Mining Equipment
A mine is an ever-evolving landscape, and it is necessary to have safe and stable mining equipment to count on so you can get the job done.A Brief History of Mining
Mining for coal began a few hundred years ago. At one time it was a thriving industry and still is in some areas but what is mined has expanded tenfold. Today we mine for a number of natural elements such as aluminum, copper, lead, iron ore, tungsten, and zinc. Also mined are precious stones like diamonds, emeralds, opals, sapphires, and of course, gold.
Mining Equipment: Lights
In the past 250 years, the mining industry has witnessed significant changes to both mining techniques and the mining equipment used throughout the process. Miners need light while working underground. Miners used to work by the light of candles and before that, saucer-like, open-grease lamps were in use. Today, the mining equipment of choice includes electric lanterns and helmets with lights built in.
Mining Equipment: Underground Communication
Surface-to-underground communication with miners is crucial, so new mining equipment open these much-needed lines of communication. In 1877, the underground telephone was invented; today, PA systems, cellular phones, and wireless ear bugs are in use.
Mining Equipment: Ground Control
For stability of the ground above, mining equipment has advanced from a manual ratchet jack to wooden beam supports (seen in all the old mining movies) to hydraulic jacks to prevent the collapse of a mine tunnel.
Mining Equipment: Drills
Effective mining begins with effective drilling and blasting. A quality mining drill will produce more holes at the required depth, faster and at a lower cost. This guarantees better rock fragmentation, promotes more efficient loadings and leads to lower costs in processing. Three common choices in mining drills are the multi-pass drill, an angled drill and also the long, single-pass drill.
Mining Equipment: Electric Shovels
Once you have drilled your way in, you need to remove rock fragments to enter the mine. When mining equipment was in its' primitive stage, miners carried out rock pieces until trucks came on the scene. Today, electric shovels are commonly in use. Electric shovels are inherently stable and they position operators at a safe distance from the digging face. Electric shovels, optimal mining equipment, accomplish high-volume loading, low-energy costs, and reliability.
Safety and Mining Equipment
The most important rule in mining is safety. Whatever mining equipment is used, it must keep the miner out of harm's way as much as possible, and it should not compromise the structural integrity of the earth above or below them.