Developing an innovative protective structure on continuous miners against coal burst hazards

ABSTRACT: As mining progresses into deep ore deposits in Australia, geo-hazards such as coal burst and outbursts are becoming a major concern for mine workers. The occurrence of these hazards involved the ejection of coal lumps and sometimes large volumes of hazardous gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Whilst it is extremely important to de-stress and de-gas the seam and adjacent strata before roadway development, and install competent support systems such as steel mesh and bolt, the last line of protection will be the installation of a protective canopy on the Continuous Miner to shield mine workers from these deadly dynamic impact of coal and rock resulting from a burst or outburst. The aim of this paper is to introduce the design, manufacture, and testing of an innovative protection structure on Continuous Miner in underground coal mines.