Design and industrial testing of innovative nonexpendable picks for cutter-loaders

The tendency of increasing dimensions of cutter—loader picks results in many departures of the machine from face area during rock breaking in mines. This is governed by the current structure of the tangential rotary picks making their repair and second use impossible. The studies of the mechanisms and degree of the pick wear yield the proposal of the new design aimed at essential extension of life time of the rock-breaking tool. In the developed split pick design, up to 80% of the tool is usable many times. The working part subjected to abrasive wear and making 20% of the pick weight and length is replaceable after wear of the tungsten carbide nose.
The experimental pilot picks of the spit design were tested in cutting coal (with adjacent rocks with hardness f= 5—6) in a Kuzbass mine in December 2017. The tests proved availability and repairability of the proposed design. No detachment of the replaceable heads from their shank ends was observed. During the tests, the cutter—loader broke 75001 of rocks. The picks underwent 4—5 replacements of the worn-out heads while preserving their shape and workability.