Introduction Continuous miner is a machine used for cutting and loading of coal used in underground Bord and Pillar mining operation. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of such a machine. The machine is operated through manual control from operator's compartment. The development of continuous miner as a main underground cutter loader in the 60s and 70s was familiar in UK because of the use of Road Header and Dint Header as development machines and was paralleled with the development of road heading machine. —. ~@ 1 came St ter mae rong oe 2 Saber onan ¢ to cantare 4 Ser anam cya 5: cag Caner 1 Comey Cpe Fig. 1 Continuous Miner 124Cutter Head The cutter head may be of Borer type, Ripper type, Oscillating head type and Horizontal drum type. The majority of the contimous miners currently in operation are of horizontal Drum type on which the blocks are mounted in the form of a scroll or scrolls, carrying pick boxes. The pick boxes are welded or bolted to the drum. It is a casting specially shaped to hold picks and contains slot, a hole for the pick shank. The picks have the cemented carbide tips brazed. The cemented carbide tip is the cutting portion of the pick and consists of two materials, tungsten carbide and cobalt, sintered together to form a matrix of carbide grains within a cement of fused carbon. The most important physical properties of the cemented carbide are hardness and toughness. The value of both these properties can be varied by the presence of cobalt (Fig. 2). If the carbide is too hard, premature fracturing may occur, too soft may lead to the fast wearing out of the picks. The angle of attack (Fig. 3) of a pick is defined as the angle formed by a line drawn longitudinally through the shank and the point of pick and the line forming the radius of the pick point. In a point attack pick with a point cone angle of, say, 60 degree, the sum of the back and front clearance angles will be equal to 30 degrees. The individual values of the clearance angle will depend upon the attack angle in use at the time (Fig. 4). For a single scroll, the position of the picks on an auger is usually determined as shown in Fig. 5. Multi- scroll drums can be made by the interspersing of pick boxes to the required pattem. Thus more than one pick per line can be made available. o oo" ue 180°| 20! 2300" 60? (Pres Gren et [5 Pek epaing om seta Fig. 5 Position of the picks on the Augur Fig. 2 Variation of Hardness and toughness of cemented Carbide with amount of cobalt The rotary drum is fundamentally a cutting and loading unit with a horizontal cutting element mounted on the boom that can be elevated or depressed in a fixed vertical arc about 125the loading head. The cutting element comprises two helical scrolls located horizontally on either side of Ripperveyor. The welded pick boxes containing picks are mounted on the scroll. With the rotation of the drum, the picks cut the coal and the helical scroll move coal towards the center of the loading head. The whole machine sumps into solid coal face at roof level, for depth of about 0.60 m, The boom then shears down to the floor in a flat vertical are The whole machine moves backward for the approximate sump depth. The coal so mined is conveyed through the center of the machine by means of gathering arms and chain conveyor. The drum width varies from 3 m to 6 m, typically being powered by two motors of 80 KW to 180 KW each. Cutter diameters are 600 mm to 1200 mm, with standard machines being designed to cut 800 mm to 4700 mm extraction thickness. The high powers provided to the cutters allow mining rates of up to 1000 tph, this is often not sustainable because of loading restrictions. The cutter motors are mounted in the boom immediately behind the cutter drums. Drive is transmitted by the chains or gears. The chains may also be equipped with pick boxes. The motors are water cooled, venting to extemal sprays, or closed loop systems when used to cut materials to which water cannot be added. A road way can be formed by a series of cutting passes as the machine is advanced. Some of the leading manufacturers of such machine are JOY MINING MACHINERY / UK and SANDVIK / SWEEDEN. The model 12CM18-10B of JOY MINING MACHINERY / UK has the following technical features: Cutting system The heart of any continuous miner is the cutting system which is available of 915 mm diameter cutter drum for medium to high seam applications. The cutting system features two 150 hp cutter motors designed. The high efficiency flooded bed dust collector available with flows 3500 to 10,000 efin capacity depending on the model is incorporated with the machine. The machine has six motors used in conjunction with direct gearing to power traction, cutting, gathering and hydraulic systems of the machine. A grease operated piston assembly in each crawler track take-up is used to tension the crawler chain and remove slack. Grease pressure forces the take-up unit forward to tension the chain. Loading The loading performance of continuous miner is matched to the cutting capacity, twin gathering arms, mounted on the apron type gathering head at the front of the machine. The gathering arms load the coal into the central chain conveyor, normally 760 mm wide which uses a single strap link, center strand chain to drive and support the flights. Center strand chain is used to incorporate a horizontal slew facility of 30° in either direction to allow 126flexibility of loading into the haulage machine. The loading capacity of miner gathering / conveyor systems is in the range of 300 to 1000 tph depending upon the machine height and configuration, Most machines employ one motor of 40 to 65 kW, to simultaneously drive the gathering arm and center conveyor, the largest miner uses two motors of 48 kW each to fulfill the same function, all motors being the water cooled. Traction The majority of continuous miners now employ electric traction drive systems. Water cooled 20 kW / 40 KW de motors (one per track) in series allow speed variation with the load. Normal operating speeds are 2500 rpm reducing to 1000 rpm at full voltage with heavy loads. A reduction gearbox gives 600:1 reduction ratio to drive the sprockets. Electronic speed control and AC / DC conversion is used. The miners have variable sump speed (0 to 0.08 m/s) which is adjusted and set on installation to match cutting forces and limited to prevent tracks skidding. Speed is switch able-sump, intermediate and maximum (0.5 m/s) for place changing Major Specification of Continuous Miner Used in Jhanjra project / ECL Make and Model Joy Mining Equipment / 12CMIS Continuous Miner Dimension (Lx W x H) 11,020 mm * 2770 mm » 1005 mm) Loading rate 900 — 1600 tph Cutter Drum Drum length 3.0m Drum diameter 1120 mm Number of cutter picks 66 Weight of the machine 58 tonne Capacity 50 tph Basic frame height 1422 mm Ground clearance 305 mm Cutter head speed 50 1pm Cutting height 2160 mm to 4600 mm Cutting width 3300 mm Bit attack angle 50 degree Conveyor Conveyor width 762 mm Conveyor depth 380 mm Conveyor chain speed 2440 mm/min Conveyor length 3605 mm. Traction Traction System pc Traction Sppeed: Slow 4.6 m/min Intermediate 9.2 m/min High 19.8 m/min Brakes Wet Dise brake Track width 560 mm Track pitch 184 mm Ground bearing pressure 184 kPa Stabilisation Stabiliser jacks fitted at the rear of the chassis 127Gathering arm speed Si 1pm Cutter Drum speed: Sump 0-76 m/min Low 7.00 m/min High 15.24 m/min Hydrauli Hydraulic pressure 200 bar Fluid Type 60/40 Water-in-Oil emulsion Cooling Through dust suppression sprays Electrical Supply Voltage 1050 V AC (50 hz) Total power 833 hp Haulage motor control pc Electronic control and monitoring PLC Remote Control Radio remote Control Automatic speed Control Sump speed controlled as a function of cutter motor current and or conveyor ‘motor current ‘Two motors for cutter head 188 hp each water cooled ‘Two traction motor 35hhp each (dc) water cooled Two gathering head motor 60 hp each water cooled One motor for hydraulic power pack 70 np water cooled One Dust collector fan motor 60 hp air cooled Oil Tank Capacity 530 litre Safety features: © Tram safety switch on remote station ‘Mains isolation switch, Cutter motor isolator switch Fire suppression water sprays Methane monitor Emergency stop switch Conveyor and cutter boom safety props Flooded bed dust collector Shortcomings in use of Continuous Miners For the optimum cutting and loading rate to be achieved by a machine, the pick spacing, drum rotation and sumping speed, pick angle and type of pick have to be selected so that the machine is suitable for coal being cut. The following reasons may be noted as observed during the operation of the machine: a. The time lost in waiting for the shuttle cars to maneuvers into position before loading and cutting can commence accounts for approximately 10% of the lost cutting time. An efficient means of continuous transportation of coal away from the miner could eliminate this lost time. b. So that the maximum sumping depth can be obtained, itis essential to first sump in on the floor to make room for the loading shovel. The machine is then reversed, the drum. is lifted, and sumping at the desired height can commence. The possibility of shortcoming the shovel is being evaluated to reduce this loading time, which accounts for approximately 8 percent. 128¢. The changing and checking of the picks at hourly intervals are essential to maintain the cutting capacity of 8 to 10 Vmin. To overcome this, several experiments involving the pick spacing, sumping speed, drum rotation speeds, and type of picks are needed to obtain the maximum cutting capacity with minimum number of pick changes. Approximately 4% of the lost time can be attributed to changing of picks 4. Under normal conditions with competent roof and floor, tramming accounts for approximately 9% of the lost cutting time. Where poor roof conditions are encountered, the depth of each pass is considerably reduced, increasing the amount of tramming and thus reducing the effective cutting time. €. Unplanned maintenance accounts for approximately 10% of the planned cutting time. By a reduction in the unproductive times, it is envisaged that the present production capacity can be increased. Hydraulic Functions The hydraulic services are provided by the gear pumps driven by the 30 kW to 50 KW motor. ‘The hydraulic system regulates the flow of hydraulic oil at system pressure to raise and lower the cutter boom, gathering head, stabilizer, and conveyor. In addition, it also positions the conveyor to the right or left of the machines centerline and assists maintenance personnel in adding new oil to the reservoir. Hydraulic Components The hydraulic system includes an integral 510 litre (140 gal) reservoir, a 52 KW (70 hp) pump motor, a single-stage pump, a 10 micron pressure filter, a 40 micron pilot filter, a 25 micron return filter, a 250 micron restrictor filter, and a hydraulic control valve mounted in the operators compartment. The cutter boom, stabiliser and conveyor lift cylinders are fitted with load lock valves. These pilot-actuated check valves are designed to hold the components in position if the hoses to the cylinders are damaged or accidentally removed. In the event of a roof fall dropping on to the boom or conveyor, the relief valve will relieve and allow the cutter head or conveyor to drop. The load lock valves are specifically designed for operation on individual circuits The hydraulic fluid is pumped by two sections pump of capacities 32 GPM and 8 GPM capacities. The pumps are driven by 70 hp electric motors. The fluid is supplied through main control valve and return filter before sumping to tank. The main control valve consists of five work sections bolted between an inlet and outlet section. Each work section controls a specific hydraulic fimction. The main relief valve protects the pump against over pressure (2500 psi). The valve sections provide the parallel path to the flow supplied to the actuators. If two sections of the main valve are operated simultaneously, the function offering the least resistance receives the initial flow. The second function receives flow only after the first component has been activated and the pressure equalized as the hydraulic flow always follows the path of least resistance. The flow is supplied through the main valve block to the following circuits: © Stabilizer Circuit This is to actuate the stabiliser shoe through hydraulic jack. The shoe provides the counteracting force for smooth efficient cutting action during shearing cycle. The stabilizer shoe can also be used to raise the rear of the machine for maintenance. © Conveyor elevate circuit This is to position the end of the conveyor at the proper height for loading operations. The conveyor is hinged to the machine frame and two single acting hydraulic cylinders raise it The weight of the conveyor, with assistance from a pilot circuit, applies sufficient force to lower it 129© Conveyor swing cireuit The conveyor swing cylinder allows the machine operator to swing the rear of the conveyor from side to side as needed to assist loading. A single, double acting cylinder produces swing motion of the conveyor. © Gathering Head Circuit The gathering head circuit allows the operator to raise, lower or float the gathering head for easier tramming. The float or detent position, permits the gathering head to follow the contour of the mine floor without digging in. The head is moved up or down by two single acting hydraulic cylinders. The weight of the gathering head gives force needed to lower it. Although the cylinders are single acting, the rod ends are piped directly to tank. The accumulator is included in the circuit to assist float fimetion. The accumulator is a pressure storage device that, when charged, keeps extend pressure applied to the cylinders © Shear Circuit The shear circuit allows raising, holding and lowering the cutter boom. It also can be used to lift the front of the miner for servicing. Two double acting hydraulic cylinders are used for this function. The shear cylinders are protected by load lock valves. They are designed to hold the pressure in the cylinders if the hydraulic hoses are damaged or accidentally removed. Besides the above hydraulic circuits, the machine is also integrated with power fill circuit. Its is used to assist the maintenance personnel in adding hydraulic oil to the reservoir. One of the typical hydraulic circuit for conveyor raise and lower operations is explained below: =} } =~] i wy i waves | L spa CRCUTOPERATIONDURNIGROOFFAL — comvevorsievaTe cumpercarcur L_1 | Fig. 6 Conveyor Raise and Lower Circuit Circuit Operation- Conveyor raise & lower 130‘Moving the conveyor elevate control valve handle to the raise position shifts the valve spool and blocks the flow through the upper passage. The flow from the main valve is directed to the piston side of the load lock valve. The flow builds the pressure and lifts a check valve from its seat and then enters the piston side of the cylinder. When the operator retumns the conveyor elevate control to the neutral position, the load lock check valve blocks the oil from the existing cylinder Moving the conveyor elevate control valve handle to the lower position shifts the valve spool and blocks the flow through the upper passage. The flow from the main valve is directed to the piston side of the load lock valve. The flow builds the pressure and lifts a check valve from its seat and then enters the piston side of the cylinder. When the operator retums the conveyor elevator control to the neutral position, the load lock check valve blocks the oil from the exiting cylinder. If a roof fall occurs, the sudden force on the cylinders will pressurise the oil in the cylinders and attempt to force it back out of the piston port. A check valve will block this flow. As pressure builds in the cylinders, the relief section of the load lock valve will open and relieve the pressure by venting to atmosphere. Circuit operation — Gathering Head ‘Actuating the gathering head elevate control valve handle in the raise position shifts the valve spindle and supplies the flow to the piston end of the cylinder through the check valve. At the same time the accumulator is charged by the system pressure. The oil between the sequence valve and the control valve is trapped in the line when the operator returns the contro! handle to the neutral position. The trapped oil maintains the system pressure and keeps the gathering head in the raised position. ‘Moving the gathering head control handle in the lower/float position, allows oil between the control valve and the sequence valve to the retum to tank. The oil in the cylinder is restricted by the sequence valve. The gathering head exerts pressure on the restricted oil and pilot opens the sequence valve. The sequence valve restricts the oil flow and slows the downward movement of the gathering head. When the control valve is moved into neutral position, the retum line to the tank is held open. Oil under pressure from the accumulator is held back by the sequence valve, because the pressure exerted by the accumulator is less than the pressure required to open the sequence valve. The pressure generated by the accumulator acts in the opposite direction to the downward force of the cylinders. The pressure acts as a cushion, or balance, preventing it from gouging the floor. 131GATHERING HEAD CYLINDERS. 2450 PSI ee enh 4 FROM SUPPLY SEQUENCE VALVE suit of Gather Head Operation Conveyor Swing Circuit The conveyor swing cylinder allows the machine operator to swing the rear of the conveyor from side to side as needed to assist loading. A single, double acting cylinder mounted to the conveyor on the side opposite to the operator, produces the swing motion. An adjustable restrictor, placed in the circuit between the main control valve section and the piston end of the cylinder, corrects for variations in swing speed caused by the lower effective area of the piston. Without this restrictor, the cylinder would extend and retract at different speed. The restrictor compensates for this by limiting the flow to and from the piston end of the cylinder. 132FROM SUPPLY Fig. 8 Conveyor Swing Circuit Shear Circuit The shear circuit allows the operator to raise, hold and lower the cutter boom. It also can be used to lift the front of the miner for servicing. Two double acting hydraulic cylinders are used to raise and lower the cutter boom. The shear cylinders are protected by load lock valves. These devices are safety features designed to hold pressure in the cylinders if the hydraulic hoses are damaged or accidentally removed. Load lock valves consist of a check valve and two pilot operated relief valves that regulate the flow into and out of the cylinders. The shear circuit is also provided with counterbalance valve that allows oil to flow freely into the piston side of the cylinders through a check valve, but uses a pilot operated sequence valve to impede flow out of it. This arrangement keeps a preset, positive backpressure on the piston side of the cylinders that must be overcome before the boom will lower. The back 133pressure provides smoother cutting by eliminating bounce and prevents the front of the machine from lifting off the ground during normal operations, The back pressure check point is provided by a small diameter line connected with to the rod side of the shear cylinders. This line drains to tank, relieving pilot pressure and allowing the load lock valves to reset when the control valve retums to neutral. A blocked drain line will maintain pressure in the load lock valves and cause them to remain open. An open lock could allow the cutter head to drift down when the valve spool is in neutral position. To check for proper operation, locate the shear back pressure check point and install aQ 21 MPa gauge. Lower the cutter boom and move the control handle to neutral. The gauge pressure should drop to zero. Fig. 9 The Shear Circuit A detail hydraulic circuit diagram of Joy make Continuous Miner is shown in Fig. 10. 134