Wide-Web Coal Mining

an extraction method in which bulk coal is broken up by the working elements of coal-cutting machines to a depth of from 0.8 to 2 or more m. The set of equipment required for wide-web coal mining comprises a wide-web stoping machine (seeCUTTING-LOADING MACHINE), a scraper face conveyor (seeCONVEYOR), an individual face support (seeMINE SUPPORT), and special supports. As a rule, the scraper face conveyor can be dismantled.

Wide-web coal mining includes manual operations, for example, the erection of the face support and the assembly, dismantling, and shifting of the conveyor. The cut coal is partially loaded on the conveyor by hand. The operations are cyclic, that is, are repeated when each strip is extracted.

Wide-web coal mining is not widely used. (SeeNARROW-WEB COALMINING.)