U.S. patent application number 11/372991 was filed with the patent office on 2006-09-14 for support column installation assembly.
Invention is credited to E. Bane Kroeger.
Application Number | 20060201322 11/372991 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36969422 |
Filed Date | 2006-09-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060201322 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kroeger; E. Bane |
September 14, 2006 |
Support column installation assembly
Abstract
A support column cylinder assembly is provided for use with a
support column assembly having upper and lower support tubes and a
slidable clamp component for frictionally clamping the upper
support tube relative to the lower support tube. Some embodiments
of support column cylinder assembly comprise a first bearing
member, a second bearing member, and at least two hydraulic
cylinders operatively connected between the first and second
bearing members, the at least two hydraulic cylinders being
operative to apply a force to the second bearing member relative to
the first bearing member. The second bearing member is adapted to
be positioned against a clamp component of a support column for
applying a force to the support column clamp component relative to
the first bearing member.
Inventors: |
Kroeger; E. Bane;
(Carbondale, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Bryan K. Wheelock
Suite 400
7700 Bonhomme
St. Louis
MO
63105
US
|
Family ID: |
36969422 |
Appl. No.: |
11/372991 |
Filed: |
March 10, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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60660576 |
Mar 10, 2005 |
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60660577 |
Mar 10, 2005 |
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60660558 |
Mar 10, 2005 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
91/499 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21D 15/523
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
091/499 |
International
Class: |
F01B 3/00 20060101
F01B003/00 |
Claims
1. A hydraulic cylinder assembly for installing a roof support of
the type in which relative axial movement of clamp member secures
first and second telescoping tubular supports, the hydraulic
cylinder assembly comprising: a first bearing member adapted to
engage one of the tubular supports; a second bearing member adapted
to engage the clamp member; and at least one hydraulic cylinder
operatively connected between the first and second bearing members,
the at least one hydraulic cylinder being operative to apply a
force to the second bearing member relative to the first bearing
member, wherein the second bearing member is adapted to be
positioned against a clamp member of a support column for applying
a force to the support column clamp component to axially move the
clamp member to engage the first and second telescoping tubular
supports.
2. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 1, wherein there are at
least two cylinders.
3. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 2, wherein the second
bearing member comprises first and second spaced apart plates that
are adapted to be removably assembled around a support column tube
such that the first and second plates are centered around the
support column tube to apply a force to the clamp member that is
substantially in line with the support column tube.
4. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 3, wherein the support
column component is a collet for a support column assembly.
5. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 3 wherein the hydraulic
cylinder assembly is adapted for use with a support column in which
at least one of the tubes includes a bearing plate, the first
bearing member being adapted to be positioned between a support
column base plate and the support column clamp member for applying
a force to the clamp member relative to the support column base
plate.
6. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 5, wherein each end of
the at least two hydraulic cylinders comprises a pivotal connection
means selected from the group consisting of a rod eye and a rod end
clevis.
7. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 6, wherein the first
and second bearing members are operatively connected to the ends of
the at least two hydraulic cylinders by a pivot pin and a pivotal
connection means selected from the group consisting of an eye
bracket or a clevis bracket.
8. The hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 5, wherein the first
bearing member comprises first and second spaced apart plates that
are adapted to be removably assembled around a support column tube,
such that the first and second plates are centered around the
support cylinder tube to apply a force to the support column base
plate that is substantially aligned with the support column
tube.
9. A support column hydraulic cylinder assembly for use with a
support column having upper and lower support tubes and a slidable
clamp component for frictionally clamping the upper support tube
relative to the lower support tube, the support column cylinder
assembly comprising: an upper bearing assembly for distributing an
applied force to a clamp component of a support column assembly; a
lower bearing assembly for distributing an applied force to a
support column base plate; a hydraulic pump for supplying hydraulic
fluid pressure; and at least two hydraulic cylinder s operatively
connected to the upper and lower bearing assemblies and configured
to apply an effective amount of force between the upper and lower
bearing assemblies for movably pressing the clamp component in
place on a support column assembly when a hydraulic fluid pressure
is supplied to the at least two hydraulic cylinders.
10. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 9
wherein the upper bearing assembly comprises first and second
plates are adapted to be removably assembled around a support
column tube such that the first and second plates are centered
around the support cylinder tube to apply a force to a support
column base plate that is substantially aligned with the support
column tube.
11. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 10,
wherein the lower bearing assembly is adapted to be positioned
against a support column base plate and the upper bearing assembly
is adapted to be positioned against a cylindrical clamp component,
for applying a force against the cylindrical clamp component
relative to the support column base plate.
12. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 11
wherein the support column assembly is positioned between two
opposing spaced apart surfaces to be supported by the support
column assembly.
13. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 12
wherein the force applied by the at least two hydraulic cylinders
to the clamp component produces an opposing frictional force
resulting from the compression of the clamp component against the
upper and lower support tubes, such that the force transferred to
the surfaces to be supported is minimized.
14. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 13
wherein the effective amount of force for movably pressing the
clamp component in place on a support column assembly is between
about 40,000 and about 75,000 pounds.
15. The support column hydraulic cylinder assembly of claim 10
wherein each end of the at least two hydraulic cylinders comprise a
pivotal connection means selected from the group consisting of a
rod eye and a rod end clevis.
16. The support column cylinder assembly of claim 15 wherein the
upper and lower bearing assemblies are operatively connected to the
ends of the at least two hydraulic cylinders by a pivot pin and a
pivotal connection means selected from the group consisting of an
eye bracket or a clevis bracket.
17. A method of using a hydraulic cylinder assembly having first
and second bearing members and at least two hydraulic cylinders
pivotally connected between the first and second bearing members,
for pressing a support column clamp component in place on a support
column, the method comprising: positioning the first bearing
assembly against a support column base plate; positioning the
second bearing assembly against a clamp component on the support
column; and supplying a sufficient hydraulic pressure to the at
least two hydraulic cylinders to apply an effective amount of force
to the clamp component to press the clamp component in place on the
support column.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of
assembling a first and second plate of the second bearing assembly
around a support column tube to center the second bearing assembly
around the support tube in position against the clamp
component.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the clamp component is a
collet.
20. A method of setting a telescoping support column comprising
first and second telescoping support tubes that are secured by the
axial movement of at least one clamp member, the method comprising
engaging one end of a hydraulically actuated device to one of the
first and second support columns, engaging the other end of the
hydraulically actuated device to the clamp member, and operating
the hydraulically actuated device to axially move the clamp member
to secure the first and second support tubes.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein there is a bearing plate on at
least one of the support tubes, and wherein the hydraulically
actuated device engages the bearing plate.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. Nos. 60/660,576, 60/660,577, and
60/660,578, all filed on Mar. 10, 2005, the entire disclosures of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for
setting an adjustable vertical support column assembly in place, to
support a roof or other structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Support columns are often used to counteract the force that
gravity exerts on a mass supported by a roof or other overhead
structure. Support columns may also be positioned between two
vertical objects under load to keep the objects spaced apart from
each other. In underground mining, for example, support columns are
used as supports for mine roofs. These support columns are
generally positioned perpendicularly between the mine floor and the
mine roof. The required length of the support column assembly will
accordingly vary with respect to the height of the mine roof to be
supported. Fabricating support columns of varying lengths can be
costly, and trimming or adjusting the length of columns during
installation can be time consuming. Setting the support column in
place can also involve considerable effort and heavy equipment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Various embodiments of a support column cylinder assembly
provide for setting a clamp assembly on a support column in place.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, some embodiments of
a support column cylinder assembly are provided for use with a
support column assembly having upper and lower support tubes and a
slidable clamp component for frictionally clamping the upper
support tube relative to the lower support tube. Some embodiments
of support column cylinder assembly comprise a first bearing
member, a second bearing member, and at least two hydraulic
cylinders operatively connected between the first and second
bearing members, the at least two hydraulic cylinders being
operative to apply a force between the first and second bearing
members. The second bearing member is adapted to be positioned
against a clamp component of a support column, for applying a force
to the clamp component to clamp the support column assembly. In
some embodiments, the second bearing member may comprise first and
second spaced apart plates that are adapted to be removably
assembled around a support column tube, such that the first and
second plates are centered around the support column tube to apply
a force to the support column component that is substantially in
line with the support column tube. The lower bearing member is
adapted to be positioned against a base plate of a support column,
and the upper bearing member is adapted to be positioned against a
cylindrical clamp component, such that the at least two hydraulic
cylinders can apply a force against the cylindrical clamp component
relative to the support column base plate. The force applied by the
at least two hydraulic cylinders causes the clamp component to
move, which produces a frictional force in opposition to the
cylinder force resulting from the compression of the clamp
component against the upper and lower support tubes. The effect of
the frictional force results in only a percentage of the full force
of the at least two hydraulic cylinders being transferred to the
two spaced apart surfaces being supported.
[0005] In another aspect of the present invention, one embodiment
of a method for using the hydraulic cylinder assembly for setting a
clamp component on a support column in place is provided. The
method comprises positioning the first bearing assembly against a
support column base plate, positioning the second bearing assembly
against a clamp component on the support column, and supplying a
sufficient hydraulic pressure to the at least two hydraulic
cylinders to apply an effective amount of force to the clamp
component to press the clamp component in place on the support
column.
[0006] Further areas of applicability of the present invention will
become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter.
It should be understood that the detailed description and specific
examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the
invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are
not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The present invention will become more fully understood from
the detailed description and the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of a hydraulic
cylinder assembly positioned in place around a vertical support
column in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
and
[0009] FIG. 2 is an orthogonal projection of one embodiment of a
hydraulic cylinder assembly in accordance with the principles of
the present invention.
[0010] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0011] One embodiment of a hydraulic cylinder assembly for use in
setting a clamp component in place on a vertical support column is
shown generally as 20 in FIG. 1. The hydraulic cylinder assembly 50
comprises a first bearing member 52, a second bearing member 58,
and at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 operatively connected
between the first and second bearing members 52 and 58, the at
least two hydraulic cylinders 54 being operative to apply a force
to the second bearing member 58 relative to the first bearing
member 52. The second bearing member 58 is adapted to be positioned
against a clamp component 30 of a support column assembly for
applying a force to the clamp component 30 to set the support
column in place. The support column assembly shown in FIG. 1
comprises a base plate 22 having a lower support tube 24 extending
perpendicularly from the base plate 22. The lower support tube 24
is slidably disposed within the clamp component 30 and an upper
support tube 26, which extends perpendicularly from a bearing plate
28. The clamp component 30 in this embodiment is generally a
tapered cylindrical collet adapted to be received within an opening
of the upper support tube 26. When the tapered collet 30 is pressed
into the upper support tube 26, the collet is compressed against
the lower support tube 24 to frictionally grip the lower support
tube 24 and effectively clamp the lower support tube 24 relative to
the upper support tube 26. An example of this embodiment of a
support column, as well as other embodiments of a support column
assembly having a clamp component, are disclosed in co-pending U.S.
Provisional Patent Applications entitled "Support Column Assembly"
and "Support Column Collet Assembly", which were filed on Feb. 25,
2005 and are incorporated herein by reference.
[0012] One embodiment of a support column hydraulic cylinder
assembly 20 for use with a support column having upper and lower
support tubes 24 and 26 and a slidable clamp component 30 is shown
in FIG. 1. The hydraulic cylinder assembly 20 is preferably
configured to press the slidable clamp component 30 to frictionally
secure the upper support tube 26 relative to the lower support tube
24. In this embodiment, the hydraulic cylinder assembly 20
comprises an upper bearing assembly 58 for distributing an applied
force to a clamp component 30 of a support column assembly, a lower
bearing assembly 52 for distributing an applied force to a support
column base plate 22, a hydraulic pump (not shown) for supplying a
working hydraulic fluid pressure to the at least two hydraulic
cylinders 54, and at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 operatively
connected to the upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58. The
hydraulic cylinders 54 are configured to apply an effective amount
of force between the upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58
for movably pressing the clamp component 30 in place between the
upper and lower support tubes 24 and 26. The effective amount of
force may be provided when a hydraulic fluid pressure is supplied
to the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54, where the effective
amount of force for movably pressing the clamp component 30 in
place on this support column embodiment is in the range of about
40,000 to 75,000 pounds.
[0013] The upper bearing assembly in this embodiment preferably
comprises first and second spaced apart plates 58a and 58b that are
adapted to be removably assembled around a support column tube 26,
such that the first and second plates 58a and 58b are centered
around the support cylinder tube 26 to allow the force applied to
the support column clamp component 30 to be substantially aligned
with the support column tube 26. Specifically, plates 58a and 58b
are fastened by bolts 60, which may be removed to disassemble and
position the first and second plates 58a and 58b around a support
column tube 26. The edges of the first and second plates 58a and
58b may be positioned under and adjacent to the cylindrical clamp
or collet component 30, such that the hydraulic cylinder force may
be applied by the plates 58a and 58b to the clamp component 30 to
press the clamp into place. The lower bearing assembly 52 of the
support column hydraulic cylinder assembly is adapted to be
positioned against a support column base plate 22, such that the
hydraulic cylinders 54 may apply a force against the cylindrical
clamp component 30 relative to the support column base plate 22.
The support column assembly shown in FIG. 1 is preferably
positioned between two opposing spaced apart surfaces to be
supported by the support column assembly, such as a generally
horizontal floor surface and a generally horizontal roof surface in
a mine, for example.
[0014] The force applied by the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54
to the clamp component 30 produces an opposing frictional force
resulting from the compression of the clamp component 30 between
the upper and lower support tubes 24 and 26, such that the force
transferred to the surfaces to be supported is minimized. The force
applied by the at least two hydraulic cylinders 54 causes the clamp
component 30 to move, which produces a frictional force in
opposition to the hydraulic force that results from the compression
of the clamp component between the upper and lower support tubes.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the clamp component 30 is
preferably a collet having at least two slots. When the collet is
pressed within the opening in the end of the upper support tube 26,
the tapered end of the collet deflects and is compressed by the
upper support tube 26. The collet 30 also concurrently compresses
the lower support tube 24. The movement of the collet 30 within the
upper support tube 26 compresses the collet 30 against the lower
support tube 24, which produces a frictional force along the inner
surface of the upper support tube 26 and the outer surface of the
lower support tube 24. The hydraulic force applied to the collet 30
is counter-acted by the frictional force resulting from the normal
forces that compress the collet 30. This minimizes any forces
transferred to surfaces to be supported by the support column. In
one example, the forces applied by the embodiment of a hydraulic
cylinder assembly shown in FIG. 1 for movably pressing the clamp
component 30 in place was in the range of about 40,000 to 75,000
pounds.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 2, the support column hydraulic cylinder
assembly comprises a pivotal connection at each end of the at least
two hydraulic cylinders 54. Each end of the at least two hydraulic
cylinders comprise a pivotal connection means such as a rod eye or
a rod end clevis. Likewise, the upper and lower bearing assemblies
52 and 58 are preferably connected to the ends of the at least two
hydraulic cylinders 54 by a pivot pin and a pivotal connection
means such as an eye bracket or a clevis bracket. Thus, the
hydraulic cylinders 54 are operatively connected to the upper and
lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58 to apply a force that is
distributed by the upper and lower bearing assemblies 52 and 58 to
the corresponding support column components.
[0016] The description of the invention is merely exemplary in
nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of
the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention.
Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the
spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *