The effectiveness of the use of a powered roof support in the light of research and analysis

Abstract

A powered roof support is an element of a longwall complex. It is connected with a scraper conveyor by a sliding system. The conveyor carries a shearer mining the coal. The second function of the powered roof support is to protect the excavation against uncontrolled impact of the rock mass. This paper focuses on the analysis of the effectiveness of the powered roof support. The main objective is to determine the factors influencing failure-free operation in the exploitation process. Moreover, the author discusses performance requirements for the powered roof support.