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US 6,655,877 B2Granted
Yielding column
OwnerW. David Calhouninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A yielding column for support mine roofs or the like includes a tube provided with one or more circumferential rows of slots which provide a preferred locus for buckling. A reinforcing sleeve within the tube prevents inward buckling, so that the buckled portions are easily seen.
Claims6
A yielding mine support column comprising
- a metal tube having a wall with a wall thickness,
- a plurality of slots extending through said wall, defining therebetween a plurality of pillars, said slots being arranged in at least one circumferential row extending around said tube, to provide a preferred locus for deformation of the tube under axial load, and
- a sleeve fitting snugly within the tube, said sleeve spanning at least the length of all the slots, to prevent inward buckling of the pillars and to maintain alignment between the ends of the tube, and being short enough not to become a load-bearing member as the column collapses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.