Earth working – Tool – standard or connection – Frame-supported blade – scraper – or smoother drawn by vehicle
Patent
1996-07-22
1998-02-17
Melius, Terry Lee
Earth working
Tool, standard or connection
Frame-supported blade, scraper, or smoother drawn by vehicle
172781, 172771, 1727011, 172 265, A01B 3100
Patent
active
057182957
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention consists of a mobile device for levelling the ground in underground mine passageways, which is attached to the underside of an operating mining machine.
2. Related Art
Techniques currently employed for levelling underground mine passages are inadequate, because none of these techniques is specifically adapted to mining use. With one such technique, the grading machines currently in use for levelling underground passageways cannot enter certain parts of such passages such as the work place, because of their design.
Thus, many such graders are required in order to level a mine floor completely. Using such a great number of machines in underground shafts increases the amount of fuel that is expended, and thus reduces air quality, threatening both the health and the productivity of the workers, all of which represent considerable drawbacks.
Moreover, the purchase and maintenance cost of such graders is very high if they are used solely for ground levelling work.
A second technique uses mobile devices, generally in the form of a vertical blade of the kind that are attached under machines designed for road grading, for example. These devices are too bulky to be installed under mining machines, since the space under such machines is for the most part utilized for other purposes. Furthermore, because the earth surface in underground mines is very uneven, the operator must continuously make adjustments to the height of the blade.
Finally, all the above-cited means have a direct impact on the profitability of the mine, given the number of such machines that is required, and their purchase and maintenance costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The inventor has discovered that these drawbacks can be overcome by using a mobile device as a ground leveller that is attached under an existing mining machine that is used for purposes other than ground levelling. Thus, the large number of graders and therefore the quantity of fuel expended can be eliminated, thereby enhancing air quality and worker productivity. By attaching the device to existing machines used in the mine, all parts of the mine, including the work place, can be levelled, since those machines are already designed to operate there. The low profile of the device allows it to fit perfectly into the space available under mining machines, and the positioning of its anchors is such that the device adjusts itself automatically to all ground conditions. Moreover, the profitability of the mine is improved by the fact that the purchase cost of the device is much less than that of a grader, even where several such devices are needed to perform the work. Finally, the device requires very little maintenance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
With respect to the drawings that illustrate the embodiment of the invention:
FIG. 1 represents a side view of the machine, with the device attached;
FIG. 2 represents a rear view of the machine, with the device attached;
FIG. 3 represents a top view of the device;
FIG. 4 represents a sectional view of the device along its length;
FIG. 5 represents a sectional view of the device along its width;
FIG. 6 represents a view of an anchoring point with the coupler and cable attached to it.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The device shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 consist of a lower base 1, rectangular in shape, made of steel, scandium or another material having the same characteristics with respect to weight and resistance to wear, placed on its largest rectangular surface. On this first base lies an upper base 2, which is of the same material as the first, and of the same shape, the same length and arranged in the same manner. These two bases are connected to each other by means of several independent systems, each being composed of parts 2A, 3, 3B, 3C, 4, 5, 6, and 7 (FIG. 5), as subsequently described. A retaining plate 3, square in shape, placed at a vertical, is equipped with a hole 3A in its upper portion. A lower edge of retaining plate 3 is bevel
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Batson Victor
Melius Terry Lee
Trahan International Ltd.
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