A new material handling system has been designed by J. H. Fletcher & Co. that dramatically reduces the need to lift and place heavy steel mesh panels to protect personnel from rock that sloughs from roof and ribs.  The system allows one roll of synthetic mesh weighing 75 pounds to replace thirteen panels of steel wire mesh – the amount required to cover a 35-foot cut, including roof and ribs – which would weigh in excess of 850 pounds.

“Our goal was to reduce the incidence of injuries caused when miners have to lift steel wire panels to the roof while standing in awkward positions,” said Bill Kendall, Fletcher’s western U.S. sales manager.  “In addition to lower exposure to those types of injuries, the need for two persons to lift and place panels against the roof for bolting is also reduced.”

The system consists primarily of a roll holder attached to the bolter’s TRS.  Special articulating arms and roof pads are replaced by rounded versions that allow the mesh to pass over without snagging.  A tensioned roll of mesh, measuring about 35’ in length and nearly the width of the entry is lifted near the roof.  If ribs are to be secured, additional mesh is folded into the roll, and falls loose against the ribs as the material unwinds.  Hydraulic tubes support the mesh in the area where roof and ribs meet.

“The roll is loaded onto the machine before the bolter enters the cut,” Kendall explained.  “Workers pull the mesh over the TRS and clamp it in place. Once the bolter is in the cut and the TRS is raised near the roof, side tubes are extended, which tensions the mesh in both directions. The TRS is raised to the roof, and the end of the mesh is bolted in place.

“Next, the TRS is lowered slightly from the roof; the bolter is trammed forward to the next row. The system creates enough drag as the machine advances to maintain tension in both directions without additional handling.”

The mesh roll handling mechanism can be retrofitted onto most Fletcher bolters for use in seams as low as 72”.

J. H. Fletcher & Co. is a worldwide leader in mobile underground mining equipment used in coal and industrial minerals extraction. Its headquarters are in Huntington, West Virginia, USA.  For more information, call Ben Hardman at 304.525.7811, email bhardman@jhfletcher.com, or visit www.jhfletcher.com.