Friction rock stabilizers

Claim 1

A friction stabilizer for insertion in a bore in a structure such as a roof or side wall of a mine shaft or other underground opening for anchoring the structure, said stabilizer comprising a generally annular body from end-to-end having a slot through its thickness, said body including edge portions extending along opposite sides of said slot and relatively arranged to permit substantial circumferential compression of said body, said body being of outer diameter predetermined to be substantially larger than the diameter of the bore in which it is to be inserted such that insertion of said body in such bore causes substantial circumferential compression of said body, said body being dimensioned to be plastically deformed during its insertion in such bore, the stabilizer being free of structure precluding said substantial compression and plastic deformation of said body during its said insertion, said body being of material permitting its said substantial compression and plastic deformation during its said insertion and, after such insertion, causing the body outer periphery to frictionally engage the surrounding wall of the bore for frictionally anchoring the structure, the ratio of the length of said body to the outer diameter thereof being at least about 16 to 1, the ratio of the radial thickness of said body to the outer diameter thereof being at a maximum about 1 to 5 and at a minimum about 1 to 50, and the outer circumferential dimension of said body being at least two inches.