Process for suppressing dust in mines
AssigneeChemische Fabrik Kalk GmbH
InventorsHarald Johannes, Gunther Seifert, Hans Lewer, Dieter Poller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The generation of dust in a longwall mining operation is suppressed by covering the hanging wall of the mine with a plastic sheeting, the sheeting being pinned against the hanging wall by the support units used in the mine and being held in association the support units in the form of a flat package formed by folding the sheeting in a zigzag fashion along its entire length.
Claims24
A process for suppressing dust in a longwall mining operation, wherein advanceable support units are used to support the hanging walls of the mine while mining operations are being carried out on the face of the mine, which comprises:
- advancing a leading edge of a sheet of dust impervious material, folded in a zigzag fashion, from a package of said sheet material mounted on an advanceable support unit positioned adjacent the mine face;
- feeding said leading edge of said sheet between the support unit and a first portion of the hanging wall of the mine such that said sheet is unfolded and withdrawn from said package and temporarily pinned against the first portion of the hanging wall by the support unit;
- advancing the support unit toward the mine face while maintaining said sheet material pinned against the first portion of the hanging wall, whereby an additional length of said sheet material is unfolded and withdrawn from said package and is temporarily pinned against a second portion of the hanging wall;
- and
- repeating the foregoing steps, thereby pinning a further length of said sheet material to a third portion of the hanging wall, and releasing the portion of the sheet material pinned against said first portion of the hanging wall.
A process for suppressing dust in a longwall mining operation, wherein advanceable support units are used to support the hanging walls of the mine while mining operations are being carried out on the face of the mine, which comprises:
- mounting to an advanceable support unit a substantially flat package of dust impervious sheeting material formed by folding an elongated sheet of said material in a zigzag fashion along its entire length;
- advancing a leading edge of said sheet material from said flat package;
- feeding said leading edge of said sheet material between the support unit and a first portion of the hanging wall of the mine such that said sheet material is unfolded from said package and pinned against the first portion of the hanging wall by the support unit;
- and
- advancing the support unit toward the face of the mine during the mining operation while maintaining said sheet material pinned against the first portion of the hanging wall, whereby additional lengths of said sheet material are unfolded and withdrawn from said flat package and are pinned against additional portions of the hanging wall to prevent any dust from falling therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.