Underground Mining Equipment

MMC 502
Unit - 5

Mechanical Loaders
Instructor: Dr. Ajit Kumar

Department of Mining Machinery Engineering

IIT (ISM) Dhanbad
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Introduction
The following coal face machineries are used in the underground coal mines for loading, hauling and
dumping purposes:

1. Load Haul dumper (LHD)

2. Shuttle car
3. Side Discharge Loader (SDL)
4. Low Profile Dump Truck (LPDT)
4. Scraper Loader
5. Rocker Shovel

• The loading and transport machineries mentioned above are basically wheel-mounted trackless
equipment. Size and capacity of machines depends on the required production, energy
requirements, headings size, production requirement and working conditions.
• They are generally smaller as compared to surface equipment.

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1. Load Haul Dump (LHD) Machines
Overview:

A Load Haul Dump truck (LHD), also known as a scoop tram, is a specialized loading
machine manufactured for the underground mining industry. LHDs are used to scoop extracted
ore, such as coal, with a bucket, load it into the cart, and dump it in the bottom of the mine to
undergo primary crushing before being hoisted to the surface out of the mine. In general;

• LHD machine is also known as a scoop tram.

• specialized loading machine manufactured for the underground mining industry.
• LHDs are used in >75 % of u/g mines throughout the world and are suitable for small and
large tunnels, mines, chambers, and stopes.
• It performs loading, hauling and dumping of bulk materials.

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Introduction
• Load Haul Dump (LHD) machines were firmly established as
loading equipment in trackless underground mining world over by
1960s. LHD is basically a front end loader specially designed for
material handling in underground mining and tunneling operation.
This is a rugged machine intended to provide one vehicle with one
man, with vehicle loading itself, hauling the load over level or
inclined haulage ways, and dumping the load in ore pass or one-
way transport equipment (e. g. shuttle car, low profile dumper, mine
car etc.)
• The common application of L.H.D. (both electric and diesel) in the
case of underground metal mining operation are mine development,
sublevel stoping, shrinkage stoping, room and pillar mining,
sublevel caving, whereas in the case of underground coal mining
operation specially electric LHD is being successfully used for mine
development as well as for extraction of coal in depillaring
operation. Fig. 1.1 A typical LHD machine working in
an underground mine (Courtesy: Mining
• The LHD machines are similar to conventional front-end loaders.
and Rock Technology, Sandvik Group,
• LHD machine consists of two parts connected by an articulated Sweden)
joint; this gives them a high level of maneuverability in restricted
space.
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Types of LHD Machines
 The main types of LHDs are (1) Electric LHD, (2) Diesel LHD. Diesel and electric LHDs are
extensively used in underground metal mines, whereas Flame Proof Electric LHD is used in
underground coal mines in Board and Pillar operation. A schematic representation of an Electric
LHD is shown in Fig. 1.

Selection of LHD Machines

 It depends upon the following factors:

Size of operation; Length of haul; Height of seam; Operating condition; Local permissibilities; Experience

Working Conditions
The LHD is modelled to fit under restricted heights and narrow areas within a mine. It consists of a long,
low and narrow profiler, which makes it adaptable to mines of all sizes. Because of its size, manoeuvring
the LHD is awkward but beneficial as it evenly distributes the axle weight of the vehicle to allow for a
larger bucket size.

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Constructional Features of an LHD Machine

Legend: 8- Rear Wheel 16- Parking Brake 24- Bucket

1- Head Light 9- Electric Motor 17- Gear Box 25- Cable
2- Trunkanage 10- Coupling 18- Drive Lines
3- Cable Reel 11- Hydraulic Pump 19- Bearing Blocks
4- Cable Security System 12- Coupling 20- Orbital
5- Reel Motor 13- Hydraulic Pump 21- Control Valve
6- Compressor 14- Rear Axle 22- Hydraulic Cylinder
7- Air Tank 15- Hydraulic Motor 23- Front Axle
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Constructional Features of an LHD Machine
• The main chassis is divided into two halves, front and rear
frame.
• Bucket is placed at the front end of front frame and it is
raised or lowered by two hydraulic cylinders.
• The LHD machines have articulated bodies steered by the
hydraulic actuators for ease of control. An articulated
vehicle has a vertical pivot joint that connects it's front and
rear frames, which acts as a steering mechanism. When
the steering operation is performed, the frames move with
respect to each other in a plane around the pivot joint. The
articulated vehicle has the advantage of having a small
turning radius with the same rut for the front and rear tires.
The position of the steering actuator of an LHD machine
while turning is shown in Figure 1.2.
• All the control points are in the operators cabin placed at
the rear frame and also the diesel and hydraulic brakes are Fig. 1.2 The position of the steering actuator of
placed on the rear frame. an LHD machine while turning (Courtesy:
Caterpillar Inc., Illinois, US)
• The brake system consists of 4 numbers of disc brakes.

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Constructional Features of an LHD Machine
• The braking system has 2 accumulators which maintain the oil pressure in the brake system for a short
duration, if the oil pump stalls due to any reason.
• Accumulators are charged with nitrogen under high pressure.
• Accumulators also provide oil for applying brakes instantaneously in case of emergencies.
• Capacity varies from 0.7645 to 6.1 𝑚3 ,
• gradient 1 in 7,
• maximum speed 8-10 kmph (empty) and loaded speed 3-5 kmph.
• Average output expected from each LHD/day is 200-500 te.

A schematic representation of the CRD drive of an LHD machine is indicated in the dotted envelope of Fig. 1.3.

Fig. 1.3 Schematic representation of an LHD machine

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Power Train of an LHD Machine

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Working of an LHD Machine
The power from the Gate End Box (GEB) is supplied to the main motor of the machine (550 V supply)
through the trailing cable which is wound on the Cable Reeling Drum (CRD). From the CRD through
slip rings power is supplied to the main motor of the machine. The motor drives number of pumps
through power take-off unit. The main variable displacement pump supplies hydraulic power to
variable displacement motor that is connected with the power divider. From the power divider, the
power is equally distributed to the front and rear differential through cardan shaft and universal
coupling. From the differential unit the power is transferred to the wheels through wheel and
planetary reduction gearbox.
The fixed displacement pump connected with the power take-off unit supplies power to the working
hydraulic system, steering system and braking system. There is an independent hydraulic system
for the CRD drive. The length of the trailing cable varies from 100 m to 200 m, that restricts the travel
distance of the machine. During hauling and flitting operations of the machine, the cable should be
reeled and unreeled automatically. There should always be a minimum tension in the cable. If the
cable coming out of the CRD is too tight, there is a chance of its snapping from the GEB end; on the
other hand, if the tension in the cable is too low, the wear and tear of the cable will be more, and the
machine can run over it during its reverse motion. Therefore, there should always be a constant
tension on the cable.

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Hydraulic Systems of an LHD Machine
Some important functions of the hydraulic systems in the LHD machine are to steer the machine and to
drive the Cable Reeling Drum (CRD). The hydraulic steering system is used to turn the articulated bodies of
the machine; whereas, the CRD is used for automatic reeling and unreeling of flexible trailing cable used for
supplying electric power to the machine. One of the typical hydraulic systems used in a commercially
available LHD machine is shown in Figure 1.4, where the steering operation and the hydraulic system for
the CRD drive are separately marked in dotted envelopes for clarity.
Working Mechanism of the CRD Drive:
One of the essential functions of the hydraulic system used in the Load Haul Dump (LHD) machine is to
drive the Cable Reeling Drum (CRD). It is used for the automatic reeling and unreeling of the flexible trailing
cable through which power supply is provided to the electric motor driving LHD machine. A hydro-motor
through chain and sprocket arrangement drives the CRD for reeling and unreeling of the power cable.
The cable reel circuit shown in Figure 1.5 includes the hydraulic tank, a pump, a cable reel shifter valve and
a cable reel motor / pump. The pump is driven by an electric motor. The pump pressure port is connected to
the IN port of the cable reel shifter valve. The OUT port of the cable reel shifter valve is connected to the
cable reel motor. The OUT port of the cable reel motor is connected to the EXHAUST of the reel shifter
valve. The TANK port of the reel shifter valve is connected to the oil cooler. The oil from the oil cooler is
routed to the return filter in the hydraulic tank.

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 Fig. 1.4 Hydraulic circuit diagram of a commercially available LHD machine

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a) The machine in Standing Position: When the machine does
not move, and the electric motor is running, the pump flow
opens the high-pressure relief valve and passes to the tank.
b) Cable Winding: When the machine is moving backward, the
pump flow through the check valve is supplied to the hydro-
motor, and that, in turn, drives the CRD of the LHD machine.
The circuit is protected by the high-pressure relief valve, set at
50-60 bar.
c) Cable Unwinding: When the machine moves forward, the
cable turns the CRD in the opposite direction creating low
pressure in the pump supply line as the hydro-motor works as
a pump, pumping oil against the pump flow. The low-pressure
pilot signal from this circuit moves the cable reel shifter valve,
opening a free passage for the pump flow to the tank, and the
flow originated by the hydro-motor passes through the low- Fig. 1.5 Hydraulic circuit diagram of the CRD
pressure relief valve (set at 17-21 bar) to maintain tension on mechanism of LHD machine
the cable.

 A hydraulic pump driven by an electric motor through PTO drive of transmission supplies the flow to the cable
reel sifter valve that controls the operation of the hydro-motor, which in turn keeps the necessary tension on the
cable.
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Working Mechanism of the Steering Unit:
Referring to Figure 1.4, the main components of the steering circuit are steering control valve (SCV) with
built-in pressure relief valves (RV1 and RV2), hydraulic accumulator (STA), and steering cylinders (SCL and
SCR). When steering valve spool is actuated by the lever, it supplies pressurized oil (100 bar – 130 bar) to
the respective port of steering cylinders (SCL and SCR), and the machine steers accordingly. The function
of the double relief valves RV1 and RV2 is to absorb shock loads by relieving the pressure to the other port
of the cylinder.
Figure 1.6 shows the block diagram
representation of the steering system of a typical
LHD machine, which consists of hydraulic and
mechanical domains. The hydraulic domain
supplies the required flow (Q) to produce motion
(X, V) in the hydraulic cylinders of the system,
which transcribes into vehicle articulation. The
force (F) and pressure (P) generated in the
actuator sides are arbitrated by the load
computed within the mechanical module, mainly
due to the wheel friction produced at the ground- Figure 1.6 Schematic representation of the steering
tire interface. mechanism of a typical LHD machine

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Speed Control of an LHD Machine
• Speed control of any electric driven vehicle is generally accomplished either by changing the speed of
electric motor (used as prime mover) or by changing the parameters of the components of transmission
system (other than prime mover).
• Owing to the advancement of semiconductor technology, the controlling of speed can be achieved by
changing the voltage and frequency that requires additional motors for ventilation. The frequency and
voltage controlled AC motors are comparatively much large in size than constant speed motor. Hence for
designing an L.H.D, which is basically a low profile and compact machine, it becomes a bottleneck.
Moreover, the sophisticated semiconductor technology requires careful maintenance and is much
susceptible to failure. Owing to the above reasons, the speed control of Electric LHDs is generally not
found practicable by electrically controlled three phase drive. Therefore, the only solution left is to control
the speed by changing the parameters of the other components of power transmission system.
Types of Speed Control with respect to Power train Arrangement:
• Where the AC motor is the main prime mover, squirrel cage induction motor is found best suited for LHD
application due to its heavy duty construction, which requires less maintenance and is easily made as
Flame Proof (FLP) unit.
• As mentioned earlier, speed control of LHD by changing the rpm of induction motor is not found
practicable; therefore, controlling the speed has been achieved by changing the parameters of
hydrostatic or hydrodynamic drive incorporated in transmission system.
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Speed Control of an LHD Machine by using Hydrostatic Drive System
• In the hydrostatic drive used in LHD machine, a closed circuit system usually employs a variable
displacement pump of the axial piston type connected hydraulically to a fixed or variable displacement
motor. One additional small pump is also incorporated which is driven by the same prime mover and
supplies the oil to the main line through non return valves. This oil is required for constant replenishment of
circuit due to internal leakage of oil in the circuit from main pump to motor. Depending upon the system
pressure the swash plate angle of pump is changed automatically, thereby the controlled flow is
supplied to the motor, which regulates its output speed. By this close circuit arrangement, the motor
can be reversed only by changing the direction of flow of pump to the motor and it also prevents the
cavitation of the pump due to high speed. To brake the vehicle, the brake pedal is appropriately released to
reverse the operating mode of pump and motor, causing the motor to drive the pump which then operates
as a generator to feed braking energy into the system.

Fig. 1.7 Schematic representation of the Hydrostatic Drive of LHD machine

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Speed Control of an LHD Machine by using Hydrodynamic Drive System
• In hydrodynamic drive system, the kinetic energy of the fluid is used. Hydrodynamic drive system basically
incorporates the hydraulic torque converter and the output speed is varied depending upon the torque requirement.
By the fixed torque ratio of the converter and for the constant rpm of electric motor, the output speed of torque converter
can only be varied upto a certain range, which only depends on stall torque ratio of the converter. With the use of
variable torque converter, the stator blade angle can be adjusted and thus the hydraulic flow from pump (of
torque converter) can be varied before entering the turbine (of torque converter).
• Thus, the change of speed with respect to the torque can be achieved for wide range by changing the stator blade angle
(Just like diesel engine with fixed torque converter where the wide range of vehicle speed can be achieved by changing
the rpm of the engine from idle to full rpm). However, such hydrodynamic drives account more heat losses. As the
machine size increases, economic considerations limit the equivalent increase in power and it becomes necessary to
supplement a torque converter with a multi-ratio gear box. This would normally be of multi disc clutch power shift
type for durability and maximum efficiency. The vehicle is braked by the wheel and service brake (either by caliper
type disc brake or multiple disc brake). Figure 1.8 shows the hydrodynamic transmission system of electric driven LHD.

**The speed control electric LHD by

thyristor controlled motor drive was
once tried, but was found less
successful compared to the others as
discussed above.

Fig. 1.8 Schematic representation of the Hydrodynamic Drive of LHD machine

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Characteristics of Hydrostatic & Hydrodynamic Drive and
their Comparison
• Figure 1.9 indicates that the efficiency of
hydrostatic drive is almost constant for a
wide speed range and the speed can be
smoothly varied with respect to the torque
(Fig. 1.10). In the case of hydrodynamic
drive the efficiency is maximum only for a
small range of speed variation, (Point N1
to Point N2 as shown in Fig. 1.11)
otherwise the efficiency will fall abruptly.
Fig. 1.12 shows the torque speed
characteristics of the machine where only
torque converter is used in hydrodynamic
transmission system.

Fig. Characteristics of hydrostatic and hydrodynamic drives.

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Characteristics of Hydrostatic & Hydrodynamic Drive and
their Comparison
• By incorporating the power shift transmission (2 stage) in hydrodynamic drive system the efficiency of
the drive is made superior in total than hydrostatic drive as shown in Fig. 1.13 and it also makes the vehicle
to operate for a wider torque and speed as shown in Fig. 1.14. As shown in Fig. 1.13 the speed of
hydrostatic drive can be infinitely varied whereas to get the required speed control in case of hydrodynamic
drive additional power shift transmission (2 stage) has been incorporated. From this we can also conclude
that hydrostatic drive has gentle speed control than hydrodynamic drive.

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Characteristics of Hydrostatic & Hydrodynamic Drive and
their Comparison
• For reasons of cost and efficiency the hydrostatic drive is found most suitable upto 100 kW of motive
power and hydrodynamic drive is for the larger machine.

• Hydrostatic drives are preferable due to their almost constant efficiency with respect to speed and stepless
variation in speed with respect to torque.

• However, in bigger LHDs the hydrostatic drive is uneconomical, because of the electric motor rating will be
higher and the components for the hydrostatic drive system will be costlier than the hydrodynamic one.

• The bigger sizes of hydraulic pump and motor for travel hydraulics will be required, which are difficult to
accommodate in the machine.

• The loss of absolute power will also be more in case of hydrostatic drive in comparison to the
hydrodynamic one for bigger capacity of electric LHD.

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Advantages Disadvantages
1. Greater flexibility. 1. Slower for bulk material delivery.
2. Higher speed of transport. 2. Less maximum load/trip.
3. Higher productivity. 3. Difficult in heavy load movement- heavy
bulky items are difficult to handle on tyres.
4. Minimum labour requirement.
4. Greater maintenance cost- the roads
5. Variable gradient.
requires more maintenance than trucks.
6. Directional change.
5. Larger consumption of engine power in
7. Limited roadway dimensions. overcoming the rolling resistance.
8. Continuity of transport (from surface to underground in
case of drift mine).
9. Interchangeability of equipment- by quick detachment
and attachment techniques, the standard machine can
be rapidly converted on site to perform a variety of tasks.
10. Greater safety.
11. Less expensive as a total system.

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Recent Development in the Design & Construction of an
LHD Machine
 Improved diesel power pack- 4 cylinder model, FLP, control of toxic fumes, noise,
temperature etc. are incorporated.
 Extension of electric capability- advantage of environmental condition, cheap, existing power
supply can be used, improve performance, extended tyre life, reduced maintenance, scope of
remote control facility etc. favour the wider application of the equipment in the coming future.
 Improved payload obtained by improving the power, improved component, mechanical and
structural design (20 te capacity) etc.
 Quick detachable system facilitates to attach or detach any of the items like bucket, drift
material platform, fork body etc.
 Development of the hauler concept incorporated.

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Recent Development in the Design & Construction of an LHD
Machine
 One of its latest model LF2HE tyre
mounted load haul dumper is a low
profile high output machine.

 Special features of LF2HE:

outstanding power/weight ratio, Low
heat generation, Low centre of gravity,
Low specific base pressure fall, safe
parking brake; powerful flood lights,
emergency stops, heavy duty
construction, dead man switch; front and
rear end of the machine linked by an
articulated joint.

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 Specification of LHD Machine Model 811 Manufactured by Eimco Elecon India Ltd.

• Bucket capacity 1.2 m3

• Overall length (bucket down) 6750 mm
• Height of the machine 1800 mm
• Width of the machine 1250 mm
• Width of the bucket 1830 mm
• Minimum turning radius for 90° turn 2050 mm
• Transmission Torque converter and
power-shift transmission
• Speed Min. 3kmph & Max. 12 kmph
• Electric motor 50 H.P.
• Hydraulics Bucket operation, Brakes & Steering
• Tyre size 9.00  20.00
• Cable reel drive Hydrostatic

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2. Shuttle Car
• Shuttle car is a large heavy duty unit, designed
to carry maximum payload at high speed.
• It collects the coal from continuous miner
working at the face and supplies to Feeder
breaker or mine cars or belt conveyors.
• The car has four wheel positive drive and four
wheel hydraulic operated steering, which
provides maximum traction potential with a
minimum turning radius.
• It contains hydraulic pumps, driven by a
separate electrical motor to power the cable
reel, steering and conveyor elevating functions.
• At discharge end a chain and flight conveyor is
fitted which can be elevated by hydraulic
cylinders.

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Salient Features of a Shuttle Car
• It is an electrically driven low height transport vehicle running by rubber tyred wheels
powered by a DC (battery type) or A.C. (cable reel type) driving motors or by diesel
engine.
• It consists of flat open topped and open ended body, on the floor of which there is a
scraper chain conveyor.
• It has enough mobility, flexibility and rapid advance of face is possible. It can work nicely
upto a gradient of 6° but for a short haul, it can work upto 10°.
• Floor should not be mucky and height of the roadway should be atleast 1.2 m and width
4.2 m to 4.8 m and pillars should be rhombus shape of 120°.

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 • Loading by scraper chain (for even distribution) and unloading by the same scraper
chain conveyor is done within 45-60 seconds.

• On an average 2.5 to 8 te capacity shuttle cars are generally used however 14 te

capacity shuttle cars are also available.

• Travelling speed with load 5 to 6 kmph and with no load 7 to 8 kmph is possible.

• Shuttle car can fill 75 % of struck capacity and

• one shuttle car can transport and unload coal of about 150 te/shift.

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 Cable reel Pump motor
compartment compartment

Operator
compartment

Conveyor Conveyor Controller Traction motor

reducer motor
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Main Components
 Traction drive
 Hydraulic system
 Electric System
 Steering Arrangement
 Conveyor Drive
 Cable reel mechanism

Traction Drive:
• The 2 wheel on each side of car are driven by 2 separate
traction motors through spur gear reducers, which are coupled
to the receiving end wheel drive units by universal drive shafts.

• The receiving end drive units are connected to similar units at

the discharge end of the car by universal drive shafts.
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 Traction Drive
3

1
2

1. Drive shaft 4. Reducer

2. Universal joint 5. Wheel unit
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3. Traction motor
Traction Drive:
• Of the four wheel drive units consists of a bevel gear set , driving a ball type constant velocity joint, which in
turn drives a planetary gear set within the hub.

• There is no transverse connection between the drive elements so that no mechanical differential is needed.

• Each traction drive carries an enclosed wet brake unit coupled directly to gearbox.

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Hydraulic System:
 This system regulates the flow of hydraulic fluid at system pressure to raise and lower the conveyor, extend
and retract the steering cylinders, releases of brakes and power the cable reel.

 Electric motor must be energised for starting the pump before any hydraulic function is operated.

Hydraulic Pump Unit –

• The pump is a two-suction, gear style unit.

• Each section of two-stage pump have separate set of gears. The gears in the 46 lpm section are wider,
thus having a larger capacity.
• The pump is splined and bolted directly to the pump motor.
• The high volume stage of pump delivers (46 lpm) fluid to cable reel valve(Since here, shuttle car is in
stationary mode, cable reel motor will be in stalled position) & conveyor elevating valve.
• The Low volume Stage delivers (34 lpm) fluid to hydraulic cylinders in steering mechanism and Brake
circuits (emergency/ park & service).
• Pump circuit includes strainer and breather.

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Service Jack Control valve

• The shuttle car is fitted with four machine lifting service jacks.
• The service jacks are operated individually from a common control bank.
• The shuttle car must be positioned on a hard ground before lifting it off the ground.

Brakes

• Following the start up of pump motor, the wet brakes are released.
• The wet brakes are mounted on traction reducer and has internal braking discs.
• These are Spring Applied and Hydraulically Released (SAHR).
• Pressure and flow, provided by low volume are used to release the park/emergency brakes.
• The sequence valve assures a constant pressure for the correct operation of park brakes.
• When pump-motor starts the brake solenoid is energized.
• The operators should not leave the compartment without applying park brake. The pressure
gauge in operator compartment must read 0 bar.

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Electric System

 Consists of controller, an opto (digital I/O Box), electronic overload relay’s, a display unit,
Optical
 Drive units and electrical switches.
 Digital I/O Box acts as a convertor. All inputs to this box(110v ac) is converted to a 24v dc
output, before it passes to controller for circuit operation and diagnosis. Here it acts a
protector of controller.
 We have Power Supplies (PS1 & PS2).
- PS1 is connected to Controller, Optical drive units, Digital I/O Box and display unit.

CONTROLLER

 This is one of the important features of shuttle car which controls and monitors various
machine functions by correlating with the operator inputs from the electrical switches.
 Communication and data exchange between the overload relay’s, display unit and central
controller are effected by means of a CAN bus communication.
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Circuit Breaker

• The electrical circuits of the shuttle car are controlled by circuit breakers located in the main
controller case. These must be closed before the power supply is given to electrical
components.

Breaker Function
Machine Main breaker Provides protection for all electrical
circuits on the machine

Control and lighting Breaker Provides protection for the lighting and
the control circuits

Traction Breaker Provides protection for both traction

Motors.

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Opti-Drives

• The opti-drive system utilizes 3-phase AC motors for traction control on the shuttle car.
• The 2 optical drives supply power at variable voltage and variable frequency, to the traction
motors.
• The system uses power electronics technique to convert AC to DC(rectifier), smooth the DC
(filter) and then to convert DC to AC (inverter)to provide a variable voltage variable frequency
(VVVF) output.
• Motor rotation is determined by the Integrated Gate Bipolar transistors (IGBT) within the opti-
drive.
• Motor current is sensed by two closed loop hall effect current sensors.
• Each opti-drive provides thermal overload protection (TOL)for the traction motors.

Display Screens

• The display unit registers both machine operation and status information.
• There are 9 different screens available, each will display detailed information to aid in operating and
troubleshooting the machine.

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Audible Siren

The siren sounds when the pump is being started, which is directly powered from central controller
during the pump start cycle.

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Steering Arrangement

 Consists of upper & lower steering arms, Drag links, Cross over drag links, steering lever or butterfly
and cross shaft.
 A steering cylinder is mounted onto each steering lever and when operator operates steering control
from his cabin, it pulls and push the steering levers, which turn the wheels to left and right with the help
of drag links.
 These are found on both the sides of SC, mounted onto the steering cross shaft.

Working of Steering Mechanism –

• As hydraulic oil is directed into the extend port of the cylinders, the rod will extend
rotating the steering lever about the cross shaft.
• The draglinks will either push or pull the steering arms attached to wheel units.
• This results in-wheel units rotating about a kingpin and allowing the operator to steer
the shuttle car.

Steering Cylinder –
• The steering cylinders used on the shuttle cars are double acting.
• All shuttle cars are equipped with a dual cylinder arrangement.
• The function of them is to convert hydraulic pressure into mechanical force.

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 Steering Arrangement

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Conveyor Drive

 It is an integral part of Shuttle Car, on which the coal is loaded from receiving end and has a width of 0.81 m.
 It is equipped with conveyor chain having flight bars. Conveyor chain is adjusted for tensioning and to avoid
slackness using a conveyor take up shaft.

Conveyor Take-up Shaft

 Conveyor take up shaft is equipped with sprockets on both sides on which the conveyor chain sits.
 This conveyor take up shaft is connected with a grease jack or take up cylinder.

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Conveyor Drive Motor/Reducer

• Conveyor is run by conveyor motor of 18.6 kW (AC Induction Motor), attached with a conveyor reducer
through castle nut, split pin and O-ring.

Component Weight
Conveyor reducer 260 kg
Conveyor motor 275 kg

1.Reducer
2.Motor
3&4.Mounting bolts
5.castle nut
6.Pinion gear
7. Key
8.O-ring
9. Nut
10.Split pin

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Conveyor Boom

 The conveyor b o o m is connected t o the car by a pivot shaft.

 Below the b o o m there are 2 conveyor elevating cylinders used t o l i f t up the conveyor.
 The weight o f these cylinders are 7 9 kg.

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Cable Reel Arrangement

 The CABLE REEL MECHANISM is used by the SHUTTLE

CAR to wrap the sagging trailing cable into the vehicle.
 This prevents the cable from knot formation and tampering.
 It maintains a pulling force in the cable and prevents sagging
due to the weight of the cable.
 Stops the vehicle when cable is exhausted and thus
prevents tearing of the cable.

Cable Reel & Cam Spooler Drive Chain Cable Reel Drum

 The cable reel drum is powered by a cable reel drive

motor through a cam spooler drive chain.
 The cable reel drive chain is lubricated with a squirt of
hydraulic fluid whenever the cable reel starts rotating.

Cam Spooler

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3. Side Discharge Loader (SDL)
A loader is a self-propelled crawler machine with an integral front mounted bucket supporting structure
and linkage which loads or excavates through forward motion of the machine and lifts, transports and
discharges material/coal. SDL is a popular electro-hydraulically operated low profile high output
loader machine used in underground mines to load and unload the extracted coal by right side
and left side. It has a bucket which loads through forward motion of the machine and can discharge to
the side from any end of the bucket.
• SDL is mounted on a crawler track and is designed for loading the broken rocks onto a conveyor or
into the tub in coal or stone workings.
• The high travel speed (0.7 m/s) makes it suitable for working with the discharge point upto 10 m from
the working face with no appreciable reduction in loader output.
• The loader can be employed on gradients rising or dipping upto 18° (1 in 3).
• The SDL with cable realer with side discharge bucket of around 1.1 𝑚3 capacity suitable for 1 in 4
gradient.
• It is totally flameproof.
• The SDL may be adopted for discharge on the left or right side. Bucket capacity is 2.032 te
(maximum).

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Major Components of SDL Machine
BUCKET ROOLER
BOOM IDEALER
GEAR RETURN IDEALER
ELECTRIC MOTOR SPROKET HUB
MOTOR MOUNTING FRAME SOVES CYLINDER
BOOM MOUNTING BRACKET LIFT CYLINDER
AUXILIARY TANK FLAPE OPENING CYLINDER
HYDRAULIC FITTING & PIPES TRIPPLE GEAR PUMP
HYDRO MOTOR CHAIN CONVEYER
CENTRAL SECTION STAFFA HYDRAULIC MOTOR
COOLER INLINE FILTER
CHAIN

Optional Components of SDL Machine

Dust suppression kit
Dump valve with lock and key

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Salient Features of SDL Machine
• Average output expected from each SDL/day is 200 to 500 te/day.
• At Bankola and Bahula colliery, ECL, India from development panel, average production per
SDL achieved 125 te with an OMS 1.9 te/man/shift.
• This equipment is used for applications in underground mining.
• It is indigenously designed and developed by in-house R&D.
• This equipment weighing 9 tonnes, is fitted with 1 cu.m. bucket.
• Fitted with powerful 55 kW motor operating at 550 V, 50 Hz.
• This equipment ensures very high productivity.
• It is ideally suitable for deployment in underground mines where intermediate or Semi-
mechanization is used.

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