ZA200700787B

ZA200700787B - Skip tipping equipment

Info

Publication number: ZA200700787B
Application number: ZA200700787A
Authority: ZA
Inventors: Berend Jan Werkman
Original assignee: Berend Jan Werkman
Priority date: 2006-01-31
Filing date: 2007-01-29
Publication date: 2009-08-26

Description

Co - == ww E007/0Q787 / (1) TITLE OF THE INVENTION

SKIP TIPPING EQUIPMENT

(2) BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Skips used along mining shafts are sensitive to mass in the sense of any addition to skip mass affecting their load carrying capacities. A removal of equipment normally associated with such skip without affecting its ability to perform its task thus has the beneficial effect of improving its capacity. It is, amongst others, an object of this invention to deal with this situation. (3) FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and equipment for enabling the unloading of a load carrier, constrained to move along a fixed path, via its load release closure, as mounted to open up a carrier discharge in response to its to-and-fro displaceable unidirectional displacement, and once such carrier has moved into a pre-determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path and for rendering such carrier ready for subsequent departure from such station. While not so limited the invention finds useful application in the field of transferring material via shaft to a tipping point in mining operations. (4) SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of enabling the unloading of a load carrier, constrained to move along a fixed path, via its load release closure, as mounted to open up a carrier discharge in response to its unidirectional displacement and as arranged to be to-and-fro displaceable, once the carrier has moved into a pre-determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path inclusive of rendering the carrier ready for subsequent departure from the station comprising causing a carrier load release mechanism installed at the station to positively engage a complimentary configured engager forming part of the load release closure, once the carrier is in its pre-determined fixed stationary position, causing the opening of the closure in response to its appropriate unidirectional displacement as brought about by the operation of the carrier load release mechanism, enabling the release of load from the carrier once carrying such, and causing the positive disengagement of the carrier load release mechanism from the engager at the latest once the carrier load release closure has been returned to its carrier closing off condition, as thus so gravitationally urged in at least the case of disengagement prior to full closure, followed by a return of the mechanism to its ready for re-engagement condition rendering the carrier ready for departure from the station.

The method may involve causing the opening of the load release closure by way of an at least retraction action of the carrier load release mechanism, as appropriately arranged, and vice versa.

The may preferably comprise causing the disengagement of the carrier load release mechanism from the engager once the carrier has been closed off by the load release closure, the latter as mounted to move into its condition of carrier closure involving the force of gravity.

In an embodiment the method may comprise causing the positive disengageable engagement of the carrier load release mechanism with the engager by way of a hooking type catching action between a hook engaging formation, forming part of one of the carrier load release mechanism and the engager, and a hook formation forming part of the other one of the load release mechanism and the engager, following on the pre-alignment of the hook engaging formation and the hook formation prior to their engagement with disengagement involving causing their lateral movement away from one another into an unhooked condition prior to returning the carrier load release mechanism to its ready for re-engagement condition.

CL : | .

The method may thus comprise causing the positive disengageable engagement of the hook engaging formation and the hook formation in response to the performance of a lever type swivelling action of a lever member, forming part of the carrier load release mechanism, once the appropriate one of the hook engaging formation and the hook formation have been aligned with the lever member.

In a specific embodiment the method may comprise causing the hooking type catching of the hook engaging formation onto the hook formation the one as forming part of the carrier load release mechanism and the other as forming part of the carrier closure in the form of a radial door mounted to the bottom of a shaft constrained carrier, and swivelling of the door out of carrier discharge closure on appropriate retraction and accompanying swivelling of the carrier load release mechanism as arranged to also accommodate the swivelling action of the door, once the carrier is at its ore discharge station for causing the gravitational removal of the load.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided equipment for enabling the unloading of a load carrier, constrained to move along a fixed path, via its load release closure, as mounted to open up a carrier discharge in response to its unidirectional displacement, as arranged to be to-and-fro displaceable, once such carrier has moved into a pre-determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path and for rendering such carrier ready for subsequent departure from such station comprising a carrier load release mechanism installable at such station for opening the closure of such carrier and to at least aid in its closing once it is in its pre-determined fixed stationary position, a closure carried engager that is of complementary configuration to enable carrier load release mechanism engagement thereto and disengagement there from by way of positive engaging and releasing actions between the engager and the load release mechanism while the engager is at least attachable to if not forming part of a carrier load release closure in } turn forming part of a carrier relative to which such closure is to-and-fro displaceably mounted between a carrier closing off condition and a load release condition by way of the operation of the carrier load release mechanism in response to the engager becoming engaged with and followed by the subsequent load releasing operation of the load release mechanism once the equipment is operational and once such carrier is in its pre-determined fixed stationary position at such station, equipment disengagement once in operative use,

being effected at the latest once such load release closure has been returned to its carrier closing off condition while, once disengaged, the load release mechanism being returnable to its ready for re-engaging condition thereby rendering such carrier ready for departure.

The load release mechanism may at least comprise extensible retraction means via which load release displacement of the closure of such carrier is achievable by way of an at least retraction action once engaged to the engager and once the equipment is in operative use.

The extensible retraction means may preferably be in the form of a piston and cylinder assembly.

The load release mechanism may include one of a hook type catch and a hook formation as well as a catch to hook engagement effecting and releasing mechanism while the engager is in the form of the other one of the catch and the hook formation that is thus positively releasably engageable by the catch via the operation of the engagement effecting and releasing mechanism once the equipment is in operative use, engagement being achieved, once the equipment is so in operative use, by the pre-alignment of the catch and the hook formation in response to the appropriate extension of the retractable extending means followed by the operation of the engagement effecting and releasing mechanism while disengagement follows on their movement out of hooking engagement by the inverse operation of the engagement effecting and releasing mechanism followed by the retraction of the extensible retraction means.

In an embodiment the load release mechanism may include a lever fashion mounted member at the leading end of which the appropriate one of the hook type catch and the hook formation is presented and that is swivelable by the operation of the engagement and release effecting mechanism to the effect of achieving engagement and release of the catch and the hook formation, once the equipment is operational, once an engager presenting carrier involved in a matter moving operation is situated in a pre-determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path at which the carrier load release mechanism is installed.

The engagement and release effecting mechanism may be in the form of an engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly mounted to result in extension of its piston causing catch to hook engageable swivelling of the lever member and vice versa, the engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly in the case of the extensible retraction means also being in the form of a piston and cylinder assembly, being mounted to the latter to cause their respective axes of operation to lie in substantially a common plane that also coincides with the central plane of displacement of the closure of a carrier once situated in a pre-determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path at which the carrier load release mechanism is installed once the equipment is in operative use.

In a specific embodiment the lever fashion mounted member may be of toggle action configuration to the effect of enabling the engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly to be operable in at least generally the direction of to and fro displacement of the closure of a carrier once the equipment is in operative use, in the case of the lever member extending through generally a right angle at its fulcrum while the extensible retraction means is also in the form of a piston and cylinder assembly the respective axes of operation of the assemblies in addition to lying substantially a common plane also extending at least substantially parallel to one another.

The carrier load release mechanism may be arranged to be swivelably mountable at its trailing end to the extent of also accommodating the to and fro displacement of a gravitational closing action involved swivelably mounted closure, as thus in a gravitationally controlled way returned to its carrier closing off condition by the appropriate action of the carrier load release mechanism of which the extent of swivelling is inhibited to promote catch to hook formation engagement and release once the equipment is in operative use.

In a preferred embodiment the relevant one of the hook receiving formation and the hook formation may be carriable by a carrier load release closure in the form of a radial door in turn mounted to the bottom of a shaft constrained carrier of which the load is thus gravitationally removed by swivelling of such door out of carrier discharge closure on appropriate retraction of the carrier load release mechanism once engaging with the relevant one of the catch and the hook as carried by the door once such carrier is at its ore discharge station, once the equipment is in operative use.

The invention also extends to equipment as described as appropriately installed.

The invention even further extends to a carrier load release mechanism forming part of equipment as described, which mechanism is thus installable at a station for interacting with a closure carried engager.

(5) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings

Figure 1 shows in discharge chute partly cut away side elevation equipment in the form of skip tipping equipment, as operatively installed, enabling the tipping of a load carrier in the form of a mining skip at a tipping point followed by the closure of its radial door once having discharged its load, and its subsequent departure,

Figure 2 diagrammatically shows the operation of the equipment, and

Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of the equipment. (6) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings equipment for enabling the tipping of a load carrier in the form of a mining skip at a tipping point situated at the headgear of a mining shaft, as operatively installed at, is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.

The equipment 10 comprises a carrier load release mechanism in the form of a skip door manipulation piston and cylinder assembly 12 combining with a catch to hook engagement effecting and releasing mechanism 14 in defining a carrier load release mechanism assembly 20, and a hook formation in the form of a hook 16 mounted to the door 18 a skip 36. The engagement and release effecting mechanism 14 is in the form of an engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly 22 mounted onto the piston and cylinder assembly 12 to the leading end of the piston of which assembly 22 a lever fashion mounted member 24 is swivelably coupled.

The member 24 is toggle shaped extending though a right angular bend at its fulcrum 26 at which position it is swivelably mounted to the leading end of the cylinder 28 of the piston and cylinder assembly 12. The outer end 24.1 of the member 24 is in the form of a catch 30 that is formed to catch onto the hook 16 on engagement of the assembly 20 to the hook 16 during the operation of the equipment 10, as discussed below. The inner end 24.2 of the member 24 is swivelably secured to the outer end of the piston of the engagement and release-effecting piston and cylinder assembly 22. The axes of the piston and cylinder assemblies 12, 22 are parallel to one another while also lying in the same plane as the central plane of displacement of the skip door 18.

co Co ~ 20G7/00787

In addition to being expansibly retractable the trailing end 12.1 of the skip door manipulation piston and cylinder assembly 12 is swivelably mounted about a headgear mounted pivot 32 to accommodate the swivelling action of the door 18, once the carrier load release mechanism assembly 20 is installed, on being opened or closed, as discussed in more detail below. To ensure that the assembly 20 forms a skip engaging relationship to enable positive engagement and disengagement the headgear is instalied with an assembly receiving ramp 34 along which the cylinder 28 of the skip door manipulation piston and cylinder assembly 12 is slidably displaceable except when pivoting about pivot 32 to accommodate the swivelling action of the door during its opening and closure, as discussed below. Firm engagement during performance of the swivelling action of the door 18 is furthermore achieved owing to the assembly 20 extending at a downward slope, once the cylinder 28 rests on the ramp 34.

Except for the hook 16 the skip 36 in conjunction with which the equipment 10 is used is conventional in having a load chamber 38 chargable from overhead and dischargable via a discharge chute 40 closed off by the radial tipping door 18. The chamber 38 is mounted between stringers 42 extending between opposite transoms 44. The door 18 is conventionally gravitationally self-closing on skip loading by its pivot 46 being offset toward one sidewall of the skip 36.

The inside curvature of the hook 18 extends appropriately matchingly with the catch 30 to ensure its firm hooking against release thereto once so engaged on retraction and extension of the piston of the piston and cylinder assembly 12. The hook 16 is centrally mounted below the door 18 to facilitate an even door displacement. Once installed the carrier load release mechanism assembly 20 is suitably positioned to ensure catch to hook alignment prior to their inter-engagement.

Referring to figures 1 and 2 and in one embodiment with the hook 16 facing upward thus being engageable from overhead, the operation of the equipment 10 through a complete unloading and radial door closure cycle commences with the skip 36 arriving at the location of tipping in which its discharge chute 40 becomes dischargably aligned with a headgear bin 48 to cause the tipping of ore contents there into. On the skip’s arrival in its final position of discharging the assembly 20 is in its pre-engaging situation, as shown in figure 1. The assembly 12 is thus operatively retracted while the lever member 24 is swivelled to its pre- engaging position owing to the operative retraction of the piston of the engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly 22.

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In referring to figure 2(a) the tipping action of the equipment 10 commences with the extension of the piston and cylinder assembly 12 resulting in the cylinder 28 sliding down the ramp 34 in the direction of the arrow 48 while the assembly 22 remains retracted and the catch 30 accordingly in its pre-engagement condition. This operation continues until the catch 30 is in overhead alignment with the hook 16, as shown in figure 2(b). To achieve catch to hook engagement once in the figure 2(b) condition the function of the engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly 22 is involved by its linear expansion in response to its pressurisation. This has the effect of swivelling the lever member 26 about its fulcrum 26 in the direction of arrow 50 until the catch 30 engages with the hook 16, as shown in figure 2(c).

Opening of the skip 36 is achieved by simply retracting the skip door manipulation piston and cylinder assembly 12 having the effect of progressively swivelling the door 18 into opening up the skip 36. As the opening action of the door 18 is by way of swivelling action in the direction of arrow 52, this movement is accommodated by the simultaneous co-ordinated swivelling of the carrier load release mechanism assembly 20 about the swivel 32 until the door 18 is fully opened, as shown in figure 2(d).

Once the skip 36 is fully discharged the door 18 is gravitationally but in a controlled way returned into its closed condition by first expanding the piston and cylinder assembly 12 again until the position of figure 2(c) is again reached. Coordinated swivelling of the carrier load release mechanism assembly 20 about its pivot 32 and the door 18 causes its return during this step to the ramp 34. Disengagement of the catch 30 from the hook 16 follows on retraction of the piston and cylinder assembly 22 causing catch release as shown in figure 2(b) followed by the retraction of the piston and cylinder assembly 12 through the condition of figure 2(b) until again in its pre-engagement condition as shown in figure 1; ready for the next skip load.

As shown in figure 3 the hook can also be attached to face downward with catch engagement being from below.

The invention as specifically described has the advantages of firstly removing the weight of the door opening equipment from the skip having the effect of increasing its capacity while also limiting the possibility of door non-closure once the skip leaves the tipping position owing to the removal of the door opening and closing mechanism on skip descent commencement.

Claims

on _

(5) CLAIMS (1) A method of enabling the unloading of a load carrier, constrained to move along a fixed path, via its load release closure, as mounted to open up a carrier discharge in response to its unidirectional displacement and as arranged to be to-and-fro displaceable, once the carrier has moved into a pre-determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path inclusive of rendering the carrier ready for subsequent departure from the station comprising causing a carrier load release mechanism installed at the station to positively engage a complimentary configured engager forming part of the load release closure, once the carrier is in its pre-determined fixed stationary position,

causing the opening of the closure in response to its appropriate unidirectional displacement as brought about by the operation of the carrier load release mechanism, enabling the release of load from the carrier once carrying such, and causing the positive disengagement of the carrier load release mechanism from the engager at the latest once the carrier load release closure has been returned to its carrier closing off condition, as thus so gravitationally urged in at least the case of disengagement prior to full closure, followed by a return of the mechanism to its ready for re-engagement condition rendering the carrier ready for departure from the station.

(2) A method as claimed in claim 1 that involves causing the opening of the load release closure by way of an at least retraction action of the carrier load release mechanism, as appropriately arranged, and vice versa.

(3) A method as claimed in claim 2 that comprises causing the disengagement of the carrier load release mechanism from the engager once the carrier has been closed off by the load release closure, the latter as mounted to move into its condition of carrier closure involving the force of gravity.

(4) A method as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 that comprises causing the positive disengageable engagement of the carrier load release mechanism with the engager by way of a hooking type catching action between a hook engaging formation, forming part of one of the carrier load release mechanism and the engager, and a hook formation forming part of the other one of the load release mechanism and the engager, following on the pre-alignment of the hook engaging formation and the hook formation prior to their engagement with disengagement involving causing their lateral movement away from one another into an unhooked condition prior to returning the carrier load release mechanism to its ready for re- engagement condition. (5) A method as claimed in claim 4 that comprises causing the positive disengageable engagement of the hook engaging formation and the hook formation in response to the performance of a lever type swivelling action of a lever member, forming part of the carrier load release mechanism, once the appropriate one of the hook engaging formation and the hook formation have been aligned with the lever member. (6) A method as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 that comprises causing the hooking type catching of the hook engaging formation onto the hook formation the one as forming part of the carrier load release mechanism and the other as forming part of the carrier closure in the form of a radial door mounted to the bottom of a shaft constrained carrier, and swivelling of the door out of carrier discharge closure on appropriate retraction and accompanying swivelling of the carrier load release mechanism as arranged to also accommodate the swivelling action of the door, once the carrier is at its ore discharge station for causing the gravitational removal of the load. (7) Equipment for enabling the unloading of a load carrier, constrained to move along a fixed path, via its load release closure, as mounted to open up a carrier discharge in response to

{its unidirectional displacement, as arranged to be to-and-fro displaceable, once such carrier has moved into a pre-determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path and for rendering such carrier ready for subsequent departure from such station comprising a carrier load release mechanism installable at such station for opening the closure of such carrier and to at least aid in its closing once it is in its pre-determined fixed stationary position, a closure carried engager that is of complementary configuration to enable carrier load release mechanism engagement thereto and disengagement there from by way of positive engaging and releasing actions between the engager and the load release mechanism while the engager is at least attachable to if not forming part of a carrier load release closure in turn forming part of a carrier relative to which such closure is to-and-fro displaceably mounted between a carrier closing off condition and a load release condition by way of the operation of the carrier load release mechanism in response to the engager becoming engaged with and followed by the subsequent load releasing operation of the load release

BE 12 mechanism once the equipment is operational and once such carrier is in its pre-determined fixed stationary position at such station, equipment disengagement once in operative use, being effected at the latest once such load release closure has been returned to its carrier closing off condition while, once disengaged, the load release mechanism being returnable to its ready for re-engaging condition thereby rendering such carrier ready for departure. (8) Equipment as claimed in claim 7 in which the load release mechanism at least comprises extensible retraction means via which load release displacement of the closure of such carrier is achievable by way of an at least retraction action once engaged to the engager and once the equipment is in operative use.

(9) Equipment as claimed in claim 8 in which the extensible retraction means is in the form of a piston and cylinder assembly. (10) Equipment as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 in which the load release mechanism includes one of a hook type catch and a hook formation as well as a catch to hook engagement effecting and releasing mechanism while the engager is in the form of the other one of the catch and the hook formation that is thus positively releasably engageable by the catch via the operation of the engagement effecting and releasing mechanism once the equipment is in operative use, engagement being achieved, once the equipment is so in operative use, by the pre-alignment of the catch and the hook formation in response to the appropriate extension of the retractable extending means followed by the operation of the engagement effecting and releasing mechanism while disengagement follows on their movement out of hooking engagement by the inverse operation of the engagement effecting and releasing mechanism followed by the retraction of the extensible retraction means. (11) Equipment as claimed in 10 in which the load release mechanism includes a lever fashion mounted member at the leading end of which the appropriate one of the hook type catch and the hook formation is presented and that is swivelable by the operation of the engagement and release effecting mechanism to the effect of achieving engagement and release of the catch and the hook formation, once the equipment is operational, once an engager presenting carrier involved in a matter moving operation is situated in a pre- determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path at which the carrier load release mechanism is installed.

SO | | " (12) Equipment as claimed in 11 in which the engagement and release effecting mechanism is in the form of an engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly mounted to result in extension of its piston causing catch to hook engageable swivelling of the lever member and vice versa, the engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly in the case of the extensible retraction means also being in the form of a piston and cylinder assembly, being mounted to the latter to cause their respective axes of operation to lie in substantially a common plane that also coincides with the central plane of displacement of the closure of a carrier once situated in a pre-determined fixed stationary position at a station along its path at which the carrier load release mechanism is installed once the equipment is in operative use. (13) Equipment as claimed in claim 12 in which the lever fashion mounted member is of toggle action configuration to the effect of enabling the engagement and release effecting piston and cylinder assembly to be operable in at least generally the direction of to and fro displacement of the closure of a carrier once the equipment is in operative use, in the case of the lever member extending through generally a right angle at its fulcrum while the extensible retraction means is also in the form of a piston and cylinder assembly the respective axes of operation of the assemblies in addition to lying substantially a common plane also extending at least substantially parallel to one another. (14) Equipment as a claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12 in which the carrier load release mechanism is swivelably mountable at its trailing end to the extent of also accommodating the to and fro displacement of a gravitational closing action involved swivelably mounted closure, as thus in a gravitationally controlled way returned to its carrier closing off condition by the appropriate action of the carrier load release mechanism of which the extent of swivelling is inhibited to promote catch to hook formation engagement and release once the equipment is in operative use. (15) Equipment as claimed in claim 14 in which the relevant one of the hook receiving formation and the hook formation is carriable by a carrier load release closure in the form of a radial door in turn mounted to the bottom of a shaft constrained carrier of which the load is thus gravitationally removed by swivelling of such door out of carrier discharge closure on appropriate retraction of the carrier load release mechanism once engaging with the relevant one of the catch and the hook as carried by the door once such carrier is at its ore discharge station, once the equipment is in operative use.

r EN ‘8

(16) Equipment as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 15 as appropriately installed. (17) A carrier load release mechanism forming part of equipment as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 15, which mechanism is thus installable at a station for interacting with a closure carried engager. (18) A method substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (19) Equipment substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (20) A carrier load release mechanism forming part of equipment substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A P S van der Merwe Patent Agent for Applicant