Twenty years development and prospect of rapid coal mine roadway excavation in China

Coal mine excavation faces some new opportunities and challenges under the rapid development of intelligent coal mines. In order to promote intelligent tunneling rapidly and healthily, a comprehensive review about the 20 years development of rapid coal mine tunning in China was conducted, with a view to clarify the development context and trends of tunneling technology, key process technologies and equipment, and integrated equipment in tunneling system. In terms of tunneling technology, the double-roadway excavation has opened up a new way for excavation and anchor in adjacent roadways at the same time. The excavation and anchor synchronization process, and the time-space multi-dimensional synchronous rapid tunneling process break the tradition which contains cutting first, then supporting, and in-time fully supporting, and thus establishes a new excavation process based on cutting and supporting at the same time, the dynamic matching of head face necessary support and permanent support in multi-dimensional space. In terms of key core technologies, the cutting head has gone through three styles: longitudinal axis style, horizontal axis style with full width and full-face style. On the basis of continuous breakthroughs in the high-power density reducer and design concept of whole machine, a series of high-efficiency cutting systems with longitudinal cutting power up to 315 kW and full-width transverse cutting power up to 560 kW has been successfully developed. Supporting operation is developed from the traditional single anchor drilling rig to machine-arm mounted, machine mounted anchor drilling rig, anchor drilling rig with one-key operation, and anchor drilling rig cluster, etc. The number of drilling rigs and operation safety in limited space have been greatly improved, and the operation process has been greatly simplified. Intelligent technologies such as anchor hole identification and automatic planning of anchor path have entered the industrial test stage. The invention of the flexible transport system solves the efficient transfer problem of coal in short distances in tunnel. In terms of integrated equipment configuration, four types of fast excavation modes led by continuous mining machine, bolter miner, roadheader and TBM have been formed. Many different operation lines have been formed under the four rapid excavation modes, that form a full coverage of rapid excavation under various geological conditions. At the system level, intelligent functions such as remote control, centralized control, video monitoring, locking linkage, and personnel approach warning have been realized. Based on the development process of rapid tunneling, the development directions of intelligent tunneling are finally proposed, which contains the theory improvement of multi-dimensional synchronous rapid tunneling in time and space, the data collection for transparent geology based on intelligent excavation, the research of auxiliary operation technology and equipment of tunneling roadway, and the research and development of equipment intelligent technology.