On the selection of the optimal position of the shaft for transportation

Abstract

In the theory of coal mines design, more than 30 works, mainly performed during the last 30-35 years, are devoted to determining the location of shafts under the conditions of cargo transportation. A large number of engineering, technical and scientific workers were engaged in solving this problem. Some researchers have considerably extended the problem of shaft location determination, including underground and surface coal transportation, delivery of rock, people, equipment, as well as ventilation, top-hole sinking (in case of shafts position outside the suite), losses in pillars, and thus turned it into a typical method of variants solved graphically or by tabular comparison. During the famous discussion on the application of the analytical method in mining conducted by the Mining Journal in 1949, this question also attracted attention. At the same time, some participants of the discussion questioned the correctness of the existing methodology for determining the location of the shaft according to the transportation conditions.