The paper discusses the results of a study carried out to determine the thermal condition of a conveyor power unit using a thermal imaging camera. The tests covered conveyors in the main haulage system carrying coal from a longwall. The measurements were taken with a thermal imaging diagnostic method which measures infrared radiation emitted by an object. This technology provides a means of assessing the imminence and severity of a possible failure or damage. The method is a non-contact measuring technique and offers great advantages in an underground mine. The thermograms were analysed by comparing the temperature distribution. An analysis of the operating time of the conveyors was also carried out and the causes of the thermal condition were determined. The main purpose of the research was to detect changes in thermal state during the operation of a belt conveyor that could indicate failure and permit early maintenance and eliminate the chance of a fire. The article also discusses the construction and principle of operation of a thermal imaging camera. The findings obtained from the research analysis on determining the thermal condition of the conveyor drive unit are a valuable source of information for the mine’s maintenance service.

Pillars play a critical role in an underground mine, as an inadequate pillar design could lead to pillar failure, which may result in catastrophic damage, while an over-designed pillar would lead to ore loss, causing economic loss. Pillar design is dictated by the inclination of the ore body. Depending on the orientation of the pillars, loading can be axial (compression) in horizontal pillars and oblique (compression as well as shear loading) in inclined pillars. Empirical and numerical approaches are the two most commonly used methods for pillar design. Current empirical approaches are mostly based on horizontal pillars, and the inclination of the pillars in the dataset is not taken into consideration. Laboratory and numerical studies were conducted with different width-to-height ratios and at different inclinations to understand the reduction in strength due to inclined loading and to observe the failure mechanisms. The specimens’ strength reduced consistently over all the width-to-height ratios at a given inclination. The strength reduction factors for gypsum were found to be 0.78 and 0.56, and for sandstone were 0.71 and 0.43 at 10° and 20° inclinations, respectively. The strength reduction factors from numerical models were found to be 0.94 for 10° inclination, 0.87 for 20° inclination, 0.78 for 30° inclination, and 0.67 for 40° inclination, and a fitting equation was proposed for the strength reduction factor with respect to inclination. The achieved results could be used at preliminary design stages and can be verified during real mining practice.

A powered longwall mining system comprises three basic machines: a shearer, a scraper (longwall) conveyor, and a powered roof support. The powered roof support as a component of a longwall complex has two functions. It protects the working from roof rocks that fall to the area where the machines and people work and transports the machines and devices in the longwall as the mining operation proceeds further into the seam by means of hydraulic actuators that are adequately connected to the powered support. The actuators are controlled by a hydraulic or electro-hydraulic system. The tests and analyses presented in the developed procedure are oriented towards the possibility of introducing automatic control, without the participation of an operator. This is important for the exploitation of seams that are deposited at great depths. The primary objective was to develop a comprehensive methodology for testing and evaluating the possibility of using the system under operating conditions. The conclusions based on the analysis presented are a valuable source of information for the designers in terms of increasing the efficiency of the operation of the system and improving occupational safety. The authors have proposed a procedure for testing and evaluation to introduce an automatic control system into the operating conditions. The procedure combines four areas. Tests and analyses were carried out in order to determine the extent to which the system could be potentially used in the future. The presented solution includes certification and executive documentation.

Solid backfill mining as a green mining method has already been successfully applied in many mine sites. Higher requirements for the backfilling materials have been put forward in special regions, such as shallow coal seams, ecologically susceptible areas, and sites with building on the surface. The control effects of common backfilling materials on in situ strata of gob need to be studied and compared to ensure the suitable materials are applied in the mine. The meso-structure, stress variation, energy dissipation, and backfilling effects of the five common solid backfilling materials, which are Aeolian sand, gangue, mineral waste residue, coal ash, and loess are analyzed in this paper. The results show that the Aeolian sand and gangue are densely packed and internally hard when compared to other backfill materials. The deformation of the five materials to absorb the same amount of energy in the order of higher to lower was determined as Aeolian sand, gangue, mineral waste residue, coal ash and loess. The Aeolian sand’s strain energy density is 1.67 times larger than the loess, however, the Aeolian’s strain energy density in front of working face is just 32.2% of the loess, which is important to ensure the safety of the working face. The stress changes were monitored in situ with Aeolian sand and gangue as backfill materials. The monitoring results show that the Aeolian sand stress increase rate is quicker than gangue, which can support the roof effectively.