US1106863A - Process for moving material. - Google Patents

Description

lilill'illl' viii"! I I Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

gws l fi Hill W. GOOPEI. PROCESS FOR MOVING MATERIAL. APPLICATION FILED JAIL13, 1914.

WITN ESSES rn's NORRIS PETERS 00.. PHoro-Luwa. WASHINGTON. D. d

W. COOPER.

rnocsss FOR MOVING MATERIAL.

APBLIOATIOH FILED JANLIS, 1914.

1,106,863. Patented Aug.'11,1 914."

a sums-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR Maze COOPER.

raocnss FOR MOVING MATERIAL. APPLIGATION'FILBD JAN. 13, 1914.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' ITN ESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM COOPER, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

PROCESS FOR MOVING MATERIAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

Application filed January 13, 1914. Serial No. 811,841.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM COOPER, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Processes for Moving Material, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in a new and improved method of moving or removing minemuck, dirt or other material and in apparatus for performing the same.

My invention is particularly applicable to mucking or the removal of debris after blasting in tunnels or cuts but may also be used advantageously in the removal of material from accumulations, such as ore piles.

In driving tunnels or open out work, the material blasted from the heading, face or breast of the work is thrown back into the tunnel or cut and must be cleared away before preparations for the next blasting can be undertaken. In the present practice this debris is removed by shoveling, consuming much time and labor. As such debris is full of injurious gases from the explosives used, the work is dangerous to the workmen who are employed.

My invention comprises the provision of a tunnel structure, having its top cover removable in sections progressively, on the floor of the tunnel or cut and running outwardly therefrom as far back as the debris will be deposited in considerable quantity. Said temporary tunnel structure is buried beneath the debris when the blast is shot. A portable conveyer is then run up to the outer mouth of the temporary tunnel and inserted into the interior of the same for a distance preferably greater than the length of the first section of the removable top. Said top section is then pulled away, permitting the debris to fall down on the conveyer and to be removed thereby to a tram car in the rear of the conveyer. I prefer to fill up the floor of the tunnel or cutting at either side to the level of the top of the temporary tunnel structure with logs or other easily handled material, so that with but little manual assistance the debris or muck for the full width of the tunnel or cutting may be deposited on the conveyer for removal to the tram car.

When the debris or muck admitted to the conveyer after the removal of a top section of the tunnel has been removed by the conveyer, the conveyer is advanced and inserted under the next removal section of top which latter is then removed and the debris permitted-to fall down onto the conveyer to be carried off. This operation of inserting the conveyer below a section of the top and then removing the latter is continued until the former breast-line of the working is reached, whereupon the logs and plates composing the tunnel structure and the conveyer are removed and the drilling of blast holes in the breast is resumed preparatory to the neXt shots.

The inner or breast end of the tunnel structure is preferably stopped by a downwardly inclined plate to close the channel against the passage of the gases and currents of air resulting from the shots, the said plate being sealed by a little dirt to keep out the gases.

In the case of piles of ore, coal and other material, where a portion of the same is to be removed for consumption or reshipment, I may set up one or more of my tunnel structures on the floor of the storage yard and permit the material to be deposited thereon, whence it may be removed by a conveyer and the progressive removal of the tunnel top plates. It may be found advantageous in such cases to substitute for the filling of logs and other material, a trench dug in the floor of the yard in which my tunnel structure may be sunk or formed so that the material to be handled will be entirely above the level of the receiving end of the conveyer.

In connection with my process, I show and describe convenient apparatus for ,accomplishing the same, consisting of a convenient, effective yet durable and inexpensive tunnel structure and also a portable conveyer to be operated in connection therewith.

In the accompanying drawings, which are merely illustrative of the principles of my invention and not intended to limit the scope of the latter to the construction shown, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away in section of the portable conveyer inserted in the open end of my tunnel structure shown in section, the whole within a tunnel wherein a portion of the muck pile is shown; Fig. 2 is a rear end elevation, partially broken away, of the conveyer; Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken longitudinal section of the conveyer apron; Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section along the line IV-IV in Fig. 1 Fig. 5 is a similar view along the line V-V in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section of a tunnel in which my temporary tunnel structure is installed; Fig. 7 is a sectional view along the line VIL-VII in Fig. 6 showing the forward or breast end of the temporary tunnel structure; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the same, and Fig. 9 is a ver tical sectional view of a permanent tunnel structure sunk in the ground as for use in connection with an ore or fuel pile.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings, in which my invention is illustrated in connection with a tunnel being driven through rock or earth.

A represents said main tunnel and B the breast or heading thereof which is blasted away at intervals to drive the tunnel. Previously to firing the shots in the breast I lay my temporary tunnel structure on the main tunnel up to the breast and extending rearwardly toward the mouth of the tunnel a suflicient distance to catch the muck or debris from the blasting. This temporary tunnel structure may be conveniently and cheaply built up as follows: Metal floor plates 1 are first laid upon the tunnel floor to give an even surface. Said plates preferably extend for substantially the entire width of the tunnel and are of convenient length for handling, say ten feet. Upon said floor plates I lay longitudinally of the tunnel logs 2 for the entire width of said tunnel except in the center where I leave a channel longitudinal of the tunnel from the breast. This channel I prefer to make about two feet in width. The spaces left between the outside logs and the rough walls of the tunnel are preferably filled up with poles, 3, or other conveniently handled material, to prevent debris from falling down into such spaces. These logs are laid end to end in rows as shown and may be removably connected together, as by dowelpins 4. These logs are preferably provided in lengths convenient to handle, say from four to eight feet.

The top faces of floor plates 1 are provided with a pair of longitudinal angle irons which serve to stiffen said floor plates and extend up within the channel between the inside logs 2. The vertical flanges of said irons are provided at intervals with inwardly extending pins 6. The top surfaces of the legs 2 are covered by means of iron plates 7. The top of the central channel between the inside logs 2 is covered by a plurality of relatively narrow metal plates 8 which overlap the top plates 7 and are provided with transverse angle irons or brackets 9 extending down into said channel and provided with inwardly extending pins 10 which may be engaged by the upper ends of double-eye bolts 11 whose lower ends engage the pins 6, thus removably holding the top plates 8 in place and preventing their disturbance from the effects of the shooting. At the breast end of the structure the ends of the legs 2 are inclined downwardly to the floor, as at 12, and the ends of said logs and the inner end of the channel are closed by an inclined metal plate 13 which may rest upon the inclined ends 12 of the logs. Eye-bolts 14 are driven into the ends of the said logs and are engaged by pins 15 which also engage hingeloops 16 on the bottom edge of plate 18. This door-plate is preferably sealed by a little dirt to prevent the entrance of gases or air pressure into the temporary tunnel.

17 are pivoted catches adapted to hold the door plate 18 closed.

When the shots are fired, the muck or debris from the breast is thrown forward, covering the temporary tunnel and the legs 2 as shown at C in Fig. 1.

I will now proceed to describe the portable conveyer shown in the drawings. Said conveyer is mounted on a car D provided with flanged wheels 18 adapted to run on the usual track rails 19 of the tunnel A. The conveyer apron is supported on a pair of trough-shaped frames 20 and 21 which are in alinement except that the side plates of the frame 21 are spread at the end to overlap and loosely embrace between them the side plates of the frame 20.

22 is a shaft journaled in boxes 23 in the sides of the car D, upon which boxes the adjacent ends of the frames 20 and 21 are pivoted, so that the outer loose ends of said frame may be elevated or lowered as required.

Struts or brackets 24, pivoted to the car D are adapted to engage lugs 25 on the frames 20 and 21 to hold them at any desired inclination. Within the frame 20 the shaft 22 is provided with a rigidly mounted roll 26 which is provided with three circumferential grooves 27.

28 are sprockets located in the side grooves 27 and rigidly mounted on the roll 26.

Spaced along the frames 20 and 21 are a plurality of idle rolls 29 having their ends j ournaled in the sides of the frames and provided with circumferential grooves 30 similar to the grooves 27 in the roll 26.

The protruding ends of the shaft 22 are provided with rigidly mounted sprockets 31 which are connected by means of chains 32 with sprockets 33 on the ends of a jack shaft 34 journaled in the car D. A larger sprocket 35, rigidly mounted on jack-shaft 34, is connected by a chain 36 with a smaller sprocket 37 on the shaft of a motor, or other suitable source of rotary power, E. It'is evident that the power roll 26 is rotated at a much less rate than the motor E.

38 is an endless conveyer-apron of leather, canvas or other suitable material, and passing over and under the rolls 26 and 29. The

outer surface of the apron 38 is provided with and protected by transverse slats or cleats 39 which are of channel cross section to hold the material and are secured to the apron 38 by means of rivets 40 whose heads are cleared by the central grooves 27 and 30 of the rolls 26 and 29.

41 are longitudinal rows of metal socketplates secured to the inner face of the apron 38 by means of rivets 42 which also pass through the slats 39, as shown. The socket plates 41 are engaged by the teeth of the sprockets 28 to cause the apron to travel. Said sprocket plates are connected by means of pivoted links 43 so as to relieve the strain from the apron or belt. The socket links are cleared by the side grooves 30 of the idle rolls 29.

The front end of the frame 20, in advance of the end roll 29, is rovided with an angular slide or toe 44 wiiich prevents the conveyer overriding material encountered.

F is an ordinary mine car adapted to receive the material from the conveyer.

The operation of the conveyer is as follows: After the shots have been fired and the muck or debris thrown down on the temporary tunnel structure, the conveyer is run along the tracks 19 and the front frame 20 lowered to the proper angle to protrude into the temporary tunnel somewhat past the 1 first top plate 8 and the rear frame 21 is raised so as to discharge into the car F which is run up behind the conveyer. The apron 38 is then started to travel and the first top plate released, by knocking off the bolts 11, and pulled out, permitting the debris to drop down onto the apron 38 by which the former is carried to the car F. With a little manual assistance all of the debris above and on both sides of the location of the first plate is discharged upon the apron and carried away. When all the debris thus reached isremoved, the conveyer is again shoved forward, followed by the car F, and the next top plate 8 is removed. This operation continues until all of the top plates have been removed and the debris carried away. The debris in advance of the temporary tunnel is then removed. As the conveyer car D advances beyond the breast end of the track rails 19, the adjacent logs 2 may be removed and the conveyer car run up onto the floor lates l which will serve as a track for the w eels 18. The conveyer is then run out of the way and the drilling of new shot holes in the breast started. When such holes are completed and charged, the temporary tunnel is taken apart and moved up and reassembled with its front or closed end abutting against the new breast; the shots are exploded and the mucking process above described repeated.

lVhere my process is to be used for the removal of material from the same spot, as from a pile of ore or fuel, I prefer to provide a number of permanent tunnels with tops removable in sections, sinking the tunnels in trenches so that the tops of the former will not be above the general floor surface. Such tunnels may be supplied in parallel with each other at a distance apart dictated by the character of the material and the elevation of the pile. Thus in Fig. 9 I show a trench G sunk in the earth and lined with cement 45 and closed on top by means of metal plates 8*. It is evident that material piled over the tunnel may be removed by the conveyer by the removal of the top plates 8 progressively.

It is evident from the foregoing that my invention greatly facilitates and shortens the process of moving loose material of any kind, thus very materiallyreducing the cost of handling.

What I desire to claim is The process of tunneling or cutting, which consists in installing a temporary tunnel structure with the top thereof removable in sections; blasting the breast down onto said structure; and then removing said top sections progressively toward the breast and removing from the tunnel the material thus deposited therein.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Penna, this 12th day of January, 1914.

WILLIAM COOPER.

Witnesses:

E. A. LAwRnNoE, A. W. FORSYTH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

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