This article provides a discussion of the results of studies on the original system condition monitoring of a three-stage transmission with a bevel–cylindrical–planetary configuration installed in an experimental scraper conveyor. Due to the high vibroactivity of gear transmissions operating under the impact of a scraper conveyor’s chain drive, these unwanted effects of machine operating vibrations were assumed to be applied. For purposes of the study, vibrations were measured on the driving transmission housing in an idling scraper conveyor. The main purpose of the study was to establish the frequencies characteristic of the gear transmission, and to determine whether it was possible to run vibroacoustic diagnostics of the same transmission under conditions with a considerable impact of the conveyor chain. An additional cognitively significant research goal was the analysis of the dependence of the diagnostic utility of the signal depending on the sensor mounting point. Five different locations of three-axis sensors oriented to the next stages and various types of gears were determined, as well as places characterized by high spatial accessibility, which are often selected as places for measuring the vibration of gears. Using MATLAB software, a program was written that was calibrated and adapted to the specifics of the measuring equipment based on the collected test results. As a result, it was possible to obtain a multidimensional data interpretation of vibration signals of system condition monitoring of a three-stage gear transmission operating under difficult conditions. The results were based on signals registered on the real three-stage gear transmission operating under the impact of a scraper conveyor’s chain drive.

Due to extreme working conditions of mining conveyors, which contaminate gear oil with solid particles, their transmissions are exposed to intensive abrasion, scuffing, and even rolling contact fatigue (pitting). These effects shorten gear life. To prevent their occurrence, a wear-resistant coating can be deposited on gear teeth. The resistance to abrasive wear, scuffing, and pitting was investigated and reported in the article. Simple, model specimens were used. Abrasive wear and scuffing were tested using a pin-and-vee-block tribosystem in sliding contact. A cone–three-ball rolling tribosystem was employed to test pitting. The material of the test specimens (pins, vee blocks, cones) was 18CrNiMo7-6 case-hardened steel. Two types of DLC (Diamond-like Coatings) coatings were tested, W-DLC and W-DLC/CrN. The vee blocks and cones were coated. Two industrial gear oils were selected to lubricate the specimens: one with a mineral and one with a synthetic PAO (polyalphaolephine) base, as pure oil or contaminated with solid particles from a coal mine. The results show that, to minimize the tendency to abrasion, scuffing, and pitting of specimens made of 18CrNiMo7-6 steel, the W-DLC/CrN coating should be deposited. This coating also gives very good protection when the lubricating oil is contaminated.

The transmissions of mining conveyors are exposed to very harsh conditions. These are primarily related to the contamination of the gear oil with hard particles coming from coal and lignite, which can cause intensive abrasive wear, scuffing, and even pitting, limiting the life of gears. One of the ways to prevent this problem is the deposition of a wear-resistant coating onto gear teeth. However, a proper choice of gear oil is an important issue. The abrasion, scuffing, and pitting tests were performed using simple, model specimens. A pin and vee block tester was employed for research on abrasion and scuffing. To test pitting, a modified four-ball pitting tester was used, where the top ball was replaced with a cone. The test pins, vee blocks, and cones were made of 18CrNiMo7-6 case-hardened steel. A new W-DLC/CrN coating was tested. It was deposited on the vee blocks and cones. For lubrication, three commercial industrial gear oils were used: A mineral oil, and two synthetic ones with polyalphaolefin (PAO) or polyalkylene glycol (PAG) bases. The results show that, to minimize the tendency forabrasion, scuffing, and pitting, the (W-DLC/CrN)-8CrNiMo7-6 tribosystems should be lubricated by the PAO gear oil.

The method of increasing the efficiency of using one of the most common means of auxiliary transport in underground coal mines—suspended monorails—is presented. Increase of velocity is one of the key parameters to improve the efficiency and economical effect related with the underground auxiliary transport. On the other hand, increasing the velocity results in bigger value of force acting on the suspended monorail route and its suspensions. The most important issue during increasing the velocity is ensuring the required safety for the passengers and not overloading the infrastructure. In order to analyze how increasing velocity influences the level of loads of the route suspension and the steel arch loads, the computational model of suspended monorail was developed. The computational model included both the physical part (embedded in the program environment based on the Multi-Body System method) and the components of the monorail control system. Two independent software environments were cooperating with each other through the so-called co-simulation. This model was validated on the base of results obtained on the test stand. Then, the numerical simulations of emergency braking with different values of velocity were conducted, which was not possible with the use of physical objects. The presented study can be used by the suspended monorail’s producers during the designing process, and leads to increase the safety on underground transportation routes.

The technology currently used for the fabrication of toothed wheels, gear couplings and chain drums involves the induction hardening process or hardening and tempering after carburising. All these processes take a long time and cause adverse changes in the dimensions and surface quality of products, requiring post-treatment machining to remove the resulting cavities. The paper proposes the implementation of gear elements made of ductile iron with nanoausferritic matrix obtained by a new appropriate heat treatment process. The new material offers good performance characteristics and nearly no need for the application of other technological processes commonly used in the manufacture of gears.

This paper presents the results of wear tests of shot-peened and not shot-peened cast steels used in the mining machinery industry, in particular in the construction of chain drums for armoured face conveyors. Wear tests were carried out in the conditions corresponding to the real operating conditions of armoured face conveyors during drifting work in rocks such as sandstone. The operating factors subjected to the analyses included the presence of quartz abrasive and the impact of external dynamic forces. On the basis of the wear tests as well as the microhardness and microstructure examinations performed, it has been found that the action of an additional dynamic force has a synergistic impact on the process of abrasive wear in loose quartz abrasive. It has been further found that the value of abrasive wear of chain wheels operated in the conditions of a combined action of abrasive and a dynamic force depends on whether the area of mating of wheels with the chain was shot-peened or not before the wear tests – an increase in the abrasive wear was observed for the wheels made of cast steel subjected to shot peening in the area of mating with the chain. Lower resistance to abrasive wear of the cast steels subjected to shot peening before the wear tests could result from the formation of cracks in the surface layer caused by the action of shot.