Abstract: A mine roof support frame has a pair of spaced-apart floor skids on which hydraulic props support a roof engaging structure. A shifting mechanism with a ram in a trough-like housing and a guide beam is positioned between the skids and serves to displace the frame relative to a scraper-chain conveyor and vice versa. The guide beam is a flat plate with a width more or less the same as the space between the skids and rests directly on the floor. The piston rod of the ram is coupled to the guide beam near the conveyor, the ram cylinder is coupled to the housing and the housing is coupled to the skids at the stowage end. The ram housing has a guide rail on the underside which mates with a guide element on the top of the guide beam. Levers pivotably coupled to the floor sills in front of the ram housing are operated by piston and cylinder units to engage on the guide beam to lift the floor skids partially during advancement of the frame.

Abstract: A mine roof support or lining frame for use in mine workings with thick inclined seams has hydraulic props mounted between an inclined goaf shield and a floor sill. The floor sill is coupled with a shifting mechanism to a frame supporting a conveyor extending along a working face of the seam. Mineral from a region of the seam extending over the support passes through an opening in the shield onto a chute which takes an inclined disposition parallel to the conveyor. Material transferred to the chute discharges in the direction of transport of the conveyor.

Abstract: A so-called externally-situated advance mechanism is arranged between the floor sills of adjacent mine roof support units. The advance mechanism includes two laterally-spaced guide rods, and two advance rams positioned above the guide rods. The front ends of the guide rods are connected to a head-piece. A bridge is connected to the two guide rods at a distance behind this head-piece. The piston rods of the two advance rams act on this bridge. The cylinders of the rams are connected, at a distance therebehind, to brackets fixed to the floor sills. Said brackets form guides for the guide rods.

Abstract: A mine roof support unit has a mechanism for adjusting the angular position of an auxiliary cap relative to a main cap, the auxiliary cap and the main cap forming the roof cap of the mine roof support unit. The auxiliary cap is connected to the main cap by a first pivot joint. The cap-positioning mechanism comprises a hydraulic ram and a lever acting between the main cap and the auxiliary cap. The auxiliary cap is provided with an extension arm projecting from the first pivot joint towards the main cap. One end portion of the lever is connected to the arm by a second pivot joint, and the other end of the lever is connected to a block attached to the piston rod of the ram by a third pivot joint. The cylinder of the ram is attached to the main cap.

Abstract: A roof support assembly is constituted by a plurality of roof support units and a plurality of advance mechanisms. The units are positioned side-by-side along a longwall face of a mineral mining working. Each advance mechanism comprises a pair of generally parallel hydraulic advance rams and a guide rod system constituted by a pair of resilient generally parallel guide rods. Each guide rod system is attached, at one end, to a conveyor extending along the longwall face. The other end of each guide rod of each advance mechanism is attached to a respective slide piece which is slidably guided on a respective guide rail which is attached to a respective floor girder of a roof support unit. The slide pieces are attached to the piston rods of the hydraulic advance rams. The cylinders of the hydraulic advance rams are attached to one of the adjacent floor girders, and the slide piece attached to the piston rod of hydraulic advance ram is attached to the guide rod system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a mine roof support assembly for use in winning mineral material from a mineral mining working having a mineral face. The assembly comprises three roof support units positioned side-by-side along the face, and a goaf shield common to the three units. Each of the roof support units has a roof shield supported on a floor sill. The goaf shield is adjustable in height so as to extend from the floor to the roof of the working. Advance means are provided for advancing the roof support units towards the face, and further advance means are provided for advancing the goaf shield to follow up the advance of the roof support units. The further advance means acts between the goaf shield and the roof support units, and is such as to advance the goaf shield by a distance greater than the distance through which the advance means advances the roof support units.

Abstract: A mine roof support assembly comprises three basically similar mine roof support units positioned in a side-by-side relationship along a beam. The central unit is fastened to the beam for movement therewith, and the two outer units are flexibly connected to the beam by respective guide rod assemblies. Each of the outer units is provided with an alignment device, such as a short working stroke hydraulic ram, which acts on the beam in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the beam.

Abstract: A shield-type support assembly for a mine working is composed of three substantially identical frames aligned side-by-side. Each frame has a floor sill structure which carries props capable of bracing a roof cap and the floor sill structure between the roof and floor of a mine working. A goaf shield is provided for each frame and these shields combine to screen off the goaf zone. The outer frames on the one hand and the central frame on the other are shiftable in alternation with the aid of shifting rams. One or more transverse arms extend across the forward regions of the frames and the or each arm is carried by the central frame floor sill structure. Guide devices are connected to the arm or arms and serve to guide the frames when shifted by the rams and the rams themselves transmit the shifting or reaction forces to the arm or arms.The coupling between the floor sill structures of the frames permits relative vertical mobility therebetween to cope with variations in the floor level of the working.

Abstract: A mine support assembly is composed of separate floor-engaging sills each supporting one or more telescopic props and a goaf shield pivotably connected to a roof cap. The props can be extended or retracted to raise or lower the roof cap. The shield is divided into a common upper section and lower parts each pivotably connected to the upper section and to a respective associated one of the floor sills. Levers are pivotably connected between the sills and the upper section of the goaf shield and serve with the lower shield parts as a guide means ensuring the roof cap is raised or lowered without appreciable horizontal displacement. The floor sills and lower shield parts are respectively spaced apart and a shifting ram is connected to the floor sills via a transverse yoke pivotably connected to the forward end regions of the sills.