Supporting development of suspended underground monorails using virtual prototyping techniques

Abstract

Self-propelled suspended railways are one of the main means of auxiliary transport in underground coal mines. Their dynamic development and increase of their widespread use in Poland took place at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Due to their advantages which include among others no need to maintain tracks on the floor and transport safety. The suspended railway is used instead of other means of transport. Individual subassemblies of the suspended monorails are still under development. Improvement of safety and increase of the work comfort of the operator and conveyed persons are among the objectives of manufacturers of these machines. A possibility of increasing the speed of suspended monorails, especially when conveying people, associated with a continuous extension of the access roads to coal mining faces, is also an important aspect. Increasing the speed will enable a more efficient used employees’ working time. This article presents an example of using one of virtual prototyping methods to support the modernization process of existing solutions or to support designing of new machines. Use of this method for a modification of the operator’s suspended cabin in a suspended monorail is described.