Mine ventilation

Details Mine ventilation Mine ventilation

2000-01-12

2001-07-24

Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)

Ventilation

Mine

With partition means

C405S153000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06264549

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention, in general terms, relates to mine ventilation, and more particularly to:
(a) an overcast structure for the intersection of two passageways or airways in a mine, air flowing in each airway for ventilation, the installation as completed by-passing air flowing in one airway around the other at their intersection to avoid interference of the flows;
(b) the installation as completed at the intersection of the intersecting airways; and
(c) the method of installation.
Reference is made to the coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,916 of William R. Kennedy and John M. Kennedy, dated May 9, 1995 entitled “Structure Having Quick-Connect Components” and the coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,187 of John M. Kennedy and William R. Kennedy, dated Nov. 14, 1995 entitled “Mine Ventilation Structure” for background, the second of these patents (the '187 patent) containing what is believed to be an ample discussion of what is meant by the term “overcast” and reasons for the installation of an overcast in a mine.
As described in said '187 patent, the installation of the preferred embodiment thereof involves first, the positioning of wing panels
30
in the first of the two intersecting passageways, followed by the erection of corresponding sections of side wall panels to form portions of the side walls
24
of the overcast tunnel
18
. A deck
28
is applied simply resting at its ends on the side walls and end panels
32
are installed. While the procedure has generally been quite satisfactory and extensively used, and as described in said '187 patent may be erected quickly by only a few laborers who need no special knowledge of overcast instruction, it is still quite labor intensive.
While said '187 patent states (in column 3, lines 43-47 thereof) that either or both of the steel ends and wings may be omitted entirely by sizing the tunnel width to equal the mine entry width and/or the tunnel height to equal the mine entry height, this still entails the need of relatively intensive labor procedure in the mine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, among the several objects of this invention may be noted the provision of an overcast structure for installation at the intersection of two passages or airways in a mine without requiring extensive fabrication in the depths of the mine, thereby reducing even further the labor required for the installation in the mine; the provision of such an overcast structure which renders installation even simpler; the provision of such an overcast which is relatively economical to manufacture as well as being capable of partial pre-fabrication to reduce the work required in the mine; the provision of a stabilized stronger installation in a mine which incorporates said overcast structure effective for the air flow by-pass purpose; and the provision of a readily-carried-out method of carrying out the installation embodying the overcast structure at the intersection of the intersecting passages or airways in a mine.
In general, the invention in a first phase involves a tunnel-forming overcast structure for incorporation in the installation of an overcast construction at the intersection of two intersecting passages in a mine, each passage constituting an airway for flow of air for mine ventilation having an upstream and a downstream mouth at the intersection. The tunnel-forming overcast structure comprises a pair of generally parallel side walls each having a top and a deck extending from the top of one of the side walls to the top of the other connected to the side walls. Each side wall comprises a plurality of elongate generally vertically extensible panels extending generally vertically in side-by-side relation, each panel comprising an upper member and a lower member, one of said members having a sliding fit in the other. The lower members are in a relatively non-extended position with respect to the upper members in the structure, being ultimately extensible for completing walling off at least portions of the upstream and downstream mouths of one of the airways.
In a second phase, and in general, the invention involves an overcast construction comprising the stated tunnel-forming overcast structure with the upper panel members of the side walls in a raised position and the lower panel members thereof in a lowered position extending down from the upper panel members toward the floor of the airways to wall off at least portions of the upstream and downstream mouths of the one airway, the space between the side walls and below the deck constituting a tunnel for flow of air from the downstream to the upstream mouth of the other airway, the deck bottoming a passage in the roof establishing communication for flow of air from upstream of the wall closing the upstream mouth of said one airway to downstream of the downstream mouth of said one airway, whereby flow in said one airway is by-passed over flow through the tunnel.
In a third phase, and in general, the invention involves a method wherein the stated overcast structure is raised into final position and the extensible panels are extended down to effect the walling off of at least portions of the upstream and downstream mouths of the one airway.
Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.


REFERENCES:
patent: 1923008 (1933-08-01), Proctor
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patent: 2180317 (1939-11-01), Davis
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patent: 2264100 (1941-11-01), Smith
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patent: 2738179 (1956-03-01), Joy
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patent: 3820294 (1974-06-01), Parker
patent: 3831384 (1974-08-01), Kempster
patent: 4440070 (1984-04-01), Baker et al.
patent: 4483642 (1984-11-01), Kennedy et al.
patent: 4621951 (1986-11-01), Dewson
patent: 4677797 (1987-07-01), Roth
patent: 5412916 (1995-05-01), Kennedy et al.
patent: 5466187 (1995-11-01), Kennedy et al.
patent: 183694 (1955-03-01), None
patent: 241008 (1960-10-01), None
patent: 1382333 (1975-01-01), None
Title: Steel Overcasts; Author: Jack Kennedy, Metal Products and Buildings, Inc.; pp. 3-9.

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