ROCK PRYING APPARATUS FOR HANGING ROOF IN MINES

摘要

The invention concerns a rock prying apparatus (10) which includes a rod (12) having an operating end carrying an hydraulically or pneumatically actuated prying mechanism (40). The mechanism (40) is actuable, when supplied with hydraulic or pneumatic fluid under pressure, to pry rock fragments free of a wall in a mine working. This is achieved by working a tip of the mechanism into a crack in the wall and actuating the mechanism to cause jaws (40.1, 40.2) to open. The preferred embodiment has a manually operated hydraulic pump (16) for supplying hydraulic or pneumatic fluid under pressure to the prying mechanism (40) to cause the jaws to open.