Mine roof driller-bolter apparatus and method

A method of bolting the roof of an underground mine, comprising the steps of:

• stinging a housing against the roof of the underground mine,
• moving a peripheral end of a drill centralizer into communication with the roof,
• moving a drill rod with a drill bit attached to the end thereof, through a central bore of the drill centralizer and into the roof,
• retracting the drill rod such that the drill bit is at a position rearward of a passageway communicating with the central bore of the centralizer,
• without retracting the drill centralizer from communication with the roof, delivering a container of roof bolt anchoring media through the passageway and through the centralizer and into the drilled hole,
• retracting the drill centralizer and moving the housing such that the drill rod is moved out of alignment with the drilled hole as a roof bolt is moved substantially simultaneously into alignment with the drilled hole,
• said roof bolt having the bolt head in a sleeve and the end of the bolt opposite the bolt head loosely disposed through an aperture in a bolt plate, said bolt and plate provided in a bolt plate centralizer by moving the loosely disposed plate toward an opening in a generally planar bar of a bolt plate centralizer having wall segments extending outwardly and upwardly of the base, such that the plate passes over the wall segments adjacent the opening and impacts consecutively against the wall segments opposite the opening,
• driving the roof bolt into the drilled hole, and setting the anchoring media around the roof bolt.

A method for inserting a roof bolt having a bolt head at one end and a bolt plate loosely carried at the other end of the roof bolt by inserting the bolt through an aperture in the plate, into a roof bolt inserting device comprising the steps of:

• inserting the bolt head into a receiving block,
• substantially laterally moving the bolt plate carried at the other end of the roof bolt toward an opening in a generally planar base of a bolt plate centralizer,
• passing the plate over first outwardly extending wall portions of the bolt plate centralizer,
• continuing lateral movement of the bolt plate and impacting the bolt plate against second outwardly extending wall portions of the bolt plate centralizer, and
• dropping the bolt plate onto the base and into a receiving chamber defined among the first and second outwardly extending wall portions of the bolt plate centralizer.