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How did the shearer introduced in Britain in 1952 cut coal?
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coal mining
Schematic diagram of an underground coal mine, showing surface facilities, access shafts, and room-and-pillar and longwall mining methods.
The shearer introduced in Britain in 1952 was a continuous mining machine designed to operate while pulled along the coal face astride a conveyor.1
To cut the coal, the machine utilized a series of disks fitted with picks on their perimeters. These disks were mounted on a shaft positioned perpendicular to the coal face. As the shearer was pulled along the face, the revolving disks cut a slice of coal. Additionally, a plow attached behind the machine served to clean up any coal that fell into the space between the face and the conveyor.1