METHOD FOR STEEPLY-INCLINED LOW- AND MEDIUM-THICKNESS COAL SEAM DEVELOPMENT Russian patent published in 2008 - IPC E21C41/18 

FIELD: methods of underground mining, particularly for brown or hard coal mining.

SUBSTANCE: method involves preparing extraction pillar by creating haulage roadway and air heading; preparing extraction strip by slicing along line of seam dip from haulage roadway to air heading; forming mounting chamber near air heading and installing equipment in mounting chamber; performing mechanized coal mining by cutting massif with executive mining-and-hauling tool and mining-and-hauling tool movement across stratification; forcedly transporting cut coal along haulage roadway with the use the same mining-and-hauling tool. Slicing involves gravity transporting coal to haulage roadway; protecting face zone against rock ingress with sheet sectional support and venting haulage roadway by means of general mine depression. Each mechanized support section is mated with executive mining-and-hauling tool made as horizontal auger provided with teeth. The sections are connected with each other through advancing rams. At initial coal mining stage haulage roadway has stepped shape. Coal is extracted separately at each section with executive tool cutting through seam ground and executive tool movement from ground to roof thereof. Cut coal is transported along haulage roadway from one haulage roadway step to another one with transport flow movement from executive tool of one section to that of another section with the use of gravity transportation means. Mining-and-hauling tool has length equal to support section width. Step height along line of seam dip is equal to support section advance increment or is equal to multiple advance increment.

EFFECT: increased efficiency of seam cutting.

3 dwg