Patent Application
20250129547
Electric rope shovels are a common tool in the construction industry, as they can be used to dig and remove large amounts of material from an area. Electric rope shovels are also used in surface mines. Such electric rope shovels include surface mining or hoist ropes connected to a dipper bucket. The surface mining ropes are typically attached at or near a d-block area or padlock sheave area of the dipper bucket, depending on the specific manufacturer and design of the electric rope shovel.
Surface mining ropes are integral to the operation and safety of the dipper bucket on an electric rope shovel, and therefore, it is vital that they are not damaged or compromised during use. However, several different forces are exerted on the surface mining ropes. For example, debris falling onto the ropes severely impacts the ropes, and the mining ropes are further subject to high levels of abrasion in the d-block area or padlock sheave area. Specifically, vertical portions of the surface mining ropes are typically most impacted, as compared to other areas of the ropes.
Existing systems have attempted, and failed, to solve these problems. Some systems provide a thick metal pipe as a cover of the surface mining ropes. Such metal pipe is heavy, which leads to increased vibratory fatigue induced by the ropes. The pipe must be bolted or clamped together onto the ropes. The bolts or clamps can be damaged (e.g., from debris or abrasion) and break off from the ropes, leaving the ropes vulnerable to damage. Further, this semi-permanent cover prevents users from readily accessing the ropes to fix issues.
Accordingly, a need exists for improved surface mining ropes that can withstand the forces exerted and applied to it.
The present invention is directed generally to a protected surface mining or hoist rope configured for use with electric rope shovels or other surface mining applications. According to one embodiment, the surface mining or hoist rope is configured to be wrapped around and used in connection with the d-block area or padlock sheave area of a dipper shovel used in surface mining applications.
According to one embodiment, the protected surface mining or hoist rope can include at least one armoring shield segment located at selective high-impact zones of the rope, such as the vertical portions of the rope adjacent the d-block area or padlock area of a dipper shovel (i.e., the portions of the rope located just above or beyond the d-block or padlock sheave of the shovel portion of the electric rope shovel. The armoring shield segment may be comprised of an armoring jacket or material positioned around a base portion of the rope.
According to one embodiment, the protected surface mining or hoist rope may include a base rope that can be configured as a standard surface mining rope used in general purpose mining. The base rope may include a cable core surrounded by a plurality of armor wires wrapped around the cable core, and a jacket provided around the armor wires. The protected surface mining or hoist rope may further include one or more armoring shield segments provided on the base rope in order to provide protected portions of the be surface mining or hoist rope and unprotected portions of the surface mining or hoist rope. The armoring shield segments may be provided as an additional material or jacket located on the jacket of the base rope.
According to one embodiment the armoring shield segments may be constructed from natural or synthetic rubber, an elastomer, and/or a polymer material, or a combination thereof. According to one embodiment, the armoring shield segments may include an inner portion constructed from a rubberized material and an outer portion constructed form a synthetic fiber material. According to one embodiment, the armoring shield segments may be constructed from a matrix material of poly fiber and carbon fiber. According to one embodiment, the armoring shield segments may be provided on the surface mining or hoist rope at approximately 2-3 feet from the midpoint of the rope. According to one embodiment, the surface mining or hoist rope includes first and second armoring shield segments spaced approximately 2-3 feet on each side of the midpoint of the rope to provide an unprotected region of the surface mining rope of approximately 4-6 feet in length.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like or similar parts in the various views:
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures. It will be appreciated that any dimensions included in the drawing figures are simply provided as examples and dimensions other than those provided therein are also within the scope of the invention.
The following detailed description of the invention references specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and the description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
The present invention is directed generally to an electric rope shovel 10, and more specifically to surface mining or hoist ropes 12 used with an electric rope shovel 10, as illustrated in
According to one embodiment, the mining or hoist ropes 12 are wrapped around the d-block area 14. As discussed above, the mining ropes 12 may be subject to forces, including, falling debris and abrasion, which may lead to damaged ropes. Specifically, a vertical portion 18 of the ropes 12 where the ropes 12 extends upward and/or away from the d-block area 14 may be subject to an increased impact and may become more easily damaged than other portions of the ropes 12.
To prevent such damage, one or more armoring shield segments 20 may be added to the mining rope 12 at highly-impacted zones, including the vertical portions 18 of the rope 12 adjacent to the d-block area 14 as best illustrated in
The armoring shield segments may be constructed from a high-strength elastic or semi-elastic material. According to one embodiment, each armoring shield segment 20 is made of natural or synthetic rubber. When made of rubber, the armoring shield segments 20 may not add a significant amount of weight to the ropes 12. According to another embodiment, the armoring shield segments 20 may be made from interior rubberized material and an exterior synthetic fiber material. According to another embodiment, the armoring shield segments 30 may be made from a matrix material of poly fiber and carbon fiber. Each armoring shield segment 20 may also be constructed of any suitable elastomer or polymer material, including without limitation, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (“ETFE”), polytetrafluoroethylene (“PTFE”), ePTFE tape, carbon fiber ETFE (“CFE”), other polymer-based materials, or a combination thereof. In alternative embodiments, the armoring shield segments 20 may be constructed of a solidified gel or resin material applied to the rope 12 and hardened or set into a solid structure.
In certain embodiments, the armoring shield segment 20 may have a thickness ranging between ⅜ inches and 5 inches. According to one embodiment, the armoring shield segment may have a thickness ranging between ⅜ inches and 3 inches. According to one embodiment, the armoring shield segment 20 may be 2⅜ inches thick. The armoring shield segment 20 may further have a temperature range of 0 degrees Fahrenheit to 210 degrees Fahrenheit.
Turning to
The rope 12 may be configured as any standard surface mining rope used in connection with general purpose mining, including hoist and drag applications. As shown in
As further shown in
Each armoring shield segment 20 may have a length ranging approximately between 2 and 4 feet. As shown in
As described above, the armoring shield segments 20 may be configured as a protecting or cushioning jacket that is applied around the outer surface of mining rope 12. According to one embodiment, armoring shield segments 20 may be constructed from a natural or synthetic rubber material, a combination rubberized interior material and synthetic fiber exterior material, or a matrix material of poly fiber and carbon fiber; however, a number of other suitable materials may be used as described above. According to one embodiment, each armoring shield segment 20 may be constructed from coolant hose or radiator hose. According to one embodiment, armoring segments 20 may be constructed from rubber tape or a similar tape that is helically wrapped around the outer surface of mining rope 12 along protected portions 24. In alternative embodiments, the armoring shield segment 20 may be a material applied directly onto or integrally formed to the outer surface of mining rope 20. According to certain alternative embodiments, the armoring shield segment may be a gel or resin-like material that is applied to the base mining rope 12 in a viscous or semi-viscous state and then set or hardened into a rigid or substantially rigid structure after being applied to the base mining rope 12.
As shown in
The armoring shield segment 20 may have an inside diameter slightly greater than or approximately equal to the outside diameter of mining rope 12 along unprotected segments 34. For example, if mining rope 12 has an outside diameter of 2⅜ inches, then armoring shield segment 20 may have an inside diameter of approximately 2⅝ inches and an outside diameter of 3 inches. Armoring shield segment 20 may have any suitable inside and outside diameters as well as any suitable thickness depending on the desired arrangement and configuration.
Armoring shield segments 20 may be secured to mining rope 12 using any suitable means. According to certain embodiments, armoring shield segments 20 may be secured in place by only the frictional engagement between the inner surface of armoring shield segment 20 and the outer surface of mining rope 12. In other embodiments, clamps or clips may be used to secure armoring shield segments 20 in position along protected portions 24. Adhesives or other means may also be used in various embodiments.
The protected mining rope 12 described herein may be constructed by first providing to armoring shield segments 20 that are formed from a master roll of shield rope by cutting each segment 20 from the master roll. Next, the armoring shield segments 20 are held in place in a spaced arrangement by die plates or other suitable means. The spacing of the two segments 20 may be approximately equal to the desired length of the central unprotected segment 34. Next, a base mining rope 12 is pulled though the segments 20 until the midpoint 32 of the mining rope 12 is located between the two segments 20. Next, the die plates or other restraining means are removed and the remaining half of the length of the base mining rope 12 is pulled and cut.
According to another embodiment, the protected mining rope 12 may be constructed by providing a base mining rope segment 12, identifying the midpoint of the base mining rope segment, identifying the desired protected portion segments 24 for application of the armoring shield segments 20 based upon a spacing distance from the midpoint of the base mining rope 12. Next, an armoring shield segment tape material may be helically wrapped around the base mining rope 12 at the identified protected portion segments 24 until the protected portion segments 24 are completely covered with the armoring shield segment tape material to form the armoring shield segments 20 and the finished protected mining rope 12. In such embodiments, the armoring shield segments 20 may be wrapped around the base rope 12 via a roller application and use an adherence mechanism such as chemical bonding and/or seizing, banding or clamping the armoring shield segments 20 at their ends or elsewhere. In yet another alternative embodiment, the armoring shield segments 20 may be applied through a jacketing process with a closing or adherence mechanism, such as a lace up tie, zipper, or buttoning, clasping, or chemical bonding. It is also recognized that alternative methods may be utilized to construct the protected mining rope 12.
Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations, locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the invention.
Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that the subject matter hereof may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any of the individual embodiments described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of how the various features of the subject matter herein may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, the various embodiments can comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments even when not described in such embodiments unless otherwise noted.
The numerical ranges in this disclosure are approximate, and thus may include values outside of the range unless otherwise indicated. Numerical ranges include all values from and including the lower and the upper values, in increments of one unit, provided that there is a separation of at least two units between any lower value and any higher value. These are only examples of what is specifically intended, and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated, are to be considered to be expressly stated in this disclosure.
As used herein, “a,” “an,” or “the” can mean one or more than one. For example, “an” image can mean a single image or a plurality of images.
The term “and/or” as used in a phrase such as “A and/or B” herein can include both A and B; A or B; A (alone); and B (alone). Likewise, the term “and/or” as used in a phrase such as “A, B, and/or C” can include at least the following embodiments: A, B, and C; A, B, or C; A or C; A or B; B or C; A and C; A and B; B and C; A (alone); B (alone); and C (alone).
As used herein, the term “about” when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, can include variations of +/−20%, more preferably +/−10%, even more preferably +/−5% from the specified value, as such variations are appropriate to reproduce the disclosed methods and systems.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are inherent to the structure and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is also to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting.
The constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required.” Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/592,870, filed Oct. 24, 2023, to Will Hemeyer et al., entitled “ABRASION PROTECTED MINING ROPE,” currently pending, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63592870 | Oct 2023 | US |
