Dual electrohydraulic vehicle for rock clearing and roof reinforcement

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dual electrohydraulic vehicle for rock clearing and roof reinforcement that comprises both a rock clearing unit and a roof support and reinforcement unit. Furthermore, the electrohydraulic vehicle is made up of a front chassis consisting of a pair of wheels, positioning cylinders, a pressurised operator's cab, a blade and two telescopic arms mounted on said chassis and a rear chassis located behind the front chassis according to the direction of movement and consisting of a pair of wheels, positioning cylinders, an electrohydraulic unit also called Power Pack, an electric cable reel, a water reel and a diesel engine, wherein both chassis, of the jumbo type, are articulated to each other by means of a vertical axle. Furthermore, said electrohydraulic vehicle may also comprise a cartridge launcher tube and a semi-automatic bolt feeding mechanism.

Description

[0001] Dual-Action Rock Buster and Roof Strengthener Vehicle

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] A dual-drive electro-hydraulic vehicle capable of rock-breaking and roof reinforcement work; suitable for underground mining and construction. The self-propelled vehicle consists of a two-wheel front chassis and a two-wheel rear chassis, connected by a central joint.

[0004] STATE OF THE ART

[0005] The present invention relates to electrohydraulic vehicles used for mineral extraction in the mining sector. It is important to note that these devices perform a series of cyclical processes known as the mining cycle (Figure 1). These processes are described below:

[0006] We begin with Process 1, the drilling stage of tunnel development, using electrohydraulic frontonero vehicles, which are responsible for making horizontal perforations in the rock in the direction desired by the mine's geological department.

[0007] Continuing with process 2 within this cycle is the so-called loading stage, in which the explosive charges (which have to operate safely, be environmentally feasible and economically convenient) are placed or housed in the holes made by the electro-hydraulic frontoneros vehicles (process 1) and an ignition sequence is defined for the initiation of the blasting process. Process 3, which is called the blasting stage, within this stage the release of energy occurs through a chemical reaction (explosives) that allows the rock to be fragmented and displaced.

[0008] Process 4 within this cycle is the so-called ventilation stage. As we know, every blasting operation produces, to a greater or lesser extent, toxic gases produced by the various chemical reactions that occur during an explosion. Therefore, the ventilation process is of vital importance, and with the use of appropriate machinery and equipment, these toxic gases will be removed.

[0009] Process 5 is the so-called rock-free stage, in which loose rock is first detected on the roof, face, and walls; it is then levered and dropped (freed) using rock-free equipment, in order to ensure that underground mine workers effectively have a safe working environment.

[0010] Process 6 is the so-called cleaning and loading stage, during which waste or rocks are removed from the pits to the outside of the underground mine using special machinery. This can be done using a low-profile front-end loader called a scoop and a mining truck. Once the work area is cleared and cleaned, Process 7, called roof support, begins.

[0011] Process 7 is the so-called support and reinforcement stage, a stage that generally involves bolting mechanisms or cables that provide reinforcement to the rock mass, increasing the frictional resistance between its constituent blocks. This essential stage, protecting personnel and equipment from accidents, is performed using an electro-hydraulic vehicle model with the necessary accessories for reinforcing the tunnel roofs.

[0012] Process 8 is the shotcrete launching stage. Shotcrete (a mixture of concrete or mortar rheumatically projected at high speed onto a surface containing discontinuous and separated fibers) as a support method in underground mines shortens work cycles by installing faster than steel mesh. It can be used on access ramps, caverns, and other mine infrastructure, in development and production galleries. This stage is essential to protect personnel and equipment from accidents. It is performed using an electro-hydraulic vehicle model with the necessary accessories for this process. With this last process, we complete the mining cycle.

[0013] Having described the mining stages, it is clear that several electrohydraulic vehicles are required. At least one electrohydraulic vehicle is needed for rock clearance and another for roof reinforcement, with the number of vehicles increasing according to the size of the tunnel section. The more vehicles in the mining center's fleet, the higher the travel time, inventory costs, maintenance costs, labor costs, and related indirect expenses. Furthermore, the mining process times increase with the movement of all the vehicles involved in the mining cycle. Therefore, the fewer the vehicles working within the mining cycle, the shorter the time associated with this process, making it more productive.

[0014] As a background to rock-clearing vehicles that perform underground mining work in rock-clearing, it is known that there are scaler vehicles as demonstrated in patent US2577924A entitled "Mine roof scaled." Along these same lines, some models can be found on the current market such as SCALEMIN (Manufacturer RESEMIN SA), SCALER PAUS 853-852 (Manufacturer PAUS) and SCALER RMS18 (Manufacturer BREAKER TECHNOLOGY BTI). However, these equipments only have the capacity to perform the rock-clearing stage that has been described as process 5 of the mining cycle.

[0015] On the other hand, it is known that there are other electro-hydraulic vehicles capable of developing the roof fortification or support process described as process 7 in the mining cycle. There is patent US4229124 entitled "Automatic Roof Bolting system for mines", which refers to a jumbo model with an OEM design, said equipment is specifically used for roof fortification or support. In the market, the most accepted brands of this type of equipment are the Bolter 99 (manufacturer RESEMIN SA), Boltec 235 (Manufacturer EPIROC) and Robolt SD311 (Manufacturer SANDVIK), which, like the aforementioned patent, can only be used in the roof support and fortification stage.

[0016] Likewise, patent document WO2019209124A1, by RESEMIN SA, is known, which discloses a dual electro-hydraulic vehicle for excavating and strengthening roofs in underground mining; however, this antecedent comprises a hydraulic front drill and not a specific rock-release unit with only percussion movement, and it also lacks a hermetically sealed and FOPS / ROPS-certified pressure-sealed cabin.

[0017] Finally, it is necessary to point out that in underground mining, the types of rock-breaking vehicles are known as “breaking equipment”, and those for roof fortification are known as “Jumbos”, an example of which is patent CA2879241 A1, entitled “Drill positioning system for jumbo carrier unit”.

[0018] In the claims we will use these terms for a better description of them.

[0019] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present invention has been devised, referring to a dual electrohydraulic vehicle capable of carrying out rock untying work, as well as roof fortification work, which comprises: a rock untying unit that includes a first telescopic arm (20) and a rotation unit (27) connected to said first telescopic arm, wherein the first telescopic arm preferably has a female tube and a male tube, which have the necessary dimensions to provide the advance to a hydraulic hammer with percussion movement, where the rotation unit is connected to a base of the hydraulic hammer and provides the necessary rotation to the hydraulic hammer to carry out the rock untying process;it also includes a roof support and fortification unit comprising a second telescopic arm (21), at least one beam (29) having two rails, both rails arranged in parallel, where the first rail supports and moves a drilling equipment capable of making mechanized holes for bolts and the second rail supports and moves a bolting equipment in charge of inserting a bolt into the previously machined hole; a front chassis, wherein the front chassis includes a pair of wheels (32), positioning cylinders (23), an operator cabin (22), where the untying unit and the support and fortification unit are mounted on said chassis, and where the operator cabin (22) is pressurized.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle that is the subject of the present invention comprises a heavy-duty articulated chassis (1), 4WD, self-propelled with a diesel engine (2), with oscillating front axle and rear axle, two telescopic arms, the first, a telescopic arm on the left side, capable of carrying out the rock untying process (3) that has a telescopic arm (formed by a male arm that extends through the female arm) which is also equipped with a special hydraulic hammer (4) for rock untying application and is easy to maintain.The second telescopic arm (5), right side telescopic arm, is responsible for carrying out the mechanized fortification process of the roof (Figure 3), which has at least one beam, two hydraulic drills, the first hydraulic drill is used for the drilling work (drill slides on drilling beam) and the second drill has the function of inserting the bolt or anchor into the hole previously drilled by the first drill (drill slides on bolting beam). It should be taken into account that in the present invention a double beam can be used that can be made up of two simple beams, either joined or separate. A pivoting support, which is designed and regulated so that, at the time of pivoting, both drills and the cartridge launcher tube are concentric.A cartridge launcher tube is a complement to the process, whose application is to inject resin and cement cartridges into the previously drilled hole; after that the helical anchor bolt is inserted. In addition, it has a semi-automatic bolt feeding mechanism (6) that makes the work of supporting roofs and fortifying rock safer and faster, preventing the operator from manually feeding the equipment with bolts to carry out the support. Both telescopic arms are installed independently at the front of the chassis - Figure 8.

[0022] The present invention solves the problems and difficulties mentioned in the prior art, such as reducing the fleet of electrohydraulic vehicles involved in the mining cycle (specifically, in the rock-clearing process and the roof support and reinforcement process in underground mining or civil construction). This would reduce inventory costs for spare parts, equipment maintenance costs, maintenance and operation labor, and other indirect expenses. Furthermore, production times for the mining cycle will be improved by using and transporting a single piece of equipment for rock-clearing and roof reinforcement instead of using separate equipment for each process. Another advantage of the present invention is that the operator's cabin is pressurized, airtight, with windows, such that air conditioning equipment can be installed inside the cabin.

[0023] For the purposes of the present invention, a rock loosening unit serves to knock down (loosen) loose rocks from ceilings and walls, and / or break surface crusts through a percussion movement, and is therefore not a drill, nor does it drill holes as such.

[0024] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES In order to facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is attached to this specification in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

[0025] FIGURE 1 shows the mining cycle, specifying 8 main processes. Process 1 is the development of the tunnel face, which as a first step is the drilling of the rock, for this task electrohydraulic frontonero-type vehicles are used. Process 2 of this cycle is the so-called loading stage, in which the explosive charges are placed or housed in the holes made by the electrohydraulic frontonero vehicles (process 1) and an ignition sequence is defined for the initiation of the blasting process. Process 3 is called the blasting stage, within this stage the release of energy occurs through a chemical reaction (explosives) that allows the rock to be fragmented and displaced.

[0026] Process 4 is the so-called ventilation stage. As we know, every blasting operation produces, to a greater or lesser extent, toxic gases produced by the various chemical reactions that occur during an explosion. Therefore, the ventilation process is of vital importance, and with the use of appropriate machinery and equipment, these toxic gases will be removed.

[0027] Process 5 is the so-called rock-free stage, in which loose rock is first detected on the roof, face, and walls; it is then levered and dropped (untied) using untied equipment. Process 6 is the so-called cleaning and loading stage, in which waste or rocks are removed from the pits to the outside of the underground mine using special machinery. This can be done using a low-profile front-end loader called a scoop and a mining truck. Process 7 is the so-called support and fortification stage, a stage that generally consists of bolting mechanisms or cables that provide reinforcement to the rock mass, increasing the frictional resistance between its component blocks. This essential stage for protecting personnel and equipment from accidents is carried out using an electro-hydraulic vehicle model with the necessary accessories for fortifying the tunnel roofs.Finally, there is process 8, the shotcrete launching stage. Shotcrete (a mixture of concrete or mortar rheumatically projected at high speed onto a surface containing discontinuous and separated fibers) can be applied to access ramps, caverns, and other mine infrastructure, as well as in development and production galleries. This essential stage, designed to protect personnel and equipment from accidents, is performed using an electrohydraulic vehicle model with the necessary accessories for this process.

[0028] According to the previous explanation, two vehicles are used in the global market, one for each process (rock loosening and roof fortification), which is why the reason for this invention is to present in a single vehicle the application of both processes.

[0029] FIGURE 2 shows a rock-breaker vehicle in the proper working position, performing the rock-breaker stage (referred to as Process 5 in the mining cycle - Figure 1). The vehicle is a RESEMIN brand rock-breaker, model Scalemin HT.

[0030] FIGURE 3 shows an electro-hydraulic bolting vehicle in its proper working position, with its stabilizers engaged, performing roof reinforcement work, also known as rock support, within a mining tunnel (Process 7 within the mining cycle - Figure 1). It can be seen that the tunnel roof has previously been supported with helical bolts and continues to advance every 1.2 meters. In this case, this vehicle is a RESEMIN brand Bolter 99 bolter.

[0031] FIGURE 4 shows a rock-clearing vehicle, also known as a Scaler. This vehicle consists of a front chassis and a rear chassis, connected by a central joint. The front chassis contains a telescopic arm (7) used to move and position the hydraulic hammer (8) to perform the rock-clearing operation. The rear chassis houses the diesel engine (9), coupled at the front to the transmission box, which is used to move the equipment; the diesel engine is also coupled at the rear to an axial piston hydraulic pump (10), which together with the diesel engine form the unit known as the Power Pack.

[0032] FIGURE 5 shows an electro-hydraulic vehicle for roof reinforcement in tunnels. This vehicle consists of a front chassis and a rear chassis, joined together by a central joint. The front chassis has an extendable telescopic arm (11) preferably with a double beam (12) (two beams in one) which serves to guide and advance the drilling and bolting. On each beam (rail), it has a hydraulic drill, one to make the holes (13) and another to perform the bolting (14); in parallel, it has a cartridge launcher tube. Also in the lower part of the front chassis are two wheels (15) for transporting the equipment. The rear chassis houses the diesel engine (16), coupled to the transmission box (17) which is responsible for transmitting power to the front and rear differentials and these to the respective wheels to move the equipment.In addition, it has an electro-hydraulic unit (18), which is composed of an electric motor and an axial piston pump, which together with the electric motor form the unit called Power Pack, which is powered by electrical energy from the mine that is sent through the cable reel (19).

[0033] FIGURE 6 shows the dual electro-hydraulic vehicle of the invention, showing in this figure the two extended telescopic boom arms, one of the telescopic boom arms towards the upper left side (20) seen from inside the operator's cabin (22), which is in charge of the rock loosening process, where a base of the hydraulic hammer is attached to a rotation unit with movement controlled by the operator. The other telescopic boom arm extended towards the right side (21) seen from inside the operator's cabin (22), which is in charge of the rock fortification or roof support process.FIGURE 7 shows the electrohydraulic vehicle that is the subject of the invention, showing in this figure the two telescopic boom arms, boom arm for rock clearance and boom arm for bolting and supporting the roof, with the hydraulic positioning cylinders extended (activated stabilizers) both the two front cylinders (23) coupled to the front chassis and the two rear cylinders (24) coupled to the rear chassis, leaving the electrohydraulic vehicle in the working position, these activated stabilizers are coupled and allow the load supported by the tractor to be distributed appropriately.

[0034] FIGURE 8 shows the electrohydraulic vehicle of the invention, showing the rock-clearing boom arm in its working position. The reach and working area are shown. Depending on the material in the work area and the power required, different models of hydraulic hammers can be used. This process is called rock-clearing. In a preferred embodiment, the hydraulic hammer with percussion motion does not have the ability to drill.

[0035] FIGURE 9 shows the electrohydraulic vehicle of the invention, showing the boom arm for bolting and supporting the roof in working position, showing the reach and working area depending on the bolt size used. The equipment can be available for 7-, 8-, and 10-foot bolts. This process is known as rock fortification or roof support.

[0036] FIGURE 10 shows the electrohydraulic vehicle of the invention, composed of two chassis, which are articulated together by means of a vertical axis (25). On the front chassis, there are two Boom arms, the first telescopic Boom arm (Boom arm on the left side) for the application of rock untying (20), which has two tubes (female tube and male tube), which are responsible for advancing the hydraulic hammer (26) and a rotation unit (27) to provide the necessary rotation to the hydraulic hammer. It also has a shovel (36) located on the front of the front chassis which allows clearing the way for the advancement of the equipment as the rock untying process is carried out.On the other hand, there is the Boom arm (second telescopic arm) for the application of bolting and roof support (21) and at the end of which a bolting turret (28) is coupled, which has at least one beam (29), where the one or more beams comprise two rails in total, where the first rail serves as a guide and gives the advance of the hydraulic drilling drills and the second rail supports and moves a bolting equipment (30) in charge of inserting a bolt into the previously machined hole, it also contains an operator cabin (22) type pressurized A / C, but also the front chassis is adaptable for a Canopy type operator cabin depending on the requested requirements, which protects it from possible rock falls and equipment overturns.On the rear chassis, there is the diesel engine (31) with the operation of moving the equipment to the work site, the equipment has tires and rim 12 x R20 (32), ideal to avoid unevenness, and obstructions in the work site. In addition, it has an electro-hydraulic unit also called Power Pack (35), an electric cable reel (33) and a water reel (34).

[0037] FIGURE 11 shows the dual electrohydraulic vehicle of the invention in a 3D view.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A dual electro-hydraulic vehicle capable of carrying out rock-clearing work as well as roof fortification work, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it comprises: a rock-clearing unit including a first telescopic arm (20) and a rotation unit (27) connected to said first telescopic arm, having the dimensions necessary to provide advancement to a hydraulic hammer with percussion movement, where the rotation unit is connected to a base of the hydraulic hammer and provides the necessary rotation to the hydraulic hammer to carry out the rock-clearing process;a roof support and fortification unit that includes a second telescopic arm (21), at least one beam (29) that has two rails, both rails arranged in parallel, where the first rail supports and moves a drilling equipment capable of making mechanized holes and the second rail supports and moves a bolting equipment in charge of inserting a bolt into the previously machined hole.

2. The dual electrohydraulic vehicle of claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it comprises a front chassis, wherein the front chassis includes a pair of wheels (32), positioning cylinders (23), an operator cabin (22), wherein the untying unit and the support and fortification unit are mounted on said chassis, and wherein the operator cabin (22) is pressurized.

3. The dual electrohydraulic vehicle of claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it comprises a rear chassis located behind the front chassis according to the direction of travel, wherein the rear chassis is made up of a pair of wheels (32), positioning cylinders (24), an electrohydraulic unit (Power Pack) (35), a reel for electric cable (33), a reel for water (34) and a diesel engine (31) for moving the vehicle, wherein the front and rear chassis have an articulation between them, by means of a vertical axis (25).

4. The dual electrohydraulic vehicle of claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the fortification and support unit contains a cartridge launcher tube, the function of which is to inject a cartridge of resin and cement into the previously drilled hole.

5. The dual electrohydraulic vehicle of claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the fortification and support unit also contains a semi-automatic bolt feeding mechanism (28), which automates the operator's process of inserting a bolt for each work cycle.

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