further include a sliding mechanism to permit sliding displacement of the at least one boom } relative to the base assembly. Thus, when in a vertical position, the support assembly may be displaced laterally, to allow the boom to travel the width of a tunnel roof. Similarly, if the support assembly is rotated so that the boom is in a horizontal position, the support assembly may be displaced slidably in a vertical direction to travel the height of the side walls. As will be appreciated, the rotatable adjustment and the sliding mechanism, together with the articulation of the shovel, provide for infinite positioning of the at least one drilling boom within predetermined limits.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support assembly may include a turntable which is rotatably connected to the base assembly, and a drilling boom support component which is

“ee WO 00/60210 PCT/IB00/00416 connected to the turntable. In this embodiment, the sliding mechanism may be provided by complementary engagement formations provided on the turntable and the support component, respectively.

The support assembly may include a boom mounting arrangement for mounting at least two laterally spaced drilling booms and adjustment means for adjusting the lateral spacing of said booms on the support assembly. Thus, a required hole spacing may be selected to suit a particular drilling requirement.

Preferably, the boom mounting arrangement may be provided with boom alignment means for aligning the booms in a parallel : or non-parallel position. Thus, the booms may be aligned so that they i converge or diverge along their length to suit a particular hole configuration.

In one embodiment of the invention, the boom mounting arrangement may include at least two laterally spaced boom support elements each having a mounting for mounting a boom on the boom assembly. In this embodiment, the adjustment means may be provided by an engagement formation provided on at least one of the support elements which engages slidably with a complementary engagement formation provided on the support assembly.

Conveniently, at least one of the booms may be pivotally displaceable about its mounting thereby to provide the boom alignment means.

The invention also extends to a shovel loader which includes a mounting assembly in accordance with the invention.

The invention will now be described, by way of the following non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a side view of a shovel loader onto which a mounting assembly in accordance with the invention is mounted in an inoperative position;

Figure 2 represents a side view of the shovel loader shown in Figure 1 positioned for roof drilling in a tunnel;

Figure 3 represents a plan view of the shovel loader in the position shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 represents a three-dimensional view of the shovel loader in the position shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 represents an end view of the shovel loader in the position shown in Figure 2;

Figure 6 represents a side view of the shovel loader shown in Figure 1 positioned for side wall drilling;

Figure 7 represents a plan view of the shovel loader in the position shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 represents a three-dimensional view of the shovel loader shown in Figure 6;

Figure 9 represents an end view of the shovel loader shown in Figure 6 positioned for side wall drilling in an opposite direction to that shown in Figure 6;

Figure 10 represents an end view of the shovel loader shown in Figure 1 positioned for inclined tunnel drilling; and

Figure 11 represents a three-dimensional view of the shovel loader shown in Figure 1 in a different orientation. 5 Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally represents a shovel loader known in the mining industry as a load haul dump (LHD). The shovel loader 10 is a rubber tyre mounted loader and includes a body, generally represented by reference numeral 11, and a plurality of support arms 12 which extend from the body 11 and which support a shovel 14. The loader 10 is used for clearing broken rock from a working area and, typically, forms part of a suite of equipment used in underground tunnelling operations.

The support arms 12 are hydraulically driven for raising and lowering the shovel 14, in a direction indicated generally by reference numeral 16 in Figure 1 of the drawings. The shovel 14 is also pivotally connected to the arms 12 in a position generally indicated by reference numeral 15 to permit the shovel 14 to be tilted towards or away from the body 11 for loading and unloading material, as is generally represented by the arrow labelled with reference numeral 18, in Figure 1 of the drawings.

A mounting assembly, generally represented by reference numeral 20 is mounted on the shovel 14 for mounting a pair of drilling booms 22, 24 (not described in detail) onto the shovel loader 10, as is described in more detail below.

The mounting assembly 20 includes a base assembly, generally represented by reference numeral 26, and a drilling boom support assembly, generally represented by reference numeral 28, which is connected to the base assembly 26 and on which the drilling booms 22, 24 are mounted. The support assembly 28 is displaceable relative to the base assembly 26 to permit adjustment of the orientation of the booms 22, 24 relative to the base assembly 26, as is described in more detail below.

The base assembly 26 inciudes a generally circular cylindrical base member 30 which is positioned symmetrically about a longitudinal axis 17 (shown in Figure 3 of the drawings) of the loader 10 and extends laterally across a part of a mouth of the shovel 14. The base member 30 is fixedly connected to the shovel 14 in this position by means of purpose-built mounting formations, for example, brackets which may be removed when the drilling booms are not in operation.

The support assembly 28 includes a turntable 31, which is co-axial with the base member 30 and which is rotatably mounted to the base member 30 by means of an axially extending shaft 36. The shaft 36 is driven by a hydraulic system (not shown) of the shovel loader 10 to permit rotatable adjustment of the booms 22, 24, relative to the base assembly 26, about an axis of rotation, generally indicated by reference numeral 40 in Figures 1, 4 and 8 of the drawings. Thus, the position of the booms 22, 24 is adjustable in opposite directions, about the axis of rotation 40, as is represented schematically by reference numerals 38 and 39 in Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings.

The support assembly 28 further includes a drilling boom support component 32 which is provided with a supporting leg 29 for supporting the assembly 28 in its vertical position, as is shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. As can best be seen in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, an outer side of the turntable 31 is provided with a pair of laterally extending engagement formations 42 (not shown in detail) which engage with complementary engagement formations 44 (not shown in detail) provided on an adjacent side of the support component 32. This arrangement provides a sliding mechanism to permit sliding displacement of the booms 22, 24, relative to the base assembly 26, along a horizontal axis as is shown schematically by the arrows labelled with reference numeral 46, in Figure 3 of the drawings. As will be appreciated, when the booms 22, 24 are rotated out of the vertical position, the sliding mechanism permits displacement of the booms 22, 24 along a non-horizontal axis, for example, along a vertical axis when the booms 22, 24 are rotated into the position shown in Figures 6 to 9 of the drawings.

As can best be seen in Figure 4 of the drawings, the boom support assembly 28 further includes a boom mounting arrangement in the form of a pair of laterally spaced elongate support elements 50, 51 which extend along an opposite side of the support component 32 perpendicularly to the engagement formations 42, 44. The drilling booms 22, 24 are mounted on the support elements 51, 50 by means of pivotal mountings 53, 54 (not shown in detail) which are positioned towards a lower end of the elements 51, 50. As is shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, the pivotal mountings 53, 54 allow one or both booms 22, 24 to be pivotally displaced or tilted from their normal axes 58, 59 into a non-parallel position so that the booms 22, 24 diverge along their e 0 length. Preferably, the booms may be titled to define an angle, shown by reference numeral 56 in Figure 5 of the drawings, of up to 15°.

As can best be seen in Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings, the support component 32 is further provided with a pair of spaced engagement formations 48 which extend partly across the width of the support component 32. The support element 50 is also provided with engagement formations (not shown) which are complementary to the engagement formations 48. The engagement formations 48 and the complementary engagement formations on the support element 50 provide adjustment means for slidingly adjusting the lateral spacing 52 of the drilling booms 22, 24. As will be appreciated, adjustment means for the other drilling boom 22 may be provided instead of, or in addition to, the adjustment means for the boom 24.

In use, in order to move the shovel loader 10 into or away from a working position the shovel 14 is lowered, as is shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, to a position close to a floor of a tunnel and the shovel 14 is tilted upwardly towards the body 11 so that the booms 22, 24 extend rearwardly, in a compact almost horizontal position, along the length of the loader 10, to provide the required clearance.

Referring to Figures 2 to 5 of the drawings, in order to position the loader 10 for vertical drilling, the shovel 14 is tilted in a forward direction so that the drilling booms 22, 24 extend upwardly towards a roof 70 of the tunnel. The lateral spacing of the drilling booms 22, 24 may then be adjusted to suit the required hole spacing by sliding the support element 51 along the engagement formations 48 towards or away from the boom 22. If diverging holes, as is generally represented by reference numerals 62 and 64, are required in the roof 70 then the booms 22, 24 may be pivotally displaced or tilted about the pivotal mountings 53, 54 from their normal axes 58, 59 into a position generally shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. b During the drilling operation, in order to cover the full width of the roof 70, for example, if it is required that further holes are to be drilled in the general positions indicated by reference numerals 66, 68, the support component 32 may be displaced out of its symmetrical position relative to the axis of rotation 40 in the general direction shown by reference numeral 46 (shown in Figure 3 of the drawings) by means of the sliding mechanism provided by the complementary engagement formations 42 and 44. As will be appreciated, the drill booms 22, 24 may also be moved towards or away from the roof 70 by raising or lowering the support arms 12. Furthermore, the drilling booms 22, 24 may be tilted out of a vertical plane for angled drilling by articulation of the shovel 14. Advantageously, the sliding mechanism may be driven by the hydraulic system of the loader 10. As will be appreciated, the booms 22, 24 may span across an angle greater than 180°.

Referring to Figures 6 to 9 of the drawings, in order to position the loader 10 for side wall drilling, the booms 22, 24 are rotated about the axis of rotation 40 by rotating the turntable 31 relative to the base member 30 through approximately 90°. If additional clearance is required, the support component 32 may be displaced from the symmetrical position towards one of the side walls 71 before rotation. in other words, the centre of the support component 32 may be offset in relation to the longitudinal axis 17 of the loader 10 thereby allowing the required rotation. As is described above, the lateral spacing 52 and alignment of the booms 22, 24 may be adjusted to suit the required hole configuration, for example, as is shown in Figure 9 by the hole positions shown by reference numeral 80.

As will be appreciated, the combination of the sliding mechanism provided by the complementary engagement formations 42, 44, the rotation of the turntable 31, and the articulation of the shovel 14 relative to the body 11 provide for an infinite number of orientations of the drilling booms 22, 24, for example, arc like drilling at right angles to the tunnelling direction and drilling of steeply inclined ore bodies or fan- cut drilling of massive ore bodies may be carried out. In Figure 10 of the drawings (in which some of the detail has been omitted for clarity), the loader 10 is shown in a position in which the booms 22, 24 are mounted for drilling a leading face 75 of an inclined shaft, by having rotated the turntable 31 through approximately 45° relative to the base member 30.

A similar but opposite orientation is shown in Figure 11 of the drawings.

In another embodiment of the invention, not illustrated, the mountings 53, 54 may be positioned at a generally central position on each of the booms 22, 24 to permit 360° rotation about the axis 40.

The Applicant believes that it is an advantage of the invention that by providing a mounting assembly 20 in accordance with the invention relatively efficient use can be made of part of the existing suite of equipment that is required during tunnelling operations which is normally redundant between drilling cycles. The Applicant believes that it is a further advantage of the invention that the sliding mechanism provided by the complementary engagement formations 42, 44 and the rotation of turntable 31 complement the articulation of the shovel 14 to provide a drilling rig with enhanced manoeuvrability to allow for manipulation of the drilling booms 22, 24 within a confined space.

This enhanced manoeuvrability enables both blast holes and support holes to be drilled using the same rig thereby reducing the equipment required during mechanised tunnelling and alleviating the problem of requiring more than one specially designed drilling rig and the disadvantages associated therewith.

The mounting assembly 20 also provides for infinite positioning of the drilling booms 22, 24 thereby enabling a wide range of drilling configurations to be carried out.

It is an even further advantage of the invention that the mounting assembly 20 may be removed from the loader 10 for storage when not in operation once a drilling cycle is completed to allow the shovel loader 10 to be used to remove broken rock.

Claims (11)

$7 CLAIMS:

1. A mounting assembly for mounting at least one drilling boom onto a shovel of an underground shovel loader.

2. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 1, which includes a base assembly which is fixedly connectable to the shovel; and a drilling boom support assembly which is connected to the base assembly and onto which the at least one drilling boom is mountable, said support assembly being displaceable relative to the base assembly : to permit adjustment of the orientation of the at least one boom relative to the base assembly.

3. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the support assembly is rotatably connected to the base assembly to permit rotatable adjustment of the at least one boom relative to the base assembly.

4, A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 3, in which the support assembly includes a sliding mechanism to permit sliding displacement of the at least one boom relative to the base assembly.

5. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 4, in which the support assembly includes a turntable which is rotatably connected to the base assembly, and a drilling boom support component which is connected to the turn-table, the sliding mechanism being provided by complementary engagement formations provided on the turntable and the support component, respectively.

‘

6. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 2 to 5 inclusive, in which the support assembly includes a boom mounting arrangement for mounting at least two laterally spaced drilling booms and adjustment means for adjusting the lateral spacing of said drilling booms.

7. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 6, in which the boom mounting arrangement is provided with boom alignment means for aligning the drilling booms in a parallel or non-parallel position, as required.

8. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 7, in which the boom mounting arrangement includes at least two laterally spaced boom support elements each having a mounting for mounting a drilling boom on the support assembly, and in which the adjustment means is provided by an engagement formation provided on at least one of the support elements which engages slidably with a complementary engagement formation provided on the support assembly.

9. A mounting assembly as claimed in claim 8, in which at least one of the drilling booms is pivotally displaceable about its mounting thereby to provide the boom alignment means.

10. A shovel loader which includes a mounting assembly, as claimed in any one of the previous claims.

11 A new mounting assembly, substantially as herein described and illustrated.