The type of heavy mining equipment used depends on the type and stage of mining. Surface mining uses earthmoving equipment, while underground mining uses roof bolters, shuttles, and longwall machines. Haul trucks and levellers are also used.
The type of heavy mining equipment used for a specific task during any mining operation depends on a number of factors. A determining factor is where mining operations occur: on the surface, deep underground or at subsurface level. All of these various stages require specific types of heavy equipment to facilitate the mining process. Therefore, the description of heavy mining equipment depends on the type of mining activity and the stage of the mining process. Some of the common equipment used in mining includes construction equipment, dragline excavators, longwall mining machines, roof bolters, shuttle cars, graders, and haul trucks.
Heavy mining equipment used for surface mining can be used to promote any number of mining processes. For example, it can be used when mining for oil, coal, or mining for precious stones and metals. Basically, surface mining involves a lot of moving the earth material and rocks from one place to another for the miners to reach the point of interest. To do this, a group of equipment generally referred to as earthmoving equipment is used for this particular purpose. Earth movers usually have some sort of excavation in front of them, bucket-shaped structures that are used to excavate the soil, transport it and transfer it to another location, granting the miners access to the desired location.
Dragline excavators are another category of heavy mining equipment that are also more commonly associated with coal mining. Longwall mining machines are also used for coal mining and are usually used underground, unlike crawler excavators which are used above ground. Other sets of mining equipment commonly used underground are roof bolters and shuttles. Shuttle cars are needed to transport the mined substance, such as coal, to the next point in the mining operation. Blasthole drills are another set of heavy mining equipment which consist of a vertical arm on a mobile base that can be used both on land and offshore for the purpose of drilling a hole within which explosives can be placed.
Levellers are heavy mining equipment on huge trucks that are used during the mining process. Another type of heavy mining equipment, the haul truck, allows miners to move large amounts of debris or soil from one point to another. The application of the various heavy mining equipment depends on the requirements of those involved in the mining operation, the type of mining operation and the stage of the mining operation.
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