Simulation research on cutting process of arc section in working face with large dip angle and extra thick coal seam

In order to achieve the overall stability of hydraulic supports and to strengthen the supports at the lower end in the fully-mechanized caving face of large dip angle and thick coal seam, in recent years, the innovative “slash-arc-horizontal” pattern large-angle and extra-thick coal seams at fully-mechanized caving face has been invented. In the production practice, it is found that the shearer tends to retain the top layer while cutting the bottom layer in the cutting of the circular section and with the accumulation of the amount, the upper end of the circular section gradually moves up and the curvature of the circular section increases, which intensifies the risk of the support's toppling and affects the normal coal cutting. To solve this serious problem, the software integration method is used to dynamically simulate the complex process of cutting the coal at the top of the circular section of the shearer by itself, which visually shows the amount left by every cut and the accumulate amount by multiple cuts, and the simulation results are comprehensively analyzed. The results show that the coal cutting per knife is strictly in accordance with the value of the top cutting bottom of the first knife cutting, which can be used as the topping amount of the cutting head to compensate the shearer's top cutting amount to maintain the normal arc segment curvature.The simulation results provide a visualized material for the preparation of the working face of the fully-mechanized caving face of the large inclined angle and thick seam and its similar working face and the training of the coal cutter driver.