Mining Machinery Engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of
engineering that applies the principles of
mechanical engineering and
electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
for analysis, design, manufacturing and maintenance of
mining equipment. It includes study of various aspects of equipment used in
earthworks
Earthworks may refer to:
Construction
*Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour
* Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil
*Earthworks (military), m ...
,
mineral processing,
bulk material handling,
drilling
Drilling is a cutting process where a drill bit is spun to cut a hole of circular cross-section in solid materials. The drill bit is usually a rotary cutting tool, often multi-point. The bit is pressed against the work-piece and rotated at ra ...
and
construction.
History
Surface mining equipment evolved at a high pace in the 20th century as the scale of mining grew up. In the first twenty years of the 1900s, steam power was largely replaced by
internal combustion engines and
electric motors. Till the 1970s such equipment mainly used mechanical systems and cables for power transmission after which they started to be replaced by
hydraulic drive system for small machines. However, mechanical and cable drives are still dominant in large machines.
A similar development took place in the development of underground machinery.
Drilling
Drilling is a cutting process where a drill bit is spun to cut a hole of circular cross-section in solid materials. The drill bit is usually a rotary cutting tool, often multi-point. The bit is pressed against the work-piece and rotated at ra ...
and
blasting replaced manual cutting of ores. Lately, the use of
continuous mining machines has become the order of the day to comply with environmental regulations, protect surface features, and also achieve an increased production rate.
As the concern for safety in mines increased and highly stringent regulations were put in place, it required mining machinery engineers to be highly conversant with such regulations.
Employment
Since Mining Machinery Engineering is a wholesome branch, the course of which covers disciplines like
Mechanical Engineering,
Mining Engineering,
Mineral Engineering,
Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
, the employment opportunities are tremendous. Mining Machinery Engineering provides excellent career opportunities in various industries such as
mining,
heavy earth moving equipment,
construction industry
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and come ...
, mineral processing, and other related industries.
References
Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad - Department of Mining Machinery Engineering
Mining engineering