CHALLENGES IN REDUCING FRICTION AND WEAR IN SCRAPER CHAIN CONVEYORS: A REVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH
Keywords:
Keywords: scraper chain conveyor, armoured face conveyor, scraper flight, sprocket, friction, wear, shearer, steeply dipping seam, DEM.Abstract
Abstract. This paper reviews research published over the past two decades on reducing friction and improving the performance of chain-type scraper conveyors used at mechanized longwall faces. International, CIS, and Uzbek studies are analyzed in four research areas: optimization of scraper (flight) spacing as a function of material load; sprocket design; friction during conveyor advance and operation with a shearer; and operation in steeply dipping seams. The principal achievements, limitations, and unresolved research gaps are identified. The review shows that DEM/MBD-based optimization has achieved substantial reductions in energy consumption and moving mass, whereas adaptive selection of flight spacing, friction-oriented sprocket-profile optimization, direct measurement of trough-floor friction during advancing, and conveyor stability under steep-seam conditions remain insufficiently investigated.
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