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The quality of bucket wheel excavators (BWEs) operations is largely influenced by the physical-mechanical (structure, mineralogical composition, plasticity, anisotropy, degree of fracturing etc.) and technological properties (compressive strength, tensile strength, shear strength, compaction, consolidation, cutting resistance etc.) of the rocks. If the excavated materials are relatively homogenous, without intercalations with excessive cutting resistance, it is not difficult to conduct the technological process. I...

One of the frequent problems that needs to be addressed when mining coal deposits is the presence in the working face of cohesive materials having high mechanical strength in relation to the average rock to be excavated. These are generally called пїЅhard formationsпїЅ or пїЅhard inclusionsпїЅ and are in the form of either continuous layers or boulders. This problem is of particular importance in Europe where lignite deposits are exploited in large opencast mines utilizing Bucket Wheel Excavators (BWEs) as the mai...