Application of discrete element technology to study on coal loading performances of spiral cutting drum

In order to study the coal loading performances of the spiral cutting drum under the complicated seam deposition conditions, according to the prosperity test results of the coal sample from a mine in Ordos of Inner Mongolia, in combination with the Discrete Element Technology Method, a discrete element coupling model of the spiral cutting drum applied to the thin seam shearer and the coal wall was established. The coupling between spiral cutting drum and coal wall was solved as well as the rational selection of each parameter in the discrete element simulation and the other key problems. With the tracking and statistics of particle speed and quantity during the coal loading process, movement patterns of coal flow during coal loading process of spiral cutting drum and partical speed distribution within enveloped area of spiral cutting drum were obtained. According to the particle quality statistics of coal from different regions, the coal loading efficiency of spiral cutting drum was calculated. With the statistics on the fell coal quantity of one pass cutting along the length of coal mining face and the coal conveyed quantity during industrial trial of the coal shearer, the coal loading efficiency of spiral cutting drum obtained from the DEM simulation was the same to test data basically. The study results could provide a new method to improve the coal loading performance of the spiral cutting drum.