Longwall mining

From Freepedia

Longwall mining is form of underground coal mining which uses a massive machine called a longwall. The longwall equipment consists of a number of hydraulic jacks, called chocks, roof supports or shields, which are placed in a long line up to 400m in length in order to support the roof. An individual chock can extend to a maximum cutting height of up to 5m. The coal is cut by a rotating drum with bits called a shearer that moves along the length of the face in front of the chocks, disintegrating the coal. The coal is then removed from the coal face by a moving chain or AFC (articulated face conveyor) (also called armoured face conveyor) to the main gate. Here it is loaded onto a conveyor belt and transported to the surface.

As the shearer removes the coal, the chocks move forward into the newly created cavity. As mining progresses and the entire longwall progresses through the seam, the cavity behind the longwall, known as the goaf, increases. This goaf collapses under the weight of the overlying strata.