Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia, Gmbh

Helmut Langenberg

Gerhard Merten

Werner Georg

Hans-Theodor Grisebach

Heinz Weinhold

The specification discloses a method of, and apparatus for, winning mineral material from the pillars left by the bord-and-pillar mining process. An arcuate longwall face, which may be convex or concave, is formed along a row of pillars. The mineral material in the pillars is won by mechanical winning means such as a plough, the pillars in each row being won in a non-uniform manner. Some of the mineral material won from the longwall face may be used to fill the stalls left between the pillars behind the longwall face.

Method of, and apparatus for, winning mineral material

A conveyor is composed of a series of L-shaped sections arranged end-to-end to define a conveying floor surface with a side wall at one side opposite the mineral face so as to allow material to fall onto the floor surface. The side wall has a slot or gap therein through which extends entrainment devices capable of extending across the floor surface or being stowed inwards towards the side wall. Where the conveyor is constructed as a shuttle conveyor the entrainment devices are allowed to pivot automatically between these alternate positions as they are driven back and forth along the floor surface by a reciprocating traction means. The traction means runs outside the side wall and the devices are pivotably mounted to the traction means which preferably also performs a guide function.

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Waltrop, Germany

Helmut Langenberg