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US 4,061,399 AGranted
Mining by insertion of cutting modules into shaft for connection and actuation
AssigneeRay M. Baughman
InventorRodney L. Nelson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRay M. Baughman
InventorRodney L. Nelson
Estimating the term…
A shaft is formed from ground level downwardly to a subterranean seam of coal or other solids following preliminary survey procedures to locate the seam and establish its dimensions. A passage is cut radially into the coal seam and away from the shaft near the bottom thereof while coal cuttings are removed and delivered to ground level. The seam is then cut on an arcuate path centered on said shaft along the entire length of the radial passage while coal cuttings continue to be removed and delivered through the shaft to ground level. The mining apparatus is modular and comprises plural mining modules to be placed in the coal seam by a placement and advancing unit which is lowered in the shaft. A rotational driving unit is subsequently lowered in the shaft to drive coupled mining modules in unison through the coal seam on said arcuate path. In addition, self-propelled modules can drive themselves radially from the shaft outwardly into the seam and under remote control from ground level can propel themselves on a second path, e.g. an arcuate or, if desirable, a straight path, along one side of the radial cut.
A method of mining coal, minerals and other minable materials beneath the surface of the earth comprising forming a shaft from ground level downwardly to intersect a subterranean seam, assembling a string of interconnected mining modules in the seam by cutting substantially radially into said seam and away from said shaft by a lead module and removing cuttings from said seam and delivering them through said shaft to ground level, and further cutting into said seam on a second path by said string of interconnected mining modules along one side of the radial cut and removing cuttings from said seam and delivering them through said shaft to ground level.
A method of mining material from a subterranean seam of minable solids through a prepared shaft which extends from ground level into said seam comprising the steps of placing mining modules one at a time through said shaft into said seam, coupling said modules in interconnected relationship and forcing each module radially away from said shaft and through said seam behind the leading module until a predetermined number of said mining modules are located in said seam in coupled relationship, rotating all of the coupled modules as a unit through said seam on an arcuate path substantially centered on said shaft, and delivering said material mined by said modules to ground level through said shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.