DEVICE FOR CONCRETION MINING Russian patent published in 2001 - IPC

FIELD: mining of ferro- manganese and phosphorite concretions and similar depositions of shelf seas and deep ocean bottoms presented, mainly, by horizontal and slightly inclined thin depositions located on bottom surface with minor deepening (up to 0.5-1.0 m) from their surface level. SUBSTANCE: preferable field of device application are deposits of phosphorite and ferro-manganese concretions and also placers of shelf and slightly consolidated thin depositions of deep bottoms. Device has frame actuating member with drive, suction dredge with suction and pressure pulp liners; carrying displacement floats with supporting skids extensible by means of telescopic hydraulic cylinders; bin with inclined bar screen. Actuating member is made in form of multibucket chain whose bucket length exceeds bucket height by a factor of 5. Bottom of each bucket is made of separate plates of sickle-shaped and triangular in section with triangle base facing bottom internal surface of bucket and accumulating bin with inclined bar screen. Distance between separate plates of bucket bottom corresponds to minimal sizes of concretions of commercial ore, and distance between plates of inclined screen corresponds to maximum concretion sizes. In operation of device, delivered to surface are concretions with preset minimum and maximum sizes (commercial ore) and negligible contamination with enclosing rocks, and minimal disturbance of ecological equilibrium in point of performance of mining operations due to formation of suspension cloud insignificant in parameters. EFFECT: higher efficiency. 7 dwg