Investigating the simulated control of the rotational speed of roadheader cutting heads, relating to the reduction of energy consumption during the cutting process

Abstract

The main responsibilities carried out by roadheaders are cutting rock heading faces of drilled headings or tunnels. This process, especially when drilling headings in hard rock, has been characterized to date by high energy consumption. It is a highly complex process due to its physical nature, as well as, a variety of other factors which it is impacted by. This article presents the possibilities for reducing energy consumption from cutting with transverse roadheader cutting heads, by adapting the rotational speed of the cutting heads to the current conditions of the cutting process at hand. The solution is addressed through automatic rotational speed control of cutting heads and an algorithm of a computer simulated operation of an automatic cutting head rotational speed control system with a PID controller. The computer simulations conducted enabled the assessment of the operational efficiency of the proposed automatic control system in regard to reducing energy consumption when cutting hard rocks.