APPLICATION OF A CROSS-CUTTING PATTERN FOR CUTTING ROCK MASS TO REDUCE DUST EMISSION DURING MECHANIZED MINING OF POTASH ORE

Abstract

Relevance. Mining of potash ore using borer miners is characterized by a high degree of dust emission. The main sources of dust emission are the processes of destruction of the massif, loading of the broken-off rock mass and further overloading of ore. Long-term presence of miners in an area where the maximum permissible concentration for potash dust is exceeded negatively affects their health. In terms of economic losses, ore regrinding also has a negative effect. Particles of a useful component less than 250 micrometers in size do not lend themselves to enrichment and go to the dump. Often, the amount of raw ore at the entrance to the processing plant reaches 18 % of the total supplied mass. In this regard, it is necessary to take measures to reduce dust concentration in the working area of the borer miner operator and to reduce the amount of non-enriched fraction. The purpose of this work is to develop and implement measures to change the executive bodies of roadheaders, which will help reduce dust emissions in the bottomhole working area of potash mines. The object of the study is the executive body of a roadheader with a cutting tool. Results. The paper proposes constructive changes to the executive body of the borer miners. The new flat planetary-disk cutting unit will make it possible to implement a cross cutting scheme with a more stable geometry than the existing cutting sequence for Ural-20R borer miners. The design changes proposed in this paper take into account the previous problems described in the literature.

Keywords

• potassium salt
• borer miners
• cutting unit
• planetary flat disc cutting unit
• cross cutting pattern
• maximum permissible concentration
• microclimate of the working area of mines
• fractional composition of potash dust