Mine roof support, pre-installation assembly for same, and method of installation

A method of installing a mine roof support, comprising:

• placing a mine roof support comprising at least two sections in an installation location on a floor within a room of an underground mine, each of the at least two sections having a frusto-conical configuration and being flared outwardly from an upper end to a lower end thereof, at least one of the at least two sections being nested within at least one other of the at least two sections and an outermost section of the at least two sections being the only section having a floor proximate a lower end thereof, each other section of the at least two sections having an open lower end;
• telescopingly extending an innermost section of the at least two sections upwardly along a single longitudinal axis within a next adjacent section until an outer surface above the lower end of a section continuously circumferentially contacts and frictionally engages with an inner surface below the upper end of the next lower, adjacent section to secure the innermost section to the next adjacent section with a substantially fluid-tight seal between the at least two sections to define a continuous interior volume of the mine roof support;
• and
• filling the continuous interior volume with a flowable, hardenable aerated medium extending continuously from a lower end of the continuous interior volume to proximate an upper end of the continuous interior volume;
• wherein the at least two sections each comprise metal sheathing of a wall thickness selected to fold or wrinkle on itself responsive to compression subsequent to hardening of the flowable, hardenable aerated medium located within the continuous interior volume.

A pre-installation assembly for a mine roof support, comprising:

• multiple tubular, frusto-conical sections in a nested arrangement, a skirt portion of each section defining a larger diameter than a neck portion of a next outer adjacent section, wherein each section is flared outwardly from an upper end to a lower end thereof at substantially a same angle α of departure to a longitudinal axis of the section to enable, upon mutual telescoping extension of the multiple tubular, frusto-conical sections along a single longitudinal axis, at least one wall surface proximate an end of each section to continuously circumferentially frictionally engage a wall surface proximate an end of at least one other section, secure each section to at least one other adjacent section and form a substantially fluid-tight seal between adjacent sections when mutually telescopingly extended to define a continuous interior volume of the mine roof support;
• an outermost tubular, frusto-conical section of the multiple tubular, frusto-conical sections in the nested arrangement comprising a floor proximate a lower end thereof;
• each other tubular, frusto-conical section of the multiple tubular, frusto-conical sections having an opening through a lower end thereof;
• and
• the multiple, tubular, frusto-conical sections each comprising metal sheathing having a wall thickness selected to fold or wrinkle on itself responsive to compression of a hardened, aerated compressible medium within the continuous interior volume of the mine roof support.