Variable Length Guide System for Mineshaft Conveyance Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional bucket or kibble systems used in mineshaft sinking operations lack effective guidance, allowing for lateral and rotational movement, which can lead to collisions and inefficiencies in material and personnel transport.
Innovation Solution
A variable length guide system comprising telescopic guide assemblies and tensioned ropes, which extend and retract to accommodate changing distances between the work stage and the lower region of the mineshaft, providing a rigid path for conveyances to prevent rotation and lateral movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ropes or cables are used to lower buckets or kibbles to the shaft bottom, then the general direction of travel is dictated (upward or downward), but lateral movement and rotation are still possible, resulting in poor guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The guide system is divided into multiple rigid guide sections (first guide section, second guide section, third guide section) that can be independently positioned and connected. Each section provides guidance for a specific segment of the conveyance path, allowing the system to adapt to changing distances while maintaining reliable lateral and rotational constraints throughout the entire travel path.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide system incorporates movable and adjustable components that allow the guide sections to be repositioned as the distance between the work stage and shaft bottom changes. This dynamic adjustment capability ensures continuous reliable guidance while adapting to varying operational conditions, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and path stability.
2Reliability
If a fixed guide system is used, then lateral movement and rotation are prevented, but the system cannot accommodate changes in distance between the work stage and lower region
Solution Approach 1:
The guide system transitions from a fixed configuration to a dynamic one where guide sections can be moved, extended, or repositioned. This allows the system to maintain the reliability of rigid guidance while adapting to changing distances between the work stage and lower region, enabling both stable conveyance path and operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide sections are designed to be connectable in a nested or modular arrangement, where multiple guide sections can be joined together to accommodate varying lengths. This nesting capability allows the system to extend or retract guidance as needed while maintaining the rigid structural integrity that prevents lateral movement and rotation.
3Device complexity
If traditional bucket systems without rigid guides are used, then the system is simpler to implement, but collisions and inefficiencies occur due to uncontrolled lateral and rotational movement
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than implementing a single complex fixed guide system, the invention segments the guidance into multiple manageable sections that can be independently installed and adjusted. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity while effectively preventing collisions and inefficiencies by providing controlled guidance throughout the entire conveyance path.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid guide sections act as intermediaries between the conveyance and the shaft environment, mediating the conveyance's movement to prevent harmful lateral and rotational motions. These guide sections provide the necessary constraints without requiring a fully complex fixed guide system throughout the entire shaft, reducing overall device complexity while eliminating collisions.
Data Source
AI summary
A variable length guide system for guiding a conveyance along a mineshaft, the variable length guide system extending downwardly from a work stage and being extendable or retractable to accommodate changes in distance between the work stage and a lower region of a mineshaft.