Abstract:
A mining sled with a movable bed. The movable bed nests within the sled and is slidable with respect to the sled. Stops are located on the sled to limit the distance the movable bed can travel with respect to the sled. The movable bed includes brackets at a first end for attachment to the pull-out rope of a pull-out winch. The second end of the movable bed includes a mount for attachment of a pulley. The pulley on the movable bed facilitates attachment to a pull-in rope that is connected to a pull-in winch for transporting the sled toward the continuous miner.

Description:
This application claims the benefit and priority date of Provisional Application 61/572,348 filed Jul. 14, 2011 in the name of Sterling Wayne Lowery. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to devices for moving ore out of a mine and more specifically to a sled with a movable bed which greatly improves the productivity of winch-operated mining systems. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Highwall mining is generally a method of mining whereby a remotely controlled continuous miner is positioned in a shaft to mine or cut ore from ore-bearing strata at a face area. The harvested ore is then transported to a bench area outside the shaft. Since the shaft is only wide enough to accommodate the miner and ore removal machinery, any machinery sent into the shaft cannot be turned around. 
     One method commonly used to transport ore from the continuous miner to an area outside the mine shaft is a winch-operated system. Winch-operated highwall mining systems commonly use a sled to transport the ore from the continuous miner to the bench area. A winch-operated highwall mining system is depicted in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,594,702, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto. 
     Operation of the winch-operated highwall mining system includes first pulling the empty sled to the continuous miner, holding the sled in position while the sled is filled by the continuous miner, and then pulling the sled away from the continuous miner to the bench area where it is unloaded. 
     The productivity of the aforementioned winch-operated highwall mining system is severely restricted by the usable load area of the sled. Increasing the sled length does not result in an increase in the productivity as the loadable area of the sled is limited to the load-distribution reach of the continuous miner. Thus, if a highwall mining sled is increased in length, it will not lead to an increase in productivity as the portion of the sled beyond the load-distribution reach will be unreachable by the continuous miner. As a consequence of the winch cabling to control the sled, a sled cannot be turned around in a winch-operated highwall mining system. Thus, it is not possible to turn a sled around within the highwall mine shaft in order to load the opposite end of the sled. 
     What is needed therefore is a device for improving the productivity of a winch-operated highwall mining system while avoiding the limitation imposed by the load-distribution reach of the continuous miner. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a mining sled with a movable bed. The movable bed nests within the sled and is slidable with respect to the sled. Stops are located on the sled to limit the distance the movable bed can travel with respect to the sled. The movable bed includes brackets at a first end for attachment to the pull-out rope of a pull-out winch. The second end of the movable bed includes a mount for attachment of a pulley. The pulley on the movable bed facilitates attachment to a pull-in rope that is connected to a pull-in winch for transporting the sled toward the continuous miner. 
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
     The sled of the present invention substantially doubles the productivity of a winch-operated highwall mining system. The sled overcomes the limitations imposed by the load-distribution reach of the continuous miner and the single orientation limitation of the sled imposed by the highwall mining operation. By providing a movable bed that can be moved from one end of the sled to the opposing end by action of the winch, the usable loading area of the sled is greatly expanded, thereby substantially doubling productivity of the winch-operated mining system. The sled with movable bed enables a continuous miner boom to load more tons on the sled per each cycle in and out of the mine. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a mining sled with movable bed according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the sled body portion of the mining sled of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an end view of the sled body of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the sled body. 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the sled body. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the movable bed portion of the mining sled of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a detail view of a portion of the pull-out end of the mining sled depicting a stop on the sled body and a bracket on the movable bed. 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the movable bed. 
         FIG. 9  is an end view of the movable bed. 
         FIG. 10  is a top view of the mining sled of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is an end view of the mining sled of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is an overhead view of a winch-operated mining system utilizing a conventional mining sled of the prior art. 
         FIG. 13  is an overhead view of a winch-operated mining system utilizing the mining sled of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 INDEX TO REFERENCE NUMERALS  
               
               
                 IN THE DRAWINGS 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 20 
                 mining sled with movable bed 
               
               
                 22 
                 sled body 
               
               
                 24 
                 movable bed 
               
               
                 26 
                 sled base 
               
               
                 28 
                 sled sidewall 
               
               
                 30 
                 pull-out end of sled 
               
               
                 32 
                 pull-in end of sled 
               
               
                 34 
                 outer surface of sled sidewall 
               
               
                 36 
                 rub rail 
               
               
                 38 
                 rope channel 
               
               
                 40 
                 bed stop 
               
               
                 42 
                 inner surface of sled sidewalls 
               
               
                 44 
                 bed base 
               
               
                 45 
                 sloped corner 
               
               
                 46 
                 bed sidewall 
               
               
                 48 
                 pull-out end of movable bed 
               
               
                 50 
                 pull-in end of movable bed 
               
               
                 52 
                 pulley support 
               
               
                 54 
                 leg 
               
               
                 56 
                 base plate 
               
               
                 58 
                 top plate 
               
               
                 59 
                 cable attachment mechanism 
               
               
                 60 
                 bracket 
               
               
                 62 
                 inner surface of bed sidewall 
               
               
                 64 
                 sleeve 
               
               
                 65 
                 spreader bar 
               
               
                 66 
                 bottom surface of sled body 
               
               
                 68 
                 skid plate 
               
               
                 70 
                 bolt 
               
               
                 72 
                 base of sleeve 
               
               
                 74 
                 lip 
               
               
                 76 
                 channel 
               
               
                 78 
                 aperture in bracket 
               
               
                 80 
                 plow edge 
               
               
                 82 
                 strut 
               
               
                 84 
                 shaft 
               
               
                 86 
                 pull-in pulley 
               
               
                 88 
                 winch-operated highwall mining system 
               
               
                 89 
                 conventional prior art mining sled 
               
               
                 90 
                 pull-in winch 
               
               
                 91 
                 pull-in rope 
               
               
                 92 
                 continuous miner 
               
               
                 93 
                 boom 
               
               
                 94 
                 chain conveyor 
               
               
                 95 
                 pull-out winch 
               
               
                 96 
                 pull-out rope 
               
               
                 97 
                 sling 
               
               
                 98 
                 pulley on continuous miner 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  there is shown the preferred embodiment of a mining sled  20  according to the present invention. The mining sled  20  includes a sled body  22  and a movable bed  24 . The sled body  22  includes a sled base  26 , two sled sidewalls  28  extending from the sled base  26 , a first or pull-out end  30 , and a second or pull-in end  32 . The sled sidewalls  28  include an inner surface  33 , an outer surface  34  and two rub rails  36  extend longitudinally along the outer surface  28 . The rub rails  36  include a separation there between defining a rope channel  38  on the exterior of the sidewalls  28 . A bed stop  40  is provided on the inner surface  42  of the sled sidewalls  28  at both the pull-out end  30  and the pull-in end  32 . 
     The movable bed  24  includes a bed base  44 , two corners  45 , two bed sidewalls  46  extending from the corners  45 , a first or pull-out end  48 , and a second or pull-in end  50 . A pulley support  52  extends from the bed base  44  at the pull-in end  50  of the movable bed  24 . The pulley support  52  includes two legs  54 , a base plate  56 , and a top plate  58  with the legs  54  extending from the bed base  44  to the base plate  56 . A cable attachment mechanism  59  at the pull-out end  48  of the movable bed  24  includes a bracket  60  extending from the inner surface  62  of each of the bed sidewalls  46 . A sleeve  64  extends longitudinally along the length of the inner surface  42  of the sled sidewalls  28  and holds the movable bed  24  within the confines of the sled body  22 . A spreader bar  65  extends between the two bed sidewalls  46  and is typically welded thereto in order to stabilize the bed sidewalls  46  and prevent them from buckling or bending inwards. Spreader bar  65  extends from said bed sidewalls  46  near said brackets  60  but in a position that will not interfere with later attachment of a rope or cable to the brackets  60 . Movable bed  24  is slideable within the sled body  22 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the sled base  26  of sled body  22  includes a bottom surface  66  and one or more skid plates  68  integral with the bottom surface  66 . As the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regulations stipulate that personnel cannot enter highwall mine shafts, highwall mines typically have unimproved floors and thus there typically are no rails, conveyors, or similar apparatus for transporting ore out of the mine. The skid plates  68  therefore function to maintain contact with the unimproved floor of the mine and provide a thick surface that is better able to absorb the wear and tear of continually traversing through the mine shaft and thereby minimize the wear and tear on the sled base  26 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 7 , there is shown a detailed view of the pull-out end  48  of the movable bed  24 . The bed stop  40  limits the travel of the movable bed  24  with respect to the sled body  22 . The connection of the bed stop  40  to the sled sidewall  28  is depicted with bolts  70 , but it is within the scope of the invention that bed stops  40  are welded onto the sled sidewalls  28 . Most preferably the bed stops  40  are vertical bars bolted or welded to the sled sidewalls  28 . The sleeves  64  include a base portion  72  secured to the sled sidewalls  28  and a lip  74  extending downward from the base portion  72 . The lip  74  and base portion  72  form a channel  76  for containing the bed sidewalls  46  and guiding the travel of the movable bed  24  within the sled body  22 . Bracket  60  includes an aperture  78  therein. The ends  48  and  50  of the bed base  44  include a plow edge  80  thereon to facilitate travel of the movable bed  24  within the sled body  22  and to insure that any ore spilled on the sled base  26  is scraped onto the bed base  44  with movement of the movable bed  24  within the sled body  22 . The plow edge  80  rides under and lifts any ore that is on the sled base  26  thereby forcing under the ore and moving it onto the bed base  44  as the movable bed  24  travels within the sled body  22 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 9 , the pulley support  52  further includes a plurality of struts  82  extending between the base plate  56  and the top plate  58 . A shaft  84  extends between the base plate  56  and the top plate  58  and includes a pull-in pulley  86  on the shaft  84 . Pull-in pulley  86  provides a connection point for connection of a pull-in rope (not shown) of a winch-operated highwall mining system. 
     With reference to  FIG. 12 , there is depicted a conventional winch-operated highwall mining system  88  using a conventional prior art mining sled  89  to transport mined coal. In the winch-operated highwall mining system, a pull-in winch  90  is used to operate a pull-in rope  91  and pull the sled  89  into a mine to a stationary loading position behind a continuous miner  92 . In the loading position, a boom  93  on the continuous miner  92  guides a chain conveyor  94  which dumps the mined coal onto the sled  89 . The boom  93  of a conventional continuous miner  92  is approximately nine to twelve feet in length. The trajectory of the coal coming off the boom  93  allows it to load conventional sleds of eleven to twelve feet in length. With the sled  89  pulled into position behind the continuous miner  92 , the miner boom  93  starts to load the fixed length sled  89 . As the conventional sled  89  is filled, video cameras (not shown) on the continuous miner  92  enable an operator to actuate the pull-out winch  95  thereby enabling the pull-out rope  96  to pull the loading sled away from the continuous miner  92 . As the sled  89  is being loaded, the operator continues pulling the sled forward distributing the load thereon, until the entire length of the sled  89  is loaded. After the coal is loaded on the conventional sled  89 , the pull-out rope  96  is actuated by the pull-out winch  95  to pull the sled  89  out of the mine. 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , there is shown a winch-operated highwall mining system using the mining sled  20  of the present invention. The mining sled with movable bed  20  of the present invention substantially increases production by essentially doubling the tonnage of ore that is carried out of the highwall shaft on each winch cycle. The mining sled with movable bed  20  preferably includes a sled body  22  of eighteen feet length or longer with an inner movable bed  24  within the sled body  22 . The movable bed  24  is approximately one-half the length of the sled body  22  and is slideable within the sled body  22 . 
     In the mining sled  20  of the present invention, the pull-in rope  91  and pull-out rope  96  are both attached to the movable bed  24  rather than to a fixed-length sled as in the prior art. A sling  97  connects the pull-out rope  96  to the brackets  60  at the pull-out end  48  of the movable bed  24 . In the loading cycle, when the sled  20  is pulled into the mine toward the continuous miner  92 , the wire pull-in rope  91  is wound around pulleys  98  on the continuous miner  92  and around the pull-in pulley  86  on the movable bed  24 . Actuating the pull-in winch  90  pulls the movable bed  24  to the pull-in end  32  of the sled body  22 . The bed stops  40  on the sled body  22  function to keep the movable bed  24  within the sled body  22 . After the movable bed  24  is pulled to the pull-in end  32  of the sled body  22 , it is in position behind the continuous miner  92  and ready to accept a load. As the movable bed  24  is loaded, the remote operator utilizes the video cameras mounted on the continuous miner  92  to gradually pull the movable bed  24  toward the pull-out end  30  of the sled body  22 . After the movable bed  24  is loaded, the operator gradually pulls the movable bed  24  forward until the total mining sled  20  is loaded including the sled base  26  and the bed base  44 . Both connections to the winches  90  and  95 , including the pull-in rope  91  and pull-out rope  96 , are attached to the inner movable and sliding bed  24 . The movable bed  24  is held within the sled body  22  by the sleeves  64  extending from the sled sidewalls  28  and by the bed stops  40  at each end  30  and  32  of the sled body  22 . As the sling  97  exerts an inward force on the bed sidewalls  46 , spreader bar  65  extends between the bed sidewalls  46  thereby strengthening them and keeping them parallel to each other. By substantially doubling the load per winch cycle and eliminating an extra pull-in cycle and pull-out cycle, the mining sled with movable bed  20  of the present invention provides a significant boost in productivity of winch-operated highwall mining systems. 
     The sled body  22  and movable bed  24  of the mining sled of the present invention are both preferably constructed of metal. Most preferably, the sled body  22  and movable bed  24  are constructed of steel. 
     Although the description above contains many specific descriptions, materials, and dimensions, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.