Assessment of unit consumption of shearer picks

It is yet a topical problem to assess unit consumption of shearer picks. Which consumption is a norm and which is a disaster? This point concerns equally miners and designers. The unit consumption of cutting picks is assessed as a case-study of shearer model MS-430/009 and its testing results in a mine. A brief specification of the shearer and its drum is given. The assessment procedure of the unit consumption of shearer picks is described; it takes into account the physicotechnical parameters of rocks, the cutting regime, the pick material and geometry, and the operating conditions. The unit consumptions of picks are calculated for seriesproduced domestic shearers with regard to the compression strength of rocks, rotary velocity of shearer drums, number of picks in contact with rocks, diameter of tungsten carbide insert and the Cerchar Abrasivity Index (CAI). The calculations are compared with the results of field testing of shearer MS-430/009 in the Denisovskaya Mine. It is shown that the consumption of picks on the drum of shearer MS-430/009 is neither disastrous nor even high, but is quite normal and regular. This inference agrees with the in-situ test data of different cutting picks and shearers from other researchers.

Zhabin А. B., Polyakov Аn. V., Polyakov Аl. V. Assessment of unit consumption of shearer picks. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(12):132-143. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/ 0236_1493_2025_12_0_132.

А.B. Zhabin, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, Tula State University, 300012, Tula, Russia, e-mail: zhabin.tula@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5305-4908,
Аn.V. Polyakov¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Expert, e-mail: polyakoff-an@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0067-6954,
Аl.V. Polyakov¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Expert, e-mail: polyakoff-al@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0006-6076-6958,
¹ United Consulting Holding LLC, 109542, Moscow, Russia.

An.V. Polyakov, e-mail: polyakoff-an@mail.ru.

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