Conveyor:

A belt conveyor consists of an endless flat and flexible belt of sufficient strength, made of fabric, rubber, plastic,
leather or metal, which is laid over two metallic flat pulleys at two ends, and driven in one direction by driving one of
the two end pulleys. Material is placed on this moving belt for transportation. The active half of the belt is supported
by idler rollers or slider bed. The return half of the belt may or may not be supported, as it generally does not carry
any additional load other than its own weight. The endless belt is kept taught by a belt tensioning arrangement.
Advantages:
 Continuous, easy, safe and economical haulage.
 Belt conveyor can be used for abrasive, wet, dry, sticky or dirty material.
 Higher capacity can be handled than any other form of conveyor at a considerably lower cost per tonne
kilometer.
 Longer distances can be covered more economically.
 It can be horizontal, incline or decline or combination of all.
 Belt Conveyor systems can improve efficiency and help to reduce repetitive lifting and carrying.
Dis-advantages:
 A separate arrangement for material handling is required.
 Hot material can not he transported by belt conveyor.
 Vertical transport can not be done by belt conveyor.
Limitations:
 The belt needs higher initial tension.
 Higher elongation of the belt (4% elongation may take place at the working load).
 Conveying of sticky material is associated with problems of cleaning and discharge causing poor productivity.
Parts/ Construction:

1. Belt:
The belt, which forms the moving and supporting surface on which the conveyed material rides.
A mechanical apparatus consisting moving belt that transports material from one place to another. Conveyor
belts consists of 3 elements:
1.Top cover: (rubber or plastic compounds)
2.Carcass: Under-layer that provide liner strength (made up of nylon,polyester, cotton)
3.Bottom cover: (rubber or plastic compounds)
 2. Drive head:
The drive, which imparts power through one or more pulleys to move the belt and its load.
Drive unit consist of electric motor, damping coupling, two or three stage gear-box and coupling that connect
output shaft with pulley. If drum use more area then we use pulley which reduce area and lessens frictional
losses.

3. Pulley/Tail pulley/roller:
The pulleys, which support and direct the belt and control its tensions.
The terminal pulley at the end of the conveyor opposite the normal discharge end. It is usually an idler pulley
but may be a drive pulley.
4. Idler:
The idlers, which form the supports for the troughed carrying strand of the belt and the flat return strand.
5. Troughing:
A structural section shaped like a wide U. Troughed belt conveyors are used for higher capacity, higher speed
requirement, and for handling bulk material of large lump size. It suitable for inclined or declined type
conveyors.
6. Roller/carrier:
They are roller type supports for belt b/w two pulleys. The rollers used at certain spacing for supporting the
active as well as return side o the belt are called idlers
7. Scraper (optional):
It is belt cleaner removes material adhering to the outer belt face. It is usually located near the driving pulley.
8. Belt Joints:
Which joins two belt together. Different types are:
a. Bristal fastener
b. Nelson (uses button)
c. Heydew fastener (uses wire)
Strength of belt conveyor:
It depends on:
a. No of cotton duck
b. Thickness
c. Width of duck
d. Type of material
Power transmitted by belt-conveyor:
e = 2.718
And Tt=Tension on tight side
 μ = 0.25 – 0.35
 ϴ: Ts=Tension on slack side
 Bear drum: μ=0.25
 One drum: ϴ = (2 radian) = 4.1867
 Two drum: ϴ = 2 [ (2 radian)] = 8.373
 Rubber drum: μ=0.35
 One drum: ϴ = ( radian) = 4.1867
 Two drum: ϴ = 2[ ( radian)] = 8.373
Log to both side:

Horsepower:
HP =
Capacity:
It depends on:
 X-section area of the troughing
 Speed of the belt
Types of conveyor:
1) Belt Conveyor
2) Long-wall face conveyor:
i. Single unit (one belt)
ii. Double unit (two belts with one loading point)
3) Shaking conveyor
4) Face conveyor:
 5HP, 104 ft/min , 90 ton
5) Room conveyor
 15 HP, 70-90 ft/min , 60ton
6) Trunk conveyor
7) Road way conveyor
8) Loader conveyor
Note: All the above are types of belt conveyor, classified on the basis of difference in :
 Speed
 Capacity
 Size
 Working

Haulage & Hoisting:

Haulage is the material transportation in horizontal direction (0˚ - 45˚). Hoisting is the material transportation in
vertical direction (70˚ - 90˚).
Different Equipment:
Haulage Hoisting
Dumper Shaft
Trolley Pumps
Truck Bucket
LHD Cage
Scraper Dum Hoist
Conveyor Belt Crane
Pipe
Mine Car

Selection of Equipment:
A relatively large number of factors must be considered in the selection of the haulage or hoist equipment
that are used in a mining operation. The following list of variables was drawn up considering surface mining
applications, but the factors are applicable to underground equipment selection as well. The factors to be
considered can be logically grouped into four categories:
1. Performance factors. These are related to machine productivity and include cycle speed, available
breakout force, digging range, bucket capacity, travel speed, and reliability.
2. Design factors. The design variables apply to the quality and effectiveness of detail design, including
the sophistication of human-machine interaction for operators and maintenance personnel, the level
of technology employed, and the types of control and power available.
3. Support factors. These variables involve the service and maintenance aspects of machine operation.
Sometimes overlooked in the past, these factors are becoming more important as computer
diagnostics and monitoring systems allow maintenance personnel to better maintain and repair the
equipment.
4. Cost factors. Probably the most important category in the selection process, the costs of purchasing
and operating the equipment can be estimated by standard estimating procedures. Publications by
Western.
Haulage Classification:
i. Manual:
 Sacks
 Buckets
 Wheel Borrows
ii. Animal:
 Donkey/Mule
 Horse
iii. Rope:
1. Gravity:
Loading point is at height and collection at lower elevation. Slope is steep required. Fraction condition
is preferred.
2. Mechanic:
iv. Power:
1. Locomotive
2. Conveyors

Locomotives:
1) Steam Engine:
2) Internal Combustion Engine:
3) Diesel Engine:
4) Compressed air locomotive:
5) Electric:

Steam Engine:
Mostly used in underground mines and can be used in severe condition. These locomotives arc now limited to
transportation of material oil the surface. They were formerly employed underground in mining anthracite and
bituminous coal , they have been extensively used in open-pit work but in some of the large porphyry copper mines
and in some iron mines, have been largely displaced by electric locomotives and truck haulage.
Steam locomotive come in many different size and types.
Gear locomotives arc used where grades are unusually steep and curves sharp
 Characteristics:
The steam locomotive is independent of outside sources of power and can handle loads under severe
conditions of operation.
It has disadvantage of low thermal efficiency, which ranges from 8 to 12%.
Internal Combustion Engine:
It will use any fuel except diesel. Fuel may be gasoline and solid fuel. In the interest of safety internal combustion
engines should not he used in any part of mines and also should not be used in tunnels under construction except:
“When the air current is more than 100 linear feet per minute and the toxic gases are always less than 0.02% in the air
current " and
“When the percentage of inflammable gas in the air current is less than 0.25% or the inflammable gas cannot be
detected in any place by a permissible safety lamp”. Gasoline or other highly inflammable liquids should not be used
as engine fuel in mines and in tunnels under construction because of the hazard of their transportation and use.
If ventilation requirements are met it appears reasonably safe to use diesel locomotives that bum a heavy non-volatile
fuel oil.
 Disadvantage:
Creates fume therefore not recommended for underground mine.
Diesel Engine:
Highly recommended to use in mines. Several firms make diesel locomotives with horsepower ranging from 24 to 50,
65,70 and 100.
 Diesel locomotives arc also used to haul mine cars.
 Diesel mine locomotives arc extensively used in coal mines in (Germam. France, Belgium ami in various
other countries.
 These locomotives have been officially approved for use in gassy mines because they are considered safe
from the standpoint of possible ignition of methane gas and of mine fires.
 Also the exhaust gases have been found to be practically free from carbon monoxide gases.
 Diesel locomotives provide cheaper per ton-mile haulage than other kinds of locomotives.
  But required constant inspection to keep them in good cognition.
 Before diesel locomotives are introduced in the coalmines it is likely that they will have to he of the
permissible type, means not all types can he used in such mines.
 Advantages:
Creates no fume as created by internal combustion.
Low environmentally hazardous b/c organic
More efficient
Provides cheaper haulage per ton.
Compressed air locomotive:
Compressed air is used for running machines.
Characteristics:
a. Compressed air locomotives arc generally of the compound type, taking air from the main line at a pressure from 800 to
1000 psi.
b. This air is reduced to about 250 lb in the high-pressure cylinder, from which it passes through an atmospheric reheater
before going to the low-pressure cylinder.
c. Air is exhausted from the low-pressure cylinder at a pressure of 1.5 to 2 lbs. above that of atmosphere.
d. The usual speed is about 8 miles per hour though 4 miles per hour can be taken as an average, including stopping and
starling.
e. From 0.5 to 1 minute is required for charging the locomotive
f. The capacity of compressor is found by estimating the total train resistance for the round trip over each separate section
of the track where conditions are different cither in respect to grade or to weight of the train that is loaded or empty.
g. This resistance is multiplied by the total weight of the train including locomotive and by the length of that particular
section of the track to give the foot-pounds of work required
h. This figure is then divided by the foot-pounds of the work obtained in the locomotive cylinder from I cubic feet of free
air
i. As a guide to the work done in the cylinder the following figures may be used.
j. When working at about 15% of its full tractive effort 2000 ft-lb. at 27% 2500 ft-lb w or king at or near capacity 2800 ft-
lb
k. The total quantity of the tree air required for the round trip is the sum of the volumes for all the sections and is then
divided by the minutes required for making the trip to give the capacity of the compressor in cubic feet of free air per
minute.
l. 20 to 30 % of this should he added to allow for switching and for contingencies A correction for altitude is made if the
mine is above sea level.
 Advantages:
i. No fumes
ii. No depletion of O2 in mine.
iii. The most important advantage of compressed air locomotives is the safety from fire hazard
iv. There is no danger of setting timber on tire or of igniting a gassy atmosphere and no noxious gases are
emitted.
v. No trolley wire is required and the locomotive can be designed for working in places where the headroom is
quite limited
vi. Compressed air locomotives arc used to a limited extent in both coal and metal mines.
 Disadvantages:
Their disadvantages lie in the cost of the high-pressure compressor required and of the pipelines and charging
stations, the higher speed of the locomotive underground, the stopping for charging, the fogging of the mine air from
the cold exhaust and the jerky or irregular action on starting especially under heavy loads
A uniform high pressure should be maintained.
Cold temperature effect the efficiency b/c the required pressure is not achieved.
Electric Engine:
Use electric current as power. There are of two types.
a. Underground trolley locomotives
b. Storage battery locomotives
 Underground trolley locomotives:
Many mines arc electrified that d-c electric locomotives are widely used for mine haulage. The singly trolley
locomotive may be modified in design by adding a cable reel or a crab rope for gathering cars where there is
no trolley wire.
a. Cable Reel Locomotive:
A cable reel locomotive carries a rubber-covered cable about 500 ft long. The free end of the cable is
fastened to the trolley wire. The locomotive then can pass into the room, paying out the cable as it
goes, and on the return trip the cable is wound up
b. Crab Locomotive:
 A crab locomotive is suitable for pulling cars up a steep dip. The locomotive remains outside the
room on the main track. A small steel cable from 350 to 500 ft long is pulled by hand, hooked onto
the car and then wound up by un auxiliary motor. A combination locomotive is a trolley locomotive
with an auxiliary storage battery and runs on battery beyond the trolley wire. Gathering locomotives
and locomotives at metal mines are chiefly in 4, 6 or 8 tons sizes. The heavier locomotive can he
obtained by coupling two locomotives together to form a tandem. The full speed of small trolley
locomotive is about 6 miles per hour. Main line locomotives have a speed of 8 to 9 miles per hour.
Advantages of U/G:
 Trolley locomotives arc simple and rugged in design and will stand rough handling.
 They are suitable for the heaviest kind of work, for they will operate satisfactorily over long distances
and on fairly steep guides.
 It is better to limit long grades to 3 % or less hut for short distances the locomotive can climb a grade
of 12 to 15 % and can haul a train over an 18 to 20 % grade by using a rack rail.
Disadvantages of U/G:
 The disadvantages of the trolley locomotives lie in the need for bonding the rails and hanging a trolley
wire, which introduces a fire hazard in gassy or timbered mines and is a source of danger from electric
shock
 Storage Battery Locomotives:
Run at approximately half the speed of the trolley locomotives.
The 4. 5 and 8 tons locomotives have the speed of 3.5 miles per hour and the larger sizes a speed of 5 miles
per hour.
They are made in sizes ranging from I ton to a main line locomotive of 20 tons or even greater weight and are
used in almost every type of underground haulage both coal and metal mines.
Batteries can be charged during the shill
The smallest size of storage battery locomotive is not longer than the average mine cage and can be moved to
any desired level in the mine. Two types of the batteries are used:
1. The lead or acid-cell type
2. Edison or Alkaline cell type
In general Edison batteries cost more, weight less but have a longer life.
The lead battery can he temporarily discharged at a much higher multiple of this normal rate of discharge than
the Edison cell.
The voltage of a lead cell is approximately 2 volts and Ed boa cell about 1.2 volts
The rated voltage of permissible storage batten locomotive is commonly 80 volts.
The batteries contain 48 or 54cells each cell having 33 or 39 plates Or 80, 88 or even 134 Edison cells.
The rated capacity of the lead edi b 480 to 750 amp-hr and that of the Edison cells about 450 amp-hr.
Locomotive for main line haulage have more cells and work under a higher voltage. As a general comparison,
under a similar load factor there if practically no difference in the operating cost of storage hattery locomotive
and trolley locomotives. On short hauls and for switching, the storage battery locomotive has the advantage,
hut for long hauls the trolley locomotive is superior
Advantages
 One of the chief advantage is the particular suitability of the »forage battery locomotive for serving loading
machines,
 The dangers from an ovcrhe.nl trolley wire arc eliminated.
 Rails need not he bonded
 The locomotive is simple to operate and responds quickly to the control
 If power is temporarily shut of the locomotive will continue to operate
 Peak power load can be reduced,
 Electrical losses in the long trolley line are avoided
 In gassy coalmines the locomotive can be enclosed that it receives the approval of the U.S. Bureau Of Mines as
a permissible locomotive.
 Trolley locomotives arc not given this approval.

Selection of locomotive:
The choice of locomotives is influenced by the several factors:
i. The load to be hauled from the loading point to the shaft
ii. The gradient of the roadway and variations in favor or against the load.
iii. The speed at which the trains arc to be run.
iv. The power required to maintain the required speed.
v. The power available in the engine or motor.
vi. The width of the roadway that may be maintained economically.
 vii. The width of roadway required at pass-byes and sidings
viii. The width of traveling spaces required by the coalmines act.
ix. The relative widths of locomotives and their relationship to the width of mine cars, projection being a
potential danger at pass-byes and sidings.
x. The price of locomotives.
xi. The cost per ton-mile of providing the locomotives and track.
xii. Maintenance of the locomotives.

Capacity of locomotive:
F = a
L = L = wt of locomotive
T = wt of train
R = track resistance
G = Grade %
a = acceleration miles per hour/sec
When velocity is uniform so , a=0
L =

Mine Car:
Mine cars are used for transportation of material generally ore or waste from the mine to the unloaded point. Car body
is of wood, steel or composite construction. Wooden cars are bulky becomes heavy- in wet mines less durable but can
be repaired more easily than the steel. Wooden cars arc readily constructed, often being assembled in the shop by
unskilled labor. In addition they have a certain flexibility, which gives them excellent riding qualities, and they are
inexpensive to construct. They are obsolescent in metal mining.
Composites cars usually have wood stringers. The body is rigid or is hinged on its truck for dumping in one direction
or has a king-pan or turn-table connection to truck to dump in any direction. When conditions permit, the body should
he centered over the wheelbase. Steel bodies are now generally used.
All steel cars cost from 50 to 100 percent more to build than wooden cars but their longer life quite often offsets this
initial disadvantage. Maintenance costs are estimated at one fourth of wooden cars. The same outside dimensions the
steel car gives 10 to 20 percent more inside capacity. Steel cars have greater durability and can withstand shock that
would crush wooden cars. When skilled labor is available, a bent steel car can be repaired and placed into service at a
very low cost. Lower maintenance costs and greater capacity should reduce the cost of haulage when steel cars are
used.
Selection of mine car:
There are many factors that influence the selection of mine car.
i. The tonnage mine per day.
ii. Widths of drifts and levels,
iii. The gauge of the track.
iv. The radius of curves.
v. Method of loading of cars (by hands, by chutes or by loading machines).
vi. Method of dumping.
vii. The size of mine cage (if the cars arc to be hoisted),
viii. Weight of broken ore per cubic feet.
ix. Physical condition of ore (wet. dry. fine coarse)
Types:
a) Solid or Box type:
It requires a rotary dump at the unloading terminal.
These cars are without doors at any end.
The cars are dumped by revolving cradle turning them upside down.
The advantage of such cars is in the first costs and repairs, as their construction is simple.
The car is positioned on the dump and lever is pulled up.
The upper edges of the car arc held in place by the angle irons
After the loaded car is in position, the entire dump is revolved into the position as shown in figure
b) The rocker dump type:
It has a v-shaped body rounded at the bottom. Rockers are connected at the sides of the car. For dumping the
car is rotated over the rockers.

c) The gabble bottom car:

Its shape is like a capital W in cross section. The bottom of the car is shaped like capital W.

d) The granby car:

A special form of a side-dumping car. It can be duped cither to the left or right. For dumping, operator swings
the car to the right or left and car is dumped after releasing the handle.

e) The bottom dump car:

 Commonly used tor hand tramming in small mines. The car is dumped from the bottom. Bottom lock is
released and it becomes a chute and the material is dumped.
f) End dump car:
Commonly used for fund tramming in small mines. Figure shows an end dump steel car with a door a
swinging by the rod b at the top of the car and a latch c extending across the car. The principal wear comes on
the bottom of the car due to the abrasion when the car is dumped. To avoid this a timber false bottom is
provided which can be replaced when worn out.

g) Scoop box car:

It has a body of shed steel with a false bottom. No door is needed at the front as the scoop body forms a sort of
chute over which the ore slides. Operator presses the lever a, raises the car so that it will tilt on the hinge b and
dumb. A fifth wheel is provided at c as it may he dumped over the side as well at the end

Shaft Hoisting System:

Shaft:
A vertical or inclined opening from surface for the conveyance of men, materials, hoisting ore, pumping water and
providing ventilation. Hoist means to raise (something) by means of ropes and pulleys. Above 70˚ the shaft would be
referred as vertical and below 70˚ is inclined. If we are given a free hand to develop inclined/vertical shaft, so
developing vertical shaft would be better b/c
 It provides the shortest distance to the ore-body.
 No friction during transportation.
 Safe
Purposes:
1. To transport men and materials to and from underground Workings.
2. For hoisting ore and waste from underground.
3. To serve as intake and return airways for the mine (ventilation shaft).
4. To access an ore body.
5. These shafts are used in applications such as hydro-electric projects, water supply, waste water shafts and
tunnel projects.
6. Drilled shaft machine is used in such process, where it consists of special type of units that are used in both
stable & unstable soils.
7. Storage of nuclear waste.
8. Temporary storage and treatment of sewage.
Types of shaft:
 On basis of construction:
i. Vertical: With dip angle greater than 70.
ii. Inclined: With dip angle less than 70.
iii. Combine shaft: At certain depth the vertical shaft is turned into inclined shaft. This is then called
combine shaft.
 On basis of purpose:
a. Prospecting shaft:
b. Permanent shaft:
Shape of shaft:
i. Rectangle:
 Inclined type
 Difficult to sink
 More compartments
 Dimension:
 Head frame = 4 x 5 ft
 Middle = 3 x 5 ft
ii. Circular & Hexagonal:
 Vertical type:
 Easy to sink
 Less compartments
 Head frame 18 x 22 ft

Components of shaft:
The hoist plant consists of all those components of the mine plant that are necessary to elevate ore, coal, stone ore
waste and to raise the lower personnel and material in the mine. It components are classified by location:-
1. Surface plant
 Hoist room (head frame or ground mounted)
- Hoist drum or sheave ( imparts motion to rope)
- Hoist electrical and mechanical equipment ( prime move, brake, clutch, controls)
- Hoist ropes (steel wire strands)
 Head frame (Tower or A-frame, steel or reinforced concrete)
- Idler sheaves
- Storage bins ( ore and waste)
- Skip dump mechanism ( overturning or bottom dump)
2. Shaft Plant
 Skips (bulk transports)
 Cages, elevators ( personnel, material)
 Shaft guides (tracks for skips and cages)
3. Underground Plant
 Dump and storage bin
 Crusher (if size reduction required for hoisting)
 Loading pocket
 Personnel and material-handling facilities
Figure assists us in visualizing these components of the hoist plant, assuming a vertical shaft as the main access
opening. With little modification, the same layout would also suffice for an inclined shaft using hoisting (a slope,
ramp, or drift mine differs, presumably because hoisting would not be used).