Rail-Supported Trailer for Longwall Mining Material Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional rail systems in longwall mining monorail systems do not allow for the transfer of tools, equipment, or materials along the rail occupied by dynamic cable and hose handling equipment, and they struggle to navigate bends and turnouts while maintaining compact storage and supporting both festooned and non-festooned cables, hoses, and conduits.
Innovation Solution
A rail-supported trailer system with a beam-type rail and trailers equipped with wheels and a hitch/coupler mechanism, allowing trailers to be coupled and uncoupled for efficient material transport along the rail, navigating bends and turnouts, and accommodating both festooned and non-festooned cables, hoses, and conduits by using removable cable support brackets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional rail systems are used in longwall mining monorail systems, then the rail can support dynamic cable and hose handling equipment, but the rail cannot transfer tools, equipment, or materials along its length
Solution Approach 1:
The rail system is designed to perform multiple functions: it supports dynamic cable and hose handling equipment while also enabling material transfer through trailers. The same rail infrastructure serves both purposes simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Trailers are introduced as intermediary carriers that travel along the existing rail. These trailers provide the material transfer capability without requiring modification to the rail itself, acting as a mediator between the rail infrastructure and the material transfer function.
2Area of stationary object
If the rail system occupies limited space between travel road access point and mining equipment, then space utilization is maximized, but equipment and material transfer is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The system utilizes the vertical dimension by having trailers run along the overhead rail, freeing up horizontal working space below. Materials and equipment are transferred in the vertical plane along the rail, allowing simultaneous mining operations in the horizontal plane without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail system acts as a flexible overhead conveyor that can adapt to the limited spatial constraints of the mining environment. The trailers move along the rail within the confined space, providing efficient material transfer without requiring additional horizontal area.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rail supported trailer must navigate bends and turnouts, then operational flexibility is improved, but the trailer must remain within allotted space constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The trailer design incorporates dynamic elements that allow it to flex and articulate when navigating bends and turnouts. The trailer can change its configuration to accommodate curved rail paths while returning to a compact form for storage in straight sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The trailer is designed with nested or collapsible components that allow it to reduce its volume when not in use. This nesting capability enables the trailer to fit within tight storage spaces on the rail while expanding to full operational size when needed for material transfer.
4Ease of operation
If the rail supported trailer carries non-festooned cables, conduits, or hoses, then cable management is simplified, but the trailer must support festooned cables when moving around bends
Solution Approach 1:
The cable support system on the trailer is designed to handle both non-festooned and festooned cables. The same cable management infrastructure provides different support modes depending on whether the trailer is traveling straight or navigating a bend, eliminating the need for separate cable systems.
Data Source
AI summary
System, apparatuses, and methods for supporting a trailer on a rail. The systems, apparatuses, and methods include a trailer for a rail. The trailer includes a first wheel to be supported by a first horizontal rolling surface of the rail, a wheel bracket attached to the first wheel by a first axle, and a trailer body attached to the wheel bracket, the trailer body having a hitch at a first end and having a coupler to receive the hitch of a second trailer at a second end.