TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveyor. The present invention has particular, although not exclusive application to mining conveyors especially those used in underground coal mining.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

[0003] Coal mines include belt conveyors for transporting mined coal from the underground coalface to the surface. The conveyors are reconfigurable to

accommodate for the moving coalface and are relocated altogether when a portion of the mine is mined-out. As new areas of the mine are developed, conveyors are installed and extended as required.

[0004] Conveyors are generally modular so that they can be conveniently pulled apart and re-assembled. Owing to the restricted working area within narrow and low height mine roadways, the conveyors are often handled by mine workers without the aid of hydraulic equipment, cranes, loaders or other lifting equipment.

[0005] Known conveyors are formed from metal parts such as steel to sustain the weight of the transported coal and due to regulatory restrictions on using light weight alloys or aluminium. In turn, the conveyor modules themselves are very heavy which makes them cumbersome to move around. In practice, multiple persons are required to lift loads that are deemed to be unsafe, and to position the conveyor modules in place which undesirably presents an injury risk and results in lost productivity.

[0006] There is a need for a light weight form of conveyor structure that can be manually moved in a safe and convenient manner but which still has the strength and durability for use in the mining environment. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conveyor including:

a frame including composite material;

one or more rollers for mounting to the frame; and

a transportation belt for being transported by the rollers.

[0008] Advantageously, the frame may be lightweight (typically less than 40kg for large conveyor frames or less than 20kg for small conveyor frames) enabling the conveyor to be conveniently moved by one or two persons without exposing them to significant risk of injury. The conveyor may be moved as a whole, or in parts, thereby further significantly reducing the risk of lifting or manual handling injury.

[0009] The frame may be hung or rest upon the floor. The frame may include one or more generally H- shaped modules. The frame may include rods interconnecting the modules. The rods may be formed from composite materials.

[00010] The frame may include a pair of height adjustable legs. The legs may be telescopic. The legs may include support feet. The frame may include locks for locking the legs at a desired height. The frame may include a connector for connecting the legs. The connector may include a cross-bar and a pair of fasteners for fastening the cross bar between the legs. The connector may include a pair of reinforcement spurs extending between the legs and the cross-bar.

[00011] The frame may include roller connection means for connecting the rollers. The roller connection means may include hooks upon which the rollers can be hooked. The frame may include hanging means to hang the frame. The hanging means may include hooks upon which chains can be hooked. The frame may include receptacles for receiving connecting rods to interconnect to another frame.

[00012] The rollers (termed troughing sets or troughing rollers) may be hung from the frame.

[00013] The support feet, rollers, fasteners and spurs may be formed from durable metal to resist deterioration. [00014] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a frame of a conveyor, the frame including composite material.

[00015] The composite material may be tubular. The composite material may be fire resistant and anti-static (FRAS). The composite material may include conductive material. The conductive material may be toward the surface. The conductive material may be a carbon fibre woven mat. The frame may include a earth path along which static charge can discharge from the conductive material to earth.

[00016] The composite material may include polymeric resin material and high strength fibres. The fibres may include glass fibre, carbon fibre, or aramid fibre. The composite material may be formed using pultrusion process. The composite material may include a matting to align fibers in orientations other than longitudinally along the post to improve compressive strength. The composite material may further include reinforcing fibres wound around the post to improve compressive strength. The reinforcing fibres may be separately wound in both clock-wise and anticlockwise directions along the post to further improve compressive strength.

[00017] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a frame of a conveyor, the method involving:

forming a post including composite material.

[00018] The step of forming may involve pultruding with fibres and liquid polymeric resin material in a heated die to form the composite material.

[00019] The step of forming may involve introducing a matting to align fibers of the composite material in orientations other than longitudinally along the post to improve compressive strength.

[00020] The step of forming may involve winding reinforcing fibres around the post to improve compressive strength. The reinforcing fibres may be separately wound in both clock-wise and anticlockwise directions along the post to further improve compressive strength. [00021] Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00022] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows:

[00023] Figure 1 is an upper perspective view of an underground coal mining conveyor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[00024] Figure 2 is a side perspective view of a modular frame of the conveyor of Figure 1 ;

[00025] Figure 3 is a side perspective view of a frame module of the modular frame of Figure 2; and

[00026] Figure 4 is a side perspective view of a frame module in accordance with another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[00027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an underground mining conveyor 100 as shown in Figure 1 . The conveyor includes a modular frame 102 including lightweight composite material. Rollers 104 are mounted to the frame 102 and coal transportation belts 106a, 106b are transported by the cradling rollers 104.

[00028] Advantageously, the frame 102 is lightweight (typically less than 40kg for large conveyor frames or less than 20kg for small conveyor frames) enabling the conveyor 100 to be conveniently moved by one or two persons without exposing the persons relocating the conveyor to significant risk of lifting or manual handling injury. The conveyor 100 can be dragged as a whole, or disassembled into discrete modular parts and then moved to further significantly reducing the risk of lifting or manual handling injury.

[00029] Turning to Figure 2, the frame 102 is hung using chains 200 or other tethers. The modular frame 102 includes three parallel H-shaped modules 202. The frame 102 also includes a pair of upper interconnecting rods 204 for interconnecting the modules 202. The lightweight rods 204 are also formed from the composite material.

[00030] Figure 3 shows a frame module 202 in detail. The frame module 202 includes a pair of upright height-adjustable legs 300. The legs 300 are telescopic, and each include an upper composite material stem 302 which receives a lower metal support foot 304. The frame module 202 also includes shaft-in-hole locks 306 for locking the legs 300 at a desired height.

[00031] The frame module 202 also includes a horizontal connector 308 for connecting the legs 300. The connector 308 includes a composite material crossbar 310 and a pair of metal fasteners 312 for fastening the crossbar 310 between the legs 300. The connector 308 also includes a pair of metal reinforcement spurs 314 extending between the legs 300 and the crossbar 310.

[00032] The frame module 202 also includes upper and lower roller connection means 316a, 316b for connecting the rollers 104. In particular, the roller connection means 316 include hooks upon which the rollers 104, termed troughing sets, can be hooked and hung from the frame 102.

[00033] The frame module 202 also includes two hanging means 318 to hang the frame 102. In particular, the hanging means 318 includes self-closing hooks upon which the chains 200 can be hooked. The frame module 202 includes two roof receptacles 320 for receiving respective connecting rods 204 that interconnect to another frame.

[00034] The support feet 304, rollers 104, fasteners 312, spurs 314, roller connection means 316, hanging means 318 and roof receptacles 320 are formed from durable metal such as steel to resist deterioration. In contrast, the lightweight rod 204, frame stem 302 and crossbar 310 are formed from the composite material. The composite material may be square or tubular to further enhance the lightweight characteristics. Further the composite material is fire resistant and anti-static (FRAS). Conductive material is provided toward the surface of the frame stem 302 and crossbar 310. The conductive material is in the form of a carbon-fibre woven mat. The frame 102 includes an earth path along which static charge can discharge from the conductive material to earth via the metal components 304, 312, 314, 316.

[00035] The composite material of the stem 302 and crossbar 310 is pultruded, and includes polymeric resin material and high strength fibres. The fibres may include glass fibre, carbon fibre, or aramid fibre. The composite material also includes a matting to align fibers in orientations other than longitudinally along the post to improve

compressive strength. The composite material further includes reinforcing fibres wound around the post to improve compressive strength. The reinforcing fibres can be separately wound in both clock-wise and anticlockwise directions along the stem 302 and crossbar 310 to further improve compressive strength. The foregoing construction provides a lightweight conveyor 100 that is strong enough to sustain heavy-duty industrial loads.

[00036] A method of manufacturing the conveyor 100, with the stem 302 and crossbar 310 including the light weight and strong composite material, is now briefly described.

[00037] The stem 302 and crossbar 310 are formed by pultruding fibres and polymeric material to form the composite material. Pultrusion is a continuous moulding process whereby reinforcing fibres are saturated with a liquid polymer resin and then carefully formed and pulled through a heated die to form a uniform composite part. The manufacturing of parts or components by pultrusion results in straight constant cross section parts of virtually any desired length. The liquid polymer resin can be added to the matrix of structural fibres either before or during forming in the heated die.

[00038] Conventional pultrusion processes usually utilise very long reinforcing fibres or braided strands. The strands are unfurled from coiled rolls (often called rovings) and longitudinally drawn into the preforming, resin impregnation and stationary die system.

[00039] Composite materials manufactured by the foregoing pultrusion process have exceptional strength to weight properties in resisting tensile loads but relatively poor strength to weight properties in resisting compressive loads. This is due to the exceptional tensile load bearing material properties of the reinforcing fibres contained within the composite structural matrix.

[00040] The forming of the stem 302 and crossbar 310 involves introducing a woven reinforcing fibre matting in the structural fibre matrix of the resultant stem 302 and crossbar 310 to align fibers of the composite material in orientations other than longitudinally along the elongate stem 302 and crossbar 310 to improve compressive strength. The resulting product has an increased ability to resist compressive forces as compared to products that do not have any form of other than longitudinal fibre orientation, as these fibres are to a greater or lesser degree placed under some form of tensile load. The conductive matting is introduced either within the body of the composite material and/or as a surfacing material, to bind and surround the matrix of structural fibres in the pultrusion process. The surfacing material contributes the structural ability of the product but more importantly ensures a smooth acceptable finish is achieved for the finished part.

[00041] The forming of the stem 302 and crossbar 310 may further involve winding reinforcing fibres around the composite material to improve compressive strength. The additional reinforcing fibres may be axially wound around the composite material along the longitudinal axis of the stem 302 and crossbar 310, and hence around the longitudinal fibres and the woven mat, which can significantly increase the ability of the stem 302 and crossbar 310 to resist compressive loads.

[00042] The reinforcing fibres may be separately wound in both clock-wise and anticlockwise directions along the stem 302 and crossbar 310 to further improve compressive strength. The windings may be laced into the matrix to provide

comprehensive tensile load capacity in multiple axes of load.

[00043] Winding of the reinforcing fibres into the pultruded fibre matrix may be undertaken with large rotating frames holding the coiled reinforcing fibre rovings. Each roving rotates at a desired rotational speed relative to the longitudinal pultrusion process flow rate, and rotates in the rotational direction to achieve desired axial windings and density of fibre construction. Successive rotating frames may be counter-rotating to achieve the differential orientation of the windings. [00044] Manufacturing pultruded composite products in such a manner exhibits a substantially improved capability to resist compressive loads when compared to conventionally manufactured products that are not manufactured in this manner. Such products can be of any form or shape, including round, square, rectangular or angular, and of differing dimensions.

[00045] The manufacturing of pultruded composite products that can achieve an adequate level of load resistance in all axes offers significant opportunities for industrial uses (as in this conveyor 100), given the product's inherent properties of light weight relative to its load bearing capacity. When compared to existing steel or metal alloy products, the incorporation of pultruded composite products as the primary load bearing support elements offers significant advantages.

[00046] Lastly, the metal support feet 304, rollers 104, fasteners 312, spurs 314, roller connection means 316, hanging means 318 and roof receptacles 320 can be fastened to the composite material stem 302 and crossbar 310.

[00047] Figure 4 shows a single conveyor belt H-frame module 400. Like reference numerals refer to like features previously described.

[00048] The frame module 400 includes roller connection means 402 for connecting the two sloping rollers. In particular, the roller connection means 402 includes a pair of outer hooks 404 and a pair of inner hooks 406. Each roller is hooked and hung between respective outer and inner hooks 404, 406.

[00049] A person skilled in the art will appreciate that many embodiments and variations can be made without departing from the ambit of the present invention.

[00050] In one embodiment, the frame 102 rest upon the mine floor.

[00051] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.

[00052] Reference throughout this specification to One embodiment' or 'an embodiment' means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases 'in one embodiment' or 'in an embodiment' in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.