Pit bike

Old pit bike in the Recklinghausen training mine

A pit bike , even pit racer called, is a track bike in lightweight construction for one to four people. The bicycle is used to ensure that miners who work in mobile operations can get to their locations more quickly. In some mines in the Ruhr area , several hundred mining bicycles were in use. There were separate underground bicycle sheds for bicycles, in which the bicycles could be locked at the end of the shift .

Basics

Since a craftsman (electrician, locksmith) cannot be at every point in a large mine with an extensive network of routes , but these miners have to be on the spot quickly in the event of a malfunction, the pit bike is an indispensable aid here too. In addition to the normal pit bikes, there are special load bikes on which loads such as explosives boxes, spare parts, tools and much more small parts can be carried.

History

As early as the first half of the 20th century, there were pit bikes on individual mines. However, these were the mines' own constructions and they were only produced in small numbers. Rail bikes were first used at the Holland colliery . In 1954, the Scharf machine factory presented the first industrially manufactured mine bike. The prototype of this bicycle was a single-seat construction with a luggage box. The bike was presented at the mining exhibition in Essen that same year. The then Federal Minister of Economics, Erhard, found the bicycle very useful for the miners. Other manufacturers, such as Demag , built their own pit bicycles that were suitable for transporting up to four people. The prototype of the mine bike was also further developed at Scharf and soon afterwards it was built with numbers of 30–40 units per month. In the following years the mine bike was further developed and equipped with modern technology, such as B. an automatic bicycle brake equipped.

Structure, function and handling

Pit bike on the Christiane pit

The pit bike consists of a tubular steel frame, but there are also bikes with aluminum frames . However, bicycles with aluminum frames are not approved for use in coal mining . It has four wheels and is moved by the driver by stepping on the pedals. The bike is equipped with a coaster brake for braking. This makes the bike for tracks with gradient can not put itself in motion from which bicycles can be equipped with an automatic bicycle brake. In addition, the bicycle has a freewheel due to the bicycle hub . Depending on the construction, the bike weighs between 30 and 90 kilograms. The wheels of the pit bike are built so that they have a low frictional resistance. As a result, the bike can be ridden by a man without great effort. So that the miners can sit while driving, the bike is equipped with one or more saddles , depending on the type . It is also possible that the pit bikes are equipped with a swiveling saddle. For the transport of material, material boxes are attached to the front and / or rear, depending on the bike construction. The use of pit bikes increases the driving speed and thus shortens the driving time. In addition, the use of pit bikes saves two thirds of human energy consumption compared to traveling on foot. This is particularly noticeable when the miner has to cover long distances. Thanks to its relatively low weight, the bike can be easily lifted off the rails and placed against the joint .

Trivia

The mine bike is sometimes the "most stolen" object in a colliery and is therefore carefully chained and locked by the owner. Towards the end of the shift, the rail bike enables a “thief” to be at the shaft before the passenger train and to take the first basket out . The rail bike is left just before the shaft so that the owner can find it again.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Der Grubenflitzer. In: Bahnexpress, Magazin für Werkbahnfreunde, No. 71, Kiel 1994, pp. 194–199.
^ ^A ^b ^c ^d Walter Bischoff , Heinz Bramann, Westfälische Berggewerkschaftskasse Bochum: The small mining encyclopedia . 7th edition, Verlag Glückauf GmbH, Essen 1988, ISBN 3-7739-0501-7 .
^ ^A ^b ^c ^d ^e Carl Hellmut Fritzsche: Textbook of mining science . Second volume, 10th edition, Springer Verlag, Berlin / Göttingen / Heidelberg 1962, pp. 374–375.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Automatic bicycle brake for a pit bicycle . Patent specification of Ruhrkohle AG, application number: DE 19883838161, publication date May 17, 1990.

Remarks

↑ If components made of aluminum or other light metals strike rusty iron parts, this creates sparks with great ignitability. This reaction , known as thermite reaction, can also occur if there is rust film on the aluminum parts and B. is hit with a hammer. Methane gas mixtures can be ignited by these sparks . (Source: Technical rules for operational safety, TRBS 2152 Part 3. Dangerous explosive atmosphere - avoiding ignition of dangerous explosive atmosphere .)

[Quelle_3-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Der Grubenflitzer. In: Bahnexpress, Magazin für Werkbahnfreunde, No. 71, Kiel 1994, pp. 194–199.

[Quelle_1-2] A ^b ^c ^d Walter Bischoff , Heinz Bramann, Westfälische Berggewerkschaftskasse Bochum: The small mining encyclopedia . 7th edition, Verlag Glückauf GmbH, Essen 1988, ISBN 3-7739-0501-7 .

[Quelle_2-3] A ^b ^c ^d ^e Carl Hellmut Fritzsche: Textbook of mining science . Second volume, 10th edition, Springer Verlag, Berlin / Göttingen / Heidelberg 1962, pp. 374–375.

[Quelle_4-4] Automatic bicycle brake for a pit bicycle . Patent specification of Ruhrkohle AG, application number: DE 19883838161, publication date May 17, 1990.

[Anm._Termit.-5] If components made of aluminum or other light metals strike rusty iron parts, this creates sparks with great ignitability. This reaction , known as thermite reaction, can also occur if there is rust film on the aluminum parts and B. is hit with a hammer. Methane gas mixtures can be ignited by these sparks . (Source: Technical rules for operational safety, TRBS 2152 Part 3. Dangerous explosive atmosphere - avoiding ignition of dangerous explosive atmosphere .)