The Development History of Tunnel Repair Machines for Coal Mines（haoyun）

The editor of Shandong Haoyun Heavy Industry Machinery Co., Ltd. will discuss the development history of tunnel repair machines used in coal mines.

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The development of coal mine roadway maintenance machinery is closely related to the mechanization process of coal mining. In the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the construction of coal mine tunnels mainly relied on manual labor and simple tools, with extremely low efficiency. With the introduction of Soviet technology in the late 1950s, China began to develop equipment such as cantilever tunneling machines for tunnel excavation, but at that time, tunnel repair was still mainly done manually. After the reform and opening up, the coal industry ushered in a wave of mechanization, and tunnel repair machines, as a new force in the support and repair process, gradually received attention. According to literature records, at the end of the 20th century, some mining areas in China began to attempt to introduce or develop small-scale lane repair machinery, but due to limitations in technology and understanding, promotion was slow.

In the 21st century, with the promotion of high-yield and high-efficiency construction in coal mines, the cross-section of tunnels continues to increase, the service life is extended, and the demand for tunnel repair has surged. At the same time, the improvement of hydraulic technology and mining machinery manufacturing level has created conditions for the research and development of specialized tunnel repair equipment. Around 2000, some domestic coal mining enterprises and research institutes began to initiate the development of tunnel repair machines. For example, Liaoning University of Engineering and Technology and other institutions have carried out research and development on the difficult problem of repairing soft rock tunnels. Around 2005, the first batch of domestically produced tunnel repair machines were introduced, marking a breakthrough in China’s coal mine tunnel repair equipment from scratch. The equipment in this stage is mostly modified from small hydraulic excavators, with relatively single functions. Around 2010, with the inclusion of lane repair machines as a promotion project in the “Catalogue of Advanced and Applicable Technical Equipment for Coal Mine Safety Production”, the industry’s awareness of them increased, and multiple enterprises invested in research and development. Afterwards, the tunnel repair machine was gradually tested in large and medium-sized mines in China, and cases with good usage effects continued to emerge.

Since 2015, tunnel repair machines have entered a period of rapid development. On the one hand, market demand is increasing year by year, driving technological iteration and upgrading; On the other hand, the government has promoted the policy of “mechanization of personnel replacement and automation of personnel reduction” in coal mines, creating a favorable environment for the application of tunnel repair machines in coal mines. The technical performance has significantly improved, gradually forming a market pattern dominated by domestic equipment. It can be said that after decades of exploration and practice, Haoyun Heavy Industry’s coal mine roadway repair machine has gradually matured from its initial concept and become an indispensable mechanized equipment for coal mine roadway maintenance.