Modeling and simulation of crushing process of spiral mining head

Abstract

According to the characteristics of spiral mining head for deep seabed cobalt-rich crust, the kinematic model, cutting loads model, quantity of cutting picks model of mining head, granularity distribution model and energy consumption model were constructed. Based on these models, computer simulation program of cutting loads was developed with VB software. The mechanical parameters of mining head were obtained in the cutting depth range of 5–160 mm. Making use of the simulation results, the effect of cutting depth of spiral mining head on the mining process was studied. The results show that the maximum force of single pick is 4.705 1 kN, the maximum force and torque of spiral drum of mining head are respectively 34.166 8 kN and 3.879 5 kN · m at the cutting depth of 160 mm.