History and future of longwall mining in the United States. Information Circular/1992

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7284099

Barczak, T M

The report chronicles the historical development of longwall mining in the United States and speculates on future developments to the turn of the century. Two major periods of history are analyzed: (1) from 1875 to 1950 when small advancing faces were operated annually, and (2) from 1950 to 1990 when mechanized extraction and powered roof supports provided a system to efficiently extract large coal panels. Five eras of technological development during the modern period are described and analyzed. These eras discuss the development of (1) mechanized extraction, (2) self advancing roof supports, (3) high capacity roof supports, (4) shield supports, and (5) system automation. Current trends are analyzed in terms of: longwall utilization, production capability, support capacity, face widths, and new technological developments. From these analyses, the future of longwall mining to the year 2000 is speculated.

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Pittsburgh Research Center
• OSTI ID: 7284099
• Report Number(s): PB-92-206820/XAB; BUMINES-IC-9316
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Library of Congress catalog card no. 91-41775
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
LONGWALL MINING
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
USA
AUTOMATION
CAPACITY
COAL MINING
DIMENSIONS
ECONOMICS
FORECASTING
MINING EQUIPMENT
POWERED SUPPORTS
PRODUCTION
ROOFS
SHIELD SUPPORTS
SUPPORTS
WORKING FACES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EQUIPMENT
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
UNDERGROUND MINING
012030* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Underground Mining- (1987-)