Kamil Mucha

• Dr inż.
• Professor (Assistant) at AGH University of Kraków

A central engineering concern in the use of such winches is their energy intensity, which is significantly influenced by operational factors such as the length and gradient of the transport route, the transported weight, and the target hauling velocity. These variables directly affect the drive system’s load and thus the power demand of the motor,...

The selection of mining cutting tools used on the cutting heads of roadheaders and shearers in hard coal mines is primarily based on the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the rock. However, selecting cutting tools solely on the basis of a single parameter characterizing the rock has proven to be insufficient. Therefore, the aim of the presente...

The paper provides and comments on the results of studies of the effect of sandstone-based abrasives and quartz sand alone on the wear of martensitic surfaces of wear-resistant steels. The wear process was examined on a ring-on-ring test rig seeking to determine the mass decrement parameter which characterised wear. In addition, SEM microscopy, opt...

The paper provides and comments on the results of studies of the effect of sandstone-based abrasives and quartz sand alone on the wear of martensitic surfaces of wear-resistant steels. The wear process was examined on a ring-on-ring test rig seeking to determine the mass decrement parameter which characterised wear. The tests were conducted for thr...

The longwall system is an extraction system commonly used in coal mining in many countries, including Poland. One of the methods for reducing extraction costs is the dual use of the gateroad. In the first instance, the gateroad serves as the tailgate, and during the exploitation of the second coal panel, it functions as the headgate. Such a situati...

Belt conveyors, owing to their simple construction, high reliability and relatively low energy consumption, are the basic means of transporting loose and granular materials. Currently, thanks to continuous development, belt conveyors can reach a length of up to several kilometres, and their belt width can be more than two meters. Such possibilities...

Public procurement procedures facilitate the purchase of products, services, or civil works by public administrations. In Poland, they follow the national rules specified in the Public Procurement Act. Public procurement aims to ensure a transparent and competitive purchasing process, effective use of public resources, equal treatment of all tender...

The cutting tools in mining industry are especially prone to rapid wear, since most of the rocks exhibit aggressive abrasion attributes. A typical representative of fast wearing mining end-tools is a conical pick (also known as tangential-rotary cutter). In order to decrease the premature deterioration, the manufacturers and users tend to enhance t...

The processes of rock formation have long been known and widely described in many literature items worldwide. Due to the multitude of occurring rock types, they are distinguished by various properties. For many decades, scientists worldwide have been determining various parameters by which these properties of rocks can be described. Tests of these...

Shifting masses in a confined space in the company of other machines and devices, which limits the manoeuvring and transport area, poses a significant problem in every field of industry, especially with underground mining. The works involved in transporting and manoeuvring masses in underground workings are challenging and are most often performed...

The wearing of cutting tools is a bottleneck of many branches in the industry. However, the tools used in the mining sector are extraordinarily prone to rapid deterioration since many rocks exhibit aggressive abrasive properties. A typical example of a fast wearing cutting tool is a conical pick. It is used in the mining industry and other business...

The cutting heads currently used in longwall shearers, roadheaders, road milling machines and excavators are equipped with cutting tools called picks. The most commonly applied are conical picks, less frequently—radial picks or tangent picks. The picks are detachably mounted in holders installed on the body of the cutting head, to which they are us...

The yielding arch support is transported and installed in the face with the use of auxiliary machines. These activities in underground mining cause many problems, which have as yet not been solved. Currently, transport and assembly are carried out manually, using the roadheader and suspended rail, or various types of mounting platforms. The analysi...

The research described in this article was carried out on samples of sandstone obtained from the underground excavations of four hard coal mines that operate in the region of Poland with the highest energy resources, i.e., Upper Silesia. The majority of underground tunnel excavations are mainly drilled using roadheaders, the organs of which are equ...

The roof support, especially the ŁP yielding steel arch support, is transported and assembled in the face with the use of auxiliary machines. This activity in Polish underground mines causes numerous problems, which until present have not been solved. Currently, transport and assembly are carried out manually, while the roadheader and suspended rai...

User’s choices of conical picks currently involve specifying their material and geometric parameters (functional requirements), incorporating the place and conditions of their work (operational requirements). The selection is usually made based on solely one criterion, which is the price. Thus, at the stage of both purchase and operation, the quali...

Tunnelling, especially those providing access and preparatory ones, is the biggest problem in the exploitation of useful minerals by longwall systems. Providing access to the deposit and then preparing it for exploitation generates high costs with minimal or no income. Shortening the time of tunnel developments through the mechanization of mining w...

The article deals with issues related to the processes occurring in the wear result of steel surfaces of machine components in the presence of mineral grains. This type of destruction of cooperating surfaces usually takes place during the development of roadways or during mining of coal with use of longwall methods. Wear tests were carried out usin...

Conical picks are tools that treat surfaces used in mining. Due to a wide variety of such tools, they need to characterise in diversified geometrical and material parameters, as well as durability. For the mining sector, evaluation of the conical picks is performed in order to verify their agreement with the manufacturer’s declaration, as well as w...

Currently, the user’s choice of a conical pick involves specifying its geometric and material parameters, taking into account the place and conditions of its work. The selection is then made, usually on the basis of solely one criterion, which is the price. Thus, at the stage of both purchase and operation, the quality of picks and their suitabilit...

As part of own works performed by the Department of Machine Engineering and Transport of AGH University of Science and Technology, investigations into the rate of conical picks’ wear were carried out. For this purpose, the previously developed methodology for running experiments at a specialist laboratory test stand was applied. Tests were carried...

During the exploitation of mineral raw materials, a cutting tool is an element that is directly in contact with the unmined stone being cut. The most commonly used cutting tools include conical picks. The increasing pressure to reduce mining costs causes an increasing demand for affordable and reliable ways to increase the reliability of mining mac...

The physical and mechanical properties of rocks (i.e., compressive strength, tensile strength, workability, or compactness) are often taken into account during the selection of a mining method and type of mining machine as well as the mining tools themselves. However, one of the main reasons for the abrasive wear of mining picks is the abrasiveness...

This paper presents information on the current most-widely-used cutting heads; i.e., tangential-rotary picks. It describes their applications, design, methods for improving their durability, as well as problems related to their performance. The main body of the paper deals with the results of the durability testing of tangential-rotary picks made o...

This paper presents information on the current most-widely-used cutting heads; i.e., tangential-rotary picks. It describes their applications, design, methods for improving their durability, as well as problems related to their performance. The main body of the paper deals with the results of the durability testing of tangential-rotary picks made o...

Problems related with abrasive wear of tangential-rotary picks during cutting process and its limitations, have been discussed in the present study. Essential for the parameters of cutting process geometrical, kinematic and material parameters of tangential-rotary picks and types of their wear, have been discussed. Testing procedure in aspect of th...

The article presents the continuation of the testing of the disk cutting head intended for the mining of hard and abrasive rocks. Developed within the framework of the project PBS1/B6/12/2012 the model of cutting head with discs has opened new possibilities for the studies of mining cupriferous rocks which justifies their continuation. The influenc...

The design of cutting heads is a complex process in which it is necessary to perform multiple recalculations of complicated formulas and to correct the assumptions of input data. The purpose is to provide high efficiency and effectiveness of these tools, along with their durability and reliability during exploitation in difficult mining and geologi...