Establishment of a Highly Efficient and Highly Productive Mining System

Kikuo MATSUI and Hideki SHIMADA

J. of MMIJ, Vol.114, No.9, p.615-621 (1998)

In order for Japanese coal mining industry to survive after the year 2001, it is necessary to further improve its advanced mining equipment, technology and systems, designed in consideration of the complex local geological conditions peculiar to Japan and based on experience accumulated in the past, so that an innovative coal mining system can be established. Ultimately, however, the Japanese coal industry must develop innovative coal mining equipment, technology and systems aimed at the realization of an automatic coal mining system. Furthermore, it is also necessary for the Japanese coal mining industry to develop and introduce the methods, apparatuses and system designed to efficiently and accurately analyze and evaluate the geological conditions and petrographic characteristics of the coal mining area and ground pressure conditions.

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