Patent ID: 8591151
Filing Date: 2013-11-26
Classification: E21D,E21F

Abstract:
1. A method of removing excavated material from a mine shaft during formation of the mine shaft for an underground mine, comprising: transporting excavated material upwardly on a substantially continuous basis from an excavation region of the shaft to a transfer station above the excavation region; depositing the transported excavated material into a plurality of storage bins located at the transfer station such that transported excavated material is temporarily stored in the bins to build static discrete bin loads of material; cyclically discharging the discrete bin loads of excavated material from the plurality of storage bins into a plurality of skips associated one with each of the storage bins, the skips being moveable up and down along skip guides within the shaft; cyclically hoisting each skip after it receives a discrete bin load of excavated material from the respective associated bin to an earth surface region, discharging the load of excavated material from the skip at the surface region and lowering the skip back to the transfer station to receive a further discrete bin load of material from the respective associated bin; and periodically repositioning the transfer station and storage bins at successively downwardly displaced locations in the shaft as excavation proceeds.