Roadheader applications in mining and tunneling industries

Roadheaders offer a unique capability and flexibility for the excavation of soft to medium strength rock formations, therefore, are widely used in underground mining and tunneling operations. A critical issue in successful roadheader application is the ability to develop accurate and reliable estimates of machine production capacity and the associated bit costs. This paper presents and discusses the recent work completed at the Earth Mechanics Institute of Colorado School of Mines on the use of historical data for use as a performance predictor model. The model is based on extensive field data collected from different roadheader operations in a wide variety of geologic formations. The paper also discusses the development of this database and the resultant empirical performance prediction equations derived to estimate roadheader cutting rates and bit consumption.