Improvement of coal saw drives and prospects for their application under Kuzbass conditions

Abstract

Today Kuzbass coal is about 690 billion tons of low-sulfur, low-ash and high-calorie coal, required for power, coking and coal-chemical industries, with flat, inclined and steeply inclined seams. More than 200 million tons of coal, suitable for mining by mechanized complexes, are concentrated in the existing and projected horizons in steep seams. However, the volume of mechanized mining remains very low and amounts to 4-7%. In difficult mining and geological conditions, typical for Prokopyevsko-Kiselevsky area of Kuzbass, the hydraulic technology of coal mining in complex with mechanized coal saws seems promising. Different variants of coal saw technologies have been widely tested at different mines of Kuzbass, Donbass, Vorkuta and showed a number of advantages over the technology with mechanized complexes. Capital expenditures are significantly reduced, the amount of cutting work is reduced, ventilation conditions are improved. The design disadvantages of coal saw drives are also revealed. The main disadvantage of most drives is the uncoordinated connection between the saw feed to the face and its withdrawal during one cycle of movement relative to the face. This disadvantage is eliminated when using a clamping mechanism with the use of weights.