Actuation System for Mining Screening Panel Fixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mining screening panel fixing systems require intensive manual labor and pose health and safety hazards due to the need for hammering and tool use during installation and removal, leading to confined space risks and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical or electrical actuation system using a slidable strip or gripping mechanism to lock and unlock screening panels on deck rails, eliminating the need for hand tools and allowing remote control for efficient and safe panel changeouts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional hammering and tool-based fixing systems are used to secure panels to the support frame, then the panels can be firmly attached, but intensive manual labor and health and safety hazards are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical hammering system with a pneumatic or hydraulic actuation system. The actuator (pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder) provides the forcing action to drive the panel onto the support frame, eliminating the need for manual hammering while maintaining secure attachment. This substitution directly addresses the contradiction by providing firm attachment through automated mechanical assistance rather than intensive manual labor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic or hydraulic actuators to provide the forcing action required for panel installation and removal. The actuator delivers controlled mechanical force to drive the panel onto the support frame or to lever it off, replacing manual hammering and levering operations. This pneumatic/hydraulic system maintains strong panel attachment while eliminating the need for intensive manual labor and associated safety hazards.
2Ease of manufacture
If workmen enter confined spaces to install and remove panels using hammers and tools, then panels can be fixed and removed, but OHSE hazards and risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-servicing panel installation and removal system where the actuator automatically performs the forcing action without requiring manual intervention inside the confined screen space. The actuator can be positioned outside the confined area and remotely actuated, allowing the system to install and remove panels autonomously. This eliminates the need for workers to enter confined spaces with hazardous tools, directly addressing the safety hazard while maintaining full panel installation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator serves as an intermediary device that performs the panel installation and removal function without requiring direct human presence in the hazardous confined space. The actuator mediates between the control system (which can be operated from outside the confined area) and the panel, delivering the necessary mechanical force remotely. This intermediary approach maintains panel fixation capability while eliminating confined space entry risks.
3Strength
If traditional fixing systems requiring hammering and levering are used, then panels can be secured to the frame, but panel changeout time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is pre-positioned and ready to provide forcing action whenever panel installation or removal is required. The pneumatic or hydraulic system can be rapidly actuated, delivering the necessary mechanical force immediately without the need for workers to gather tools or position themselves manually. This preliminary preparation of the actuation system significantly reduces panel changeout time while maintaining secure panel-to-frame securing through the same reliable mechanical attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the slow, manual hammering and levering process with a rapidly actuated pneumatic or hydraulic system. The actuator can deliver the necessary forcing action in a fraction of the time required for manual operations, dramatically reducing panel changeout time. The secure panel-to-frame securing is maintained through the same reliable mechanical attachment mechanism, but achieved much faster through automated actuation rather than manual tool use.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces manual labor, decreases panel changeout time, minimizes health and safety risks, and improves efficiency by enabling remote locking and unlocking of panels, while being retrofittable to existing screens with minor modifications.
Implementation Method 1
The legs are made from durable but elastomeric material
Implementation Method 2
Compressible protrusions are adapted to clip into corresponding openings to releasably secure the element to the screen
Data Source
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AI summary
To address the problem of safety and ease of installation of mining screen panels it is proposed to provide a system where panels can be placed in position and then locked using a mechanical or electrical actuation. The lugs of the screen panels are locked an actuatable mechanism, that allows the panels to be placed and then secured by actuation. The actuation mechanism is preferably enclosed in a beam below the panel.