錨桿機(jī)并行鋪網(wǎng)技術(shù)Roof Bolter Synthetic Mesh Handling System

1、 January 2011 14Roof Bolter Synthetic Mesh Handling Systemonathan Duncan, J.H. Fletcher & Co., Huntington, West Virginia, gave a presentation with co-authors Tim Burgess, J.H. Fletcher & Co., Huntington, West Virginia, Jens Lang, Oxbow Mining, LLC Paonia, Colorado, and William Kendall, J.H.

2、Fletcher & Co., entitled Roof Bolter Synthetic Mesh Handling Systemto the Ground Control Conference. Steel wire mesh is the accepted standard for roof and rib skin control at most coal mines in the United States (see Figure 1. A variety of sizes are readily available and it is well-proven, very

3、strong, and tear resistant. Systems have been devel-oped for handling the mesh panels on roof bolters. However, wire mesh is heavy and awkward to handle, and wire mesh sections that are damaged present a potential hazard from pro-truding wires. It leaves a gap between the roof and rib mesh when rib

4、mesh is installed.Synthetic mesh is lighter than wire mesh and can be folded and rolled into a safe, manageable size(see Figure 2. A single synthetic mesh roll, large enough to cover the roof and ribs in a deep cut, can be safely handled by two men. J.H. Fletcher & Co. had earlier worked with se

5、veral mines to develop the roof bolter material handling system, including a steel mesh handling device that could store 2,000 lbs. or more of 5 x 16 mesh panels onboard themachine. In the early 1990s, Fletcherworked with a supplier of syntheticroll mesh to develop a device thatmounted to the front

6、of the automat-ed temporary roof support (ATRS.This concept was dropped due to lackof interest of the mining community.Oxbow Minings Elk Creek Mine islocated near Paonia, Colorado. TheElk Creek Mine was started with min-imal rib support, as the overburdenranged between 200 feet and 1,500feet. It soo

7、n became apparent thatrib support, including mesh, was nec-essary on all ribs. One fatalityoccurred when a bundle of mesh pan-els fell onto a worker, pinning himunderneath. Other injuries haveoccurred, which include, but are notlimited to pinched fingers, hands,and strained backs.A solution was deve

8、loped byFletcher and Huesker, Inc., a synthet-ic roll mesh manufacturer, andapproved by Oxbow to install foldedand rolled synthetic mesh in front ofthe ATR on the roof bolter (see Figure3 . The concept involved two or moresheets of mesh that can be stitchedtogether to provide widths asrequired and c

9、ut to whatever length isneeded to match the cut depth. Thesides of the mesh can easily be fold-ed in narrow multiple folds (similar towindow blinds to provide coverageof ribs. Folded mesh can then berolled into a relatively small diameterroll of about 14” diameter for a 35long roll. As the mesh is u

10、nrolled andbolted to the roof, the folded endswill automatically unroll for use as ribmesh. The folded sides are flexibleenough that they can allow for instal-lation of angled truss bolts and mostrib bolts on the way into the cut.The synthetic mesh concept han-dling system components comprise aholde

11、r for the roll of mesh that pins tothe TRS. The roof pads are replacedwith rounded pads to allow mesh toslide over the TRS without snagging.Hydraulic tubes are added to the TRSarms to support the mesh close tothe rib/roof intersection. The tubesalso include devices which grip themesh for tensioning.

12、 Before enteringthe unbolted area, the ends of themesh are unfolded and the mesh ispulled over the top of the TRS andanchored with the existing meshclamps. The bolter is then trammedinto the cut and the TRS is raised tothe roof and the hydraulic tubes areextended. The mesh is then bolted tothe roof.

13、 Existing mesh clamps areused to secure the mesh, as shown inFigures 4 and 5.After the first row of bolts areinstalled, the TRS is slightly lowered.The machine is trammed forward tothe next area where the next row ofbolts will be installed. The TRS is thenraised and the next row of bolts areinstalle

14、d. The hydraulic tubes areonly adjusted to the contour of the rib(see Figure 6.Synthetic mesh has a number ofadvantages, including: possibleimproved productivity, improvedsafety, reduced weight, and applica-ble to existing bolters. It has a lowercost than a full material handling sys-tem for wire me

15、sh. Wire mesh canstill be used as needed with no mod-ifications to the bolter. During thetrial, both steel and synthetic meshwere installed. The synthetic meshcan be pre-marked for the bolt loca-tions and its strength can be tailoredto bolt locations or hanging loca-tions. There are also a number of

16、 dis-advantages to synthetic mesh. It canbe made very strong, but does notmatch steel mesh in tear resistance.The bolt plates might require a pad toprevent tearing the mesh when it is highly loaded. In hanging tubing, cables and very heavy items to ensure safety, an additional 3/8” wire rope must be

17、 added to aid in the strength to hang heavy objects. Synthetic mesh is still difficult to keep tensioned.The Fletcher patent pending machine mounted synthetic roll mesh dispenser is the best way to safely, productively, and efficiently install any MSHA and mine approved synthetic roll mesh into an u

18、nbolted mine entry where the roof and/or rib need skin support. Synthetic roll mesh is lightweight and relatively easy to handle as a roll, potentially reducing injuries caused by handling the steel mesh panels. Using synthet-ic roll mesh in place of machine stored steel mesh panels allows increased storage for other bolting consumables. The dispenser kept the mesh tensioned, even tho