Continuous Miners (original) (raw)

Continuous Miners

A machine with a large rotating steel drum equipped with tungsten carbide teeth that scrape coal from the seam. Operating in a �room and pillar� system � where the mine is divided into a series of 20-to-30 foot �rooms� or work areas cut into the coalbed � it can mine as much as five tons of coal a minute � more than a miner of the 1920s would produce in an entire day. Continuous miners account for about 45% of underground coal production, and also utilize conveyors to transport the removed coal from the seam. Remote controlled continuous miners are used to work in a variety of difficult seams and conditions and robotic versions controlled by computers are becoming increasingly common.

	James River Coal Service Co. - A continuous miner at Royal Diamond Mine.
	Joy Mining Machinery - 12CM27 Continuous Miner.
	Joy Mining Machinery - L to R - 14CM10 and 14CM15.