Mining Equipment
When it comes to mining there are a series of industry specific machines that are designed for individual tasks within the mining process. There are also however, other industrial machines that have been modified to suit the mining industry such as conveyor belts and sluices. The main purpose of the machinery involved with mining is to decrease the manpower necessary to retrieve the minerals and ores and process them to the point where they can be transported and sold to the industrial users of coal, metal ores and gemstones.
Mining Drills
Mining is essentially the retrieval of coal, gems and ores from within the earth, and as such, equipment that facilitates subterranean excavation is necessary. One major piece of equipment is the mining drill, which digs down into the earth in order to make it easier to access the substance required, be it diamonds or coal or other substances. Through the use of a variety of rotating drill bits the drill digs into rock to the level required in order to withdraw samples, for further investigation, analysis and/or retrieval of minerals.
Mining Drill Bits
Mining drill bits are highly specialized, sometimes diamond coated for extra strength and in a range of different styles to cut through various types of rock. Core drilling bits are cylindrical with a hole in the centre which provides a sample which is then used to analyze rock and mineral presence at the site.
Mining Carts
The transport of minerals from mines to the trommel outside is usually by tram. A simple train line, with small open topped carts, runs into the mine where the mineral, ore or rubble is placed before being transported down the line to the outside. These tram lines are usually used in mines with deep shafts which need large amounts of rubble, mineral or ore to be transported.
Magnetic Separators
After the drilling or mining process the material that is excavated is then passed through a trommel and graded by a process which separates the minerals from the gravel and soil by shaking it over a series of differently sized grills. This is then followed by the minerals passing through a magnetic separator if metallic. This part of the separation chain and allows the early removal of excess unusable material to be discarded and the smaller amounts of mineral to be removed for concentration.
Mining Sluice
Another way of concentrating the materials is to put them into a sluice, a long trough filled with water which cleans the minerals and ensures that any extra soil or rock is removed. The sluicing process can differ in length depending on the time necessary to adequately clean and separate the pure mineral from the waste. When the mineral is then ready for transport to the next stage it is either piled into high mounds, or simply packaged and stored to await a suitable method of transport, be it by road rail or air.
Mining Conveyors
A mining conveyor belt system is often used the transport and heap the looser minerals for example coal, iron ore or bauxite, taking them from the end of the sluice, into a heap before being moved onto a train carriage or dump truck and then to the transport vessels that will take them be used elsewhere.