ORE REMOVAL PRODUCTION LINE, TWIN RAMPS AND GROUND SUPPORT INSTALLATION METHOD

• US 20140339880A1
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vale SA (Caixa de Previdência Dos Funcionários Do Banco Do Brasil)
• Original Assignee: Vale SA (Caixa de Previdência Dos Funcionários Do Banco Do Brasil)
• Inventors: MAC INTYRE, Daniel, GOLDE, Peter, VAN DER HOOFT, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,151,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 299/18
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 35/20 General features of equipment for removal of chippings, e.g. for loading on conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/16 Methods of underground mining winning machines therefor E21C25/00 - E21C39/00; Layouts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 41/22 for ores, e.g. mining placers
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 13/02 Transport of mined mineral in galleries
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 13/06 Transport of mined material at or adjacent to the working face

Abstract

The present invention refers to a set of methods and procedures that may be combined in order to greatly increase the speed of development of an access ramp in a underground hard-rock mine.

More particularly, the present invention was designed to target all the bottle-necks comprised by the access operation of a hard-rock mine that employs a Rail-Veyor machine.

The invention also comprises of an ore production line which consists in the sequential arrangement of a series of mining equipment between the work face and the entrance of a hard-rock mine. The invention also comprises a Hard Rock Mining Access Plan for a hard-rock mine which encompasses two parallel ramps interconnected by cross-cut passageways. Further, invention also comprises a Ground Support Installation method configured to shorten the time required for the installation of ground support inside of a hard-rock mine.

Claims

1. Ore production line for a hard rock mine, wherein it comprises the following equipment, linearly and sequentially arranged between the work face of the mine and the outdoor environment:

at least one continuous loader machine placed nearby the work face;

followed by

at least one Haulage Equipment;

followed by

an Ore Sizer Equipment;

followed by

a Storage Buffer;

followed by

a Rail-Veyor machine.

2. Ore production line, according to claim 1, wherein it comprehends two continuous loader machines, each one of them being a ITC Schaeff Loader Model ITC 120 F4.

3. Ore production line, according to claim 1, wherein it comprehends three Hauling Equipments, each one of them being a Paus Truck of the ITC 8000 model.

4. Ore production line, according to claim 1, wherein it comprehends one Ore Sizer Equipment configured to limit the particle size of the collected material to a maximum lump size of 45 cm.

5. Ore production line, according to claim 1, wherein the Storage Buffer is made up of a series of flexible modular shuttle conveyors integrated in an interconnected arrangement.

6. Ore production line, according to claim 5, wherein the Storage Buffer is capable of holding the volume of a fully loaded Rail-Veyor.

12. Hard rock mining access operation, wherein it comprises the Ore Production Line defined on claim 1;

the Hard Rock Mining Access Plan defined on claim 7; and

the Ground Support Installation Method defined on claim 10.

7. Hard Rock Mining Access Plan for a hard-rock mine, wherein it includes two parallel ramps interconnected by a series of cross-cuts passageways, both ramps and the cross-cuts passageways being 2.9 to 3.3 meters high and 3.5 to 3.9 meters wide.

8. Hard Rock Mining Access Plan according to claim 7, wherein one of the ramps is exclusively set to accommodate a rail-veyor and the other ramp is set to be used by all other wheeled equipment that may come inside of the mine.

9. Hard Rock Mining Access Plan according to claim 7, wherein the ramps inclination is set to be anywhere between 14% and 16%.

10. Ground Support Installation method for a hard rock mining operation, wherein it comprises two steps:

the first step consists of installing a minimum support required to insure the safety of the development miners and the stability of the opening for the development phase;

the second step consists of installing a permanent support required to ensure the safety of the workers and the opening stability throughout the mine'"'"'s life.

11. Ground Support Installation method according to claim 10, wherein the first step consists in the insertion of spans ranging from 3 to 3.6 m followed by the installation of a wire mesh of #9 or #6 gauge or the application of a layer of fiber reinforced shotcrete with a nominal thickness of 2 to 3 inches;

and the second step consists in the installation of 1.5 m long grouted rebars on 1.2 m×

1.8 m staggered pattern with 4 m×

2.75 m welded wire mesh.