Recently, the self-developed cutting drum seal protection shield for roadheader bolters by Shendong Coal has proven functional through real application at mines including Daliuta Coal Mine, Shigetai Coal Mine, and Halagou Coal Mine, effectively addressing operational challenges such as foreign object intrusion into the floating seal of the cutting gearbox and frequent equipment failures. This innovation ensured continuous and stable tunneling operation, achieved dual enhancement in cost reduction with enhanced efficiency and safety control, and provided solid equipment support for high-efficiency mine tunneling.
As the core equipment for mine roadway tunneling, the roadheader bolter’s cutting head performance directly affects tunneling efficiency. In recent years, frequent cutting head failures across various mines have resulted in prolong maintenance period, high costs, and disruptions to tunneling operation. Frequent component replacement has also brought certain safety risks. To address the problem, the technical team of Shendong Coal conducted disassembly and analysis of returned cutting heads, finding that more than 50% of failures resulted from foreign objects, such as wires and steel bars intruding into and damaging the floating seal, subsequently causing oil leakage and failure.
To address this pain point, the technical team innovatively designed a seal protection shield to block foreign object intrusion at the source without affecting normal drum operation, effectively preventing seal damage.
The economic and safety benefits following implementation are substantial. Calculations indicate that based on six cutting heads experiencing seal damage due to foreign object intrusion, total maintenance costs saved amount to RMB 2.643 million, including RMB 643,000 in labor costs and RMB 2 million in core component replacement, significantly reducing operational maintenance expenses and component inventory pressure. Furthermore, the solution effectively extends cutting head service life, reduces equipment failure-related downtime and underground maintenance frequency, eliminates safety risks associated with frequent component replacement, and ensures continuous and stable tunneling operations.
At present, the company has completed optimization and retrofitting of seal protection shields for cutting drums on 37 roadheader bolters. Post-retrofit equipment operation has been stable and reliable, with a substantial reduction in failure rates, receiving widespread recognition and positive feedback from various mines, demonstrating strong potential for broader application.
