Coal Mine Operations Manual: History * Engineering * Technology * Safety - Hardcover

McNab, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1785217143 ISBN 13: 9781785217142

Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK, 2020

Synopsis

At its peak in 1920, 1.1 million people were employed in the UK coal-mining industry, with more than 1,300 mines across Britain producing nearly 300 million tonnes of coal for domestic and industrial use. Mining was, and remains, a dirty, dangerous and complex engineering task, extracting a raw material at depths of up to 1,400m below the surface, the shafts spreading out for miles beneath town and country.

This Haynes Manual explains the evolution of British coal mining from a technical and engineering standpoint from the 18th to the 20th century, the heyday of British mining. From simple bell-pit mining, the book goes on to explain in detail the fundamental methods of surface and underground mining, including ‘pillar-and-stall’ workings, long-wall mining and deep mining, and the technologies from made these possible, from simply hand picks and shovels through steam-powered underground haulage systems and modern computerised shearer-loader machines. The book explains the history and technology both above and below ground, exploring the pit head surface machinery and the transportation networks that fed into it, and the personal kit and equipment of individual miners. It also looks at how successive generations of mining engineers have met the perennial challenges and dangers of mining: pressure from millions of tons of rock and earth above; water drainage; fire and gas explosions; roof and seam collapse; underground illumination; ventilation; disease and accidents.

Alongside the technical story, this Haynes manual will be rich in human history, with many first-hand accounts of how miners worked and lived during these industrious centuries.

About this title

About the Author

Chris McNab specializes in military history and military technology. He has published more than 100 books, including the Haynes Kubelwagen/Schwimmwagen Manual, Roman Soldier Operations Manual, Dreadnought Battleship, Siege Warfare, Falklands War, and the RAF Chinook Manual. Chris has also written extensively for major encyclopedia series, magazines and newspapers, and has made TV appearances as an expert commentator for Discover, Sky and History channels.

Edition details

• Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1785217143
• ISBN 13: 9781785217142
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 156