HISTORY
I am an Australian inventor and I developed a way of supporting
services (pipelines conducting fresh water, compressed air, mine dewatering,
gas drainage, etc. and also aerial belt conveyors) in underground mines and
tunnels. The main inventive step*
inventive step was to install provision for self-locking of linked
chain (key-hole apertures) with the installation of the roof support.
Previously the support of these services was only considered as an afterthought
and the twin key-hole ANGLE BRACKET
(see following) was the bracket commonly installed over the exposed thread
of the roofbolts with a nut wound up this thread to secure this bracket.
If two pipelines were to be supported a bracket such as the MENGASSO
BRACKET (a double-ended twin key-hole
ANGLE BRACKET) was used but I
think that you can understand there is a physical limit to the number of pipelines
which can be supported in this manner from one roofbolt.
| .*. |
It is easiest
to regard the invention as the installation of self-locking points
for chain during the 'roof support' process (the Method Claim)
and then there are all these different ways of doing it! |
Around 1975 a revolution commenced in underground
coal mining. Most pits had narrow gauge rail throughout and, as the
small locomotives were meant to stay on the tracks, these service lines (pipelines)
were able to be laid on the ground {floor} of the passageway {roadway/road/tunnel}
outside the region which would interfere with the haulage (locomotives).
Trackless pits were commissioned post 1975 where fast rubber-tyred diesel-powered
vehicles hauled the men and supplies. The pipelines therefore needed
to be supported overhead and early on fencing wire was used. A coil
of wire was cut into two equal arcs and these lengths of wire were used to
attach over the roof support (mainly half-round wooden bars at the time) with
the ends being twisted to form a sling and so support the service. This
method was acceptable for most services except pumpout which collapsed on
occasion due to the surging nature of the pumpout water. Eventually
(circa 1990) it was mandatory for brackets to be attached to roofbolts at
my mine WEST CLIFF
Colliery. I had already realised that a near horizontal array of self-locking
points for chain offered more opportunity for supporting a number of service
lines but on considering the clearance problem I realised that this could
be improved if the brackets were installed with the roofbolt. Someone had
already done this in North America BUT this roofbolt was not installed with
the roof support. The roofbolt was installed as a later operation with
the bracket to support a belt conveyor. The installation of the provision
for self-locking linked chain co-incident with the supporting of the roof
is a METHOD
CLAIM and a very all-encompassing claim
at that because it eliminates need for the later installation of roofbolts.
Other corporations have secured intellectual
property of lesser importance with BHP having a patent which would only support
one service line and another corporation even registering designs! BHP
also have a patent(s) on an improved roofbolt together with a new stiffer
design of bearing plate. A lot of money and time has been spent on securing
intellectual property concerned with this section of underground mining consumables
and if I am to believe the patent attorney (scanned
document following) the patents I was progressing were allowed
to lapse. To me it doesn't make sense and some parties have become very
nervous with my continued checking and raising this matter of the apparently-lapsed
intellectual property.
As my initial estimate of the worth of this
FACE EMPLACED
Services Support invention was something like two
billion Australian dollars per annum turnover in the countries
I was pursuing intellectual property rights I think that most people would
wonder why these patents were apparently allowed to lapse.
One example of a different way of doing
it would be the HOOK
{24} shown in Figure
8 (BRACKET/ROOFBOLT ASSEMBLY).
The FACE EMPLACED
bracket {22} needs to be tilted up at the key-hole aperture(s) flange (right
hand) end to assemble it to the W-strap {23}. This key-hole flange end
of the FACE EMPLACED
bracket {23} is then lowered so that the non-keyhole face of the bracket
contacts the upper surface of the W-strap. Temporary attachment of this
FACE EMPLACED
{22} bracket to the W-strap {23} is thus achieved and the likelihood of the
bracket {22} disengaging from the W-strap {23} is extremely low and therefore
the possibility of a workmen being struck by this bracket {22} falling is
minuscule.
ADVANTAGES
The FACE
EMPLACED Services Support system
has been designed to take advantage of the roofbolt installation process,
during the normal sequence on mining, to install key-hole aperture locking
points for linked chain and other suitable affixing material(s) and devices
(e.g. knotted chord or loop ties). The benefits of this system of services
support are numerous and are presented in columnar form following;
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1\ NO ADDITIONAL BOLTING |
.7\
MOST SECURE METHOD OF SUPPORT |
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2\ COST ADVANTAGES |
.8\
CAN BE USED WITH FIXED HEAD REINFORCEMENT |
| |
3\ DEVELOPMENT TIME SAVINGS |
.9\
MOST COMPACT ARRAY POSSIBLE |
| |
4\ SERVICES EXTENDED AT WHIM |
10\ INSTALLED AT FACE
- SUITS
HYDRAULIC BOLTING |
| |
5\ INCREASED HEAD CLEARANCE |
11\ SUPPORTS VENTURI & VENT TUBE |
| |
6\ MISALIGNMENT CORRECTION |
|
The system may be applied to support any service equally well i.e. belt conveyors
and all (shouldered and grooved pipe) fluid services (compressed air, water,
pumpout, gas drainage and hydraulic hoses) as well as electrical cables and
signal wires.
The simplest design
of the FACE EMPLACED Sercives
Support invention is two flanges at right angles, with provision for a roofbolt
to engage centrally in the horizontal flange. The vertical flange has
a series of key-holes along its length for lateral misalignment correction
of the attachment points for the linked chain*
to sling underneath the pipeline. The simplest form of this design is
depicted above
but it must be remembered that the METHOD
CLAIM , where the support device is installed
co-incident with the roof support, is what can include this bracket under
the umbrella of the invention.
| * |
or other suitable affixing material(s) and/or
devices. |
In practice, however, there are three
designs. The first design developed was called a WINGED
KEEL bracket and this design was developed to support a four
pipe array at Gordonstone
Colliery in central Queensland. This large span Winged
Keel 970 design, 970mm from tip to tip, featured angling downwards
of the "wings" to allow the central section of the bracket to seat
against any uneven overhead strata (see following). This design feature
reduces the effect of "bridging" and so allows the reduced seating
area to act effectively as roof support**!
| ** |
the reduced seating area minimises deflection
or flexing
[3mm deflection, at the head {lower end} of the roof-]
[bolt, is considered failure in roof support technology] |
Winged Keel 970 bracket
A second design, a variant of the WINGED KEEL
bracket, is produced when one of the "wings" is removed resulting
in a bracket that can be positioned on the end hole of a "W" strap
and/or upper corner of a heading (or cut-through). This bracket, a LONGWALL
BRACKET, is shown in situ
supporting a large-bore pipeline snugly against the rib (side of the underground
roadway - diagonal stroking).
The third design was called a COMBINATION
BRACKET, which is a LONGWALL design produced from thicker
plate capable of supporting higher loads. This bracket is used
to suspend belt conveyor structure, and may also suspend all piped services
commonly in the main development headings.
The worth of the invention can be gauged where the order
directly following is for $35,500 worth of Winged Keel 970 brackets.
This order was actually only half of a split order because the remaider of
the order (other half of the 500 bracket initial order) was required within
a few months!
There was one instance when a light aircraft was
used to transport WK 970s to central Queensland (Gordonstone Colliery) as
they were in such short supply and the colliery did not wish to temporily
alter their normal production system. The cost for this method of delivery
must have been phenomenal!
GORDONSTONE*
COLLIERY Purchase Order
(*
now
Kestrel)
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NOTICE
OF ENTITLEMENT
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www.FaceEmplaced.com
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www.BHPstinks.com
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www.CBDset.com
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