BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to scraper chain conveyors used in mining. More particularly, the invention relates to scraper chain conveyors for underground mining and the installation of such systems.

[0002] A typical armor face conveyer (AFC) may have a length of approximately three- hundred meters, or more, and uses a combination of heavy-duty chain and flight bars to drag material along its length. The chain and flight bars are assembled in sections having lengths of approximately twenty- five meters, with each weighing approximately five metric tons. The sections are linked together with chain connectors to create the full length required for the AFC. During the initial build of the AFC, the chain is loaded into the full length of both top and bottom raceways of the AFC.

[0003] Different methods exist for loading the chain. For example, in a mine utilizing a monorail system during the initial ROC build, a new section of chain (e.g., twenty- five meters) is laid out along the face and connected to the chain already installed in the AFC. A new pan section is positioned beyond this and the chain is fed into the bottom raceway. A monorail is used to hoist and carry the new pan section along the face while feeding the chain through the bottom raceway until the chain meets the previously installed pans. Thereby, the new section of chain has been fed through the new pan. One obstacle is that with low seam operations, it is uncommon for a monorail system to be installed.

[0004] In another example, a complete ROC is installed. A slave wire is fed through the bottom raceway, and then a powerful winch is used to haul the complete chain of flights through the entire bottom raceway of the pan line from one end to the other. The chain of flights can then be pulled round one sprocket and into the top race. However, due to the increased lengths and weights of modern chains this method is not always a viable option. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In one embodiment, the invention provides a haulage device for installing a conveyor element in a mining conveyor. The haulage device includes a housing with a mounting portion for coupling to the mining conveyor, a reciprocating assembly mounted to the housing and movable between a first position and a second position, and a relay element that includes a first portion coupled to the reciprocating assembly, and a second portion coupled to the conveyor element. The relay element is removably coupled to at least one of the reciprocating assembly and the conveyor element. When the reciprocating assembly moves from the first position to the second position the relay element moves the conveyor element in a first direction along the mining conveyor.

[0006] In another embodiment, the invention provides a haulage device for installing a conveyor chain in an armored face conveyor of a mining machine and the armored face conveyor includes a conveyor pan. The haulage device includes a housing with a mounting portion for coupling to the conveyor pan. A ram includes a cylinder mounted to the housing, a piston positioned within the cylinder and moveable therein, and a rod coupled to the piston and movable therewith. The rod includes a rod coupling portion, and the rod and piston are movable between a first position and a second position relative to the cylinder. A relay element includes a first connector, a second connector, and an intermediate portion therebetween. The first connector is removably coupled to the conveyor chain. The second connector is removably coupled to the rod coupling portion of the ram. The intermediate portion extends through a portion of the conveyor pan. When the rod and piston move from the first position to the second position the relay element moves the conveyor chain in a first direction along the mining conveyor.

[0007] In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a method of using a haulage device for installing a conveyor element in an armored face conveyor of a mining machine. The haulage device includes a housing, a reciprocating member coupled to the housing, and a relay element that includes a first portion and a second portion. The method includes positioning the conveyor element at a first end of the armored face conveyor, coupling the haulage device to a second end of the armoured face conveyor, coupling the conveyor element to the first portion of the relay element, moving the reciprocating member in a first direction, coupling the second portion of the relay element to the reciprocating member, and moving the reciprocating member in a second direction opposite the first direction such that the conveyor element is moved along the armored face conveyor by the relay element.

[0008] Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an armored face conveyor (AFC) including a line pan and a relay bar of a haulage device.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 1, and illustrates two relay bars.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the AFC including three line pans and two relay bars.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 3, which illustrates the haulage device in a first position.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 3, which illustrates the haulage device in a second position.

[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 3, which illustrates the haulage device in the second position and one of the relay bars removed.

[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 3, which illustrates the haulage device in the first position and connected to the remaining relay bar.

[0016] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 3, which illustrates the haulage device in the second position and connected to the remaining relay bar.

[0017] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 3 with the haulage device removed.

[0018] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 3 with the second relay bar reconnected. [0019] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the AFC with two additional line pans installed.

[0020] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the AFC of FIG. 11, which illustrates the haulage device in the first position.

[0021] FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of a ram of the haulage device.

[0022] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of embodiment and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Underground mining machines are used to mine coal and other aggregates. One type of underground mining system is a longwall mining system that includes a shearer for cutting material away from a mining face, an armored face conveyor (AFC) that both moves the shearer along the mining face and moves mined material away from the shearer, roof supports to hold up the mining roof, and a secondary conveyor system that receives mined material from the AFC and further moves the material away from the mining face. The invention will be discussed with respect to a longwall mining system with an AFC; however the invention may be utilized with a different mining system or component that utilizes a conveyor. As such, unless expressly claimed the invention should not be limited to underground or longwall mining.

[0024] FIGS. 1 and 3 illustrate an AFC 10 including line pans 14, although only one is shown in FIG. 1. For clarity sake, the line pans 14 will be numbered as a series; the line pan shown in FIG. 1 is line pan 14-1. Each line pan 14 is substantially identical to line pan 14-1 and includes the same features. Features of each line pan 14 will be given matching reference numerals. The line pan 14-1 includes a conveyor platform 18, an upper raceway 22 positioned above the conveyor platform 18, and a lower raceway 26 positioned below the conveyor platform 18. Each line pan 14 includes other features, as is understood by one skilled in the art, not described in detail. For example, FIG. 3 shows a portion of a drive chain on a gob-side of the AFC 10.

[0025] A conveyor element 30 in the form of a conveyor chain includes links and flights 32 spaced from one another along the length of the conveyor chain 30 (the conveyor chain 30 may also be called a chain of flights). The conveyor chain 30 is strung around the upper raceway 22 and the lower raceway 26 about the conveyor platform 18 via sprockets (not shown) and a drive system (not shown) positioned at opposing ends of the AFC 10. In operation, the conveyor chain 30 is driven such that the flights 32 move along the conveyor platform 18 to convey material mined from the mining face to a position away from the mining face.

[0026] During initial installation of the AFC 10 (or during a subsequent moving operation), the conveyor chain 30 must be installed into the AFC 10 through the lower raceway 26. Due to the large scale of the conveyor chain 30, a robust system is desired for the installation of the conveyor chain 30. A haulage device 38 is used in the installation of the conveyor chain 30.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 4-5 and 8, the haulage device 38 includes a frame or housing 42, a drive assembly 46, and relay bars or elements 50. The housing 42 includes a mounting portion 54 that is shaped to engage one of the line pans 14. The mounting portion 54 is capable of engaging the line pan 14 on either end of the line pans 14 (e.g., the left or right side of the line pan 14-3 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). The illustrated mounting portion 54 includes an upper portion 58 for engaging the upper raceway 22 and the top of the conveyor platform 18, a lower portion (not shown) for engaging the lower raceway 26 and the bottom of the conveyor platform 18, and a flange 62 for abutting the end of the line pan 14 to which the housing 42 is engaging. The housing 42 further includes side members 66 extending in the direction of the AFC 10, an intermediate plate 70, and an end plate 74 (FIG. 8). In other embodiments, the housing 42 may engage the line pan 14 in a different way, for example, the housing 42 may not engage the raceways 22, 26 or the bottom side of the conveyor platform 18.

[0028] The drive assembly 46 includes a reciprocating assembly in the form of a first hydraulic ram 78 and a second hydraulic ram 82. The rams 78, 82 are mounted within the frame 42 of the haulage device 38, which is placed beyond the last line pan during the build process. Each ram 78, 82 includes substantially identical components and will be described with respect to the first ram 78 and with like numerals. With reference to FIG. 13, the first hydraulic ram 78 includes a cylinder 86 mounted to the housing 42 between the end plate 74 and the intermediate plate 70, a piston 90 positioned within the cylinder 86, and a reciprocating member in the form of a rod 94 coupled to the piston 90 and extending out of the cylinder 86, which includes a rod connecting portion 98 (FIG. 6). The piston 90 and the rod 94 are movable between a first or retracted position A and a second or extended position B (see broken lines in FIG. 13).

Hydraulic fluid is used to power the illustrated reciprocating assembly. However, other actuation systems are considered such as pneumatics, electronic drives, or other linear actuators capable of creating a reciprocating motion.

[0029] Turning back to FIGS. 1-3, each relay element 50 includes a first portion or connector 102, a second portion or connector 106, and an intermediate portion 110 extending between the first connector 102 and the second connector 106. Similar to the line pans 14, the relay elements will be numbers in a series (e.g., 50-1 and 50-2). In the illustrated embodiment, each relay element 50 is a solid bar formed as a single piece or via a weldament. In other embodiments, the relay element may be assembled with fasteners or may include a cable. The first connector 102 includes an upper plate and a lower plate, each plate defining a first aperture 114 and a second aperture 118 for coupling with the rod connecting portions 98 of the first ram 78 and the second ram 82, respectively. Relay element 50-2 includes a third aperture 122 for engaging the second connector 106 of relay element 50-1; however, in some embodiments, the relay elements 50-1 and 50-2 are identical. The second connector 106 of each relay element 50 includes a fourth aperture (not shown). The intermediate portion 110 extends in the same direction as the AFC 10 and the first and second hydraulic rams 78, 82. Each relay element 50 defines a length C that is approximately equal to the fully extended length D of the rod 94 (FIG. 13). The relay elements 50 are arranged such that they are connected to each other, the conveyor chain 30, and the hydraulic rams 78, 82 with removable fasteners 130 that pass through aligned apertures. The illustrated embodiment also includes a chain engaging member 34 that connects the second connector 106 of the relay element 50-2 to the conveyor chain 30. In other embodiments, the chain engaging member 34 may be formed as a part of the relay element 50-2 or may be eliminated, as desired. [0030] The rams 78, 82 are connected to the length of relay bars or elements 50 (although only two are described above 50-1, 50-2), which are connected onto the end of the conveyor chain 30 and flights 32. The final relay element 50-2 remains connected to the conveyor chain 30 throughout the installation process. As new or additional pans 14 are installed onto the length or run of the AFC 10, the pans 14 are slid over the relay bars 50 and connected to the pans 14 already in place. The haulage device 38 containing the rams 78, 82 is then moved into place at the end of the final pan 14 and the rams 78, 82 connected onto the first relay bar 50-1, which protrudes through the raceway 26 of the pan 14 and into frame 42.

[0031] When operated, the rams 78, 82 pull the conveyor chain 30 through the AFC 10. Multiple relay elements 50-1, 50-2 are installed such that when the rams 78, 82 have been operated (e.g., retracted), the rams 78, 82 are disconnected from a first relay element 50-1 and the first relay element 50-1 is removed from the haulage device 38, as discussed below. Once the rams 78, 82 have been extended, the rams 78, 82 are reconnected up to the next relay element 50-2 in order to pull the conveyor chain 30 through the raceway 26 further. If more relay elements 50 are used, then more pans 14 may be inserted each time to speed the installation of the pan line.

[0032] Operation of the haulage device 38 during an installation operation will be described below starting with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a line pan 14-1 and the conveyor chain 30 already in position within the lower raceway 26 of the line pan. Initially, the conveyor chain 30 would be to the left of the line pan 14-1, and be pulled through the lower raceway 26 with the following procedure. With the conveyor chain 30 in position within the line pan 14-1, the second connector 106 of the relay element 50-2 is coupled to the conveyor chain 30 with a fastener 130. Moving to FIG. 2, the second connector 106 of the relay element 50-1 is then coupled to the first connector 102 of the relay element 50-2 with a fastener 130.

[0033] Turning to FIG. 3, additional line pans 14-2 and 14-3 are installed in the AFC 10 with the relay elements 50-1 and 50-2 extending through the lower raceways 26 of the additional line pans. As shown, the first connector 102 of the relay element 50-1 extends beyond the edge of the line pan 14-3. [0034] FIG. 4 illustrates the housing 42 of the haulage device 38 coupled to the line pan 14-3 via the mounting portion 58. The rods 94 of the first and second hydraulic rams 78, 82 are moved to the extended portion B and the respective rod connecting portions 98 are coupled to the first connector 102 of the relay element 50-1 with fasteners 130. With reference to FIG. 5, the hydraulic rams 78, 82 are then moved to the retracted position B such that the relay elements 50- 1, 50-2 and the conveyor chain 30 are pulled through the lower raceway 26 of the line pan 14-2. The hydraulic rams 78, 82 generate sufficient force and stroke to haul the entire length of conveyor chain 30 through the line pans 14.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 6, the relay element 50-1 is removed from the system by decoupling the first connector 102 from the rod connecting portions 98 of the hydraulic rams 78, 82 and decoupling the second connector 106 from the first connector 102 of the relay element 50-2. The hydraulic rams 78, 82 are moved to the extended position B, as shown in FIG. 7, and first connector 102 of the relay element 50-2 is coupled to the rod connecting portions 98 of the hydraulic rams 78, 82 with fasteners 130.

[0036] Turning to FIG. 8, the hydraulic rams 78, 82 are moved to the retracted position A such that the relay element 50-2 and the conveyor chain 30 are pulled through the lower raceway 26 of the line pan 14-3. The first connector 102 of the relay element 50-2 is then decoupled from the rod connecting portion 98 of the hydraulic rams 78, 82 and the housing 42 is removed or decoupled from the AFC 10 (FIG. 9).

[0037] FIG. 10 illustrates the relay element 50-1 recoupled to relay element 50-2 (similar to FIG. 2), and FIG. 11 illustrates two additional line pans 14-4, 14-5 installed on the AFC 10 with the relay elements 50-1, 50-2 extending through the line pans 14-4, 14-5. FIG. 12 shows the housing 42 coupled to the line pan 14-5 and ready to continue pulling the conveyor chain through the lower raceways 26. The above process is repeated until the desired number of line pans 14 are installed and the AFC 10 is configured as desired. With the conveyor chain 30 pulled through the desired number of line pans 14, the drive system can be connected to the conveyor chain 30 and the remainder of the AFC 10 installed and assembled before going into operation. [0038] In other embodiments, more than two relay elements 50 or a single relay element 50 may be used in coordination with more or less than two line pans 14 per operation.

[0039] Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.