Study on Dragline-Bulldozer Operation with Variations in Coal Seam Thickness

The dragline is one of the most promising surface mining machines in China. This paper studies the interac-tion between the working bench advancing speed and the stripping volume with variation in coal seam thickness. Ad-justing the bulldozing volume （depth） and/or changing the dragline bench height are proposed as means to ensure a smooth and economical mining operation. When the coal seam is getting thicker it is recommended to reduce the bull-dozing volume （depth） for a higher dragline efficiency. When the coal seam is getting thinner it is recommended to in-crease the bulldozing volume （depth） to ensure the dragline can work at the proper bench height.